Verstovia...

Tonight after work we hiked to the top of a local mountain top called Verstovia.  It was one of the things on our list to accomplish while the kids are in the lower 48.  The trail starts at sea level and ascends to 2550 feet at the summit.  Its a pretty intense hike,  but it was gorgeous.  

From this vantage point we could see Mt. Edgecumbe, all of Sitka Sound, the city of Sitka and the surrounding ranges. 

It took us 1 hour 40 minutes to reach the top where we enjoyed a beer, a sandwich and some spectacular views.  The rain moved in on us while we were finishing up our snack so we rushed to close up our packs and head back down under the tree canopy.

We completed the trip down in 1 hour 20 minutes.  The best part aside from the views was the fact that my Trav and I were able to talk about life the entire way up and down the trail.  We can cover quite a bit of conversational ground and solve world problems on a trail.  Plus, the rapid ascent of the trail was a great workout for our legs in preparation for the marathon.

We checked the box on another one of the items in my "Sitka Bucket List"!