Does this look like the definition of paradise to you?
For me, anyways, I’d say it’s pretty close. Where is this magical place, you ask? It’s called the Mint Hut, and it’s located in the heart of the Talkeetna mountains, only about a two hour drive from Anchorage. And it’s one of my new favorite places.
Earlier this fall, my best friend Lauren decided to make a trip up north to come visit me in my new home. It was the first time she’d ever been to Alaska, and to be honest, it may be the best trip she’ll ever have to this glorious state. First of all, as soon as Lauren arrived at the Anchorage Airport, I picked her up and drove to a nearby park overlooking the city. There, within an hour of setting foot in Alaska, she got to see the northern lights for the very first time:
The next morning, we packed up our gear and drove to Hatcher Pass. We parked at the trailhead for the Gold Mint Trail, and began the 9-mile trek up a remote mountain valley towards the headwaters of the Little Susitna River.
Lauren was very impressed by the scenery as soon as we started hiking, but I knew the best was still to come. The only real obstacle between us and our destination was a moderate scramble up the steep, rocky slope at the end of the valley. The trail was not well defined, and a fairly significant drop-off marked the edge of the narrow path up the side of the mountain. It was steep and our packs were heavy, but I promised her it would be all be worth it in the end. And as soon as Lauren rounded the final exposed corner and saw the Mint Hut perched in the hanging valley just a few hundred feet in front of her, she agreed.
The Mint Hut is one of several unbelievably adorable cabins built and maintained by the Mountaineering Club of Alaska, which can be used by members on a first-come-first-serve basis. For $15 per year, I’d say it’s a pretty sweet deal.
We were ecstatic to find we had the place to ourselves, at least for the first few hours.
As the sun began to set, bathing the surrounding peaks in shades of pink and yellow light, we filled up our water canisters from the nearby stream and breathed in the beauty of our surroundings.
Just before dark, we heard voices outside of the hut and saw the headlamps of several
other hikers approaching from above. They joined us around the table inside the cozy but 
surprisingly spacious cabin, which is fully stocked with reading material and miscellaneous cooking supplies left by past visitors. There’s even a loft filled with dozens of spare sleeping bags and sleeping pads. We decided to sleep down below and let the newcomers sleep in the loft. After all, we had two big dogs, and getting them up the ladder would have been close to impossible.
As soon as it got dark, Lauren and made our way up to the top of a rocky knoll behind the hut and turned our eyes to the sky, hoping that the auroras would put on a show for us once again. Within minutes, we started noticing a subtle green glow to the north.
And then, it started getting a little brighter . . .
And then even brighter . . .
Until pretty soon, they were dancing above us in every which direction. I didn’t know which direction to point my camera!
Every time I went out to go to the bathroom, the lights were doing something different I’d never seen before. Swirling. Streaking. Snaking. Flashing like strobe lights.
As you can probably imagine, I didn’t get very much sleep that night.
After making coffee and enjoying a lazy morning in the mountains, we started thinking of the long hike back to the car. Even though we were exhausted and anxious to get home to a real bed, it was so hard leaving that magical place.
thetraveledtrail 