For whatever reason I decided that it would be a good idea to try and run as far up the Gold Mint trail as I possibly could. This is about four miles up the trail looking North towards the headwaters of the Little Susitna River and the towering Mint Peaks.

If you look closely there's a Ptarmigan in the center of this picture.

I was tentatively hoping to reach the Mint Hut. Unfortunately, it's still June and I was stymied both by snow and also having no prior knowledge on where exactly the Mint Hut is. When I got to the end of the valley I scrambled up the grassy, south face of a knoll hoping to get my bearings and maybe scout out areas to go in the future...

...but I got socked in by clouds. Scouting the area today was about as successful as finding a white cow in a blizzard.

Looking South down the Mint Valley

The first braids of the Little Susitna River

I left the parking lot at 11 am and got back at 2:45 pm: not too bad for 16 miles or so with a couple thousand feet of elevation gain and loss. Definitely a place to add to the list of late July, early August hikes.