Rare clear days on Kesugi Ridge provide spectacular views of Denali

Kesugi Ridge, a hike famous for its views of Denali, has been on my backpacking bucket list a long time. Last weekend, I finally made the trip with a small crew only to find it very different than what I imagined.

Friends prepared me for the worst. They jokingly called the 27.7-mile stretch I planned to hike "Kesoggy Ridge."

On a clear day, the ridge boasts a front-row view of the nation's tallest peak, but it can also be completely socked in. Trail conditions are often described as a mix of "snowy, foggy, rainy, windy."

Still, spending a weekend on Kesugi was a gamble my friends were willing to take for the view. Several of them had seen Denali from the trail, and they said even a single afternoon with a view of the mountain was worth it.

The forecast called for a mix of rain, with perhaps a day of sun. Knowing Alaska's fickle weather, especially in the mountains, I prepared for a downpour. My backpack was fully lined with plastic. My precious socks and a puffy down coat were stuffed in zip-lock bags with all of the air squished out. I brought rain gear and bourbon. I steeled myself for days of rain.

[More information on Kesugi Ridge]

It was sunny and the mountain was out the day we started. We hiked the 2,000 feet up over three miles from the Little Coal Creek Trailhead, planning to hike south over the next couple of days.

The trail quickly ascended over a series of switchbacks, and I kept turning toward the bushes to grab blueberries before turning back around to take in the view of the red-and-yellow tundra with the mountain towering above. I figured I might not see Denali again for the rest of the hike, so I better take it in now.

That night we decided to leave the rain fly off the tent, figuring if we felt the weather shift, we'd just pull it on. In the middle of the night, I caught a glimpse of bright and brilliant stars sparkling through the mesh in the top of the tent. It was so incredibly beautiful that I gasped, which isn't like me. I hadn't seen this kind of pure darkness since spring.

When we woke up the air was cool and fall-like. We crawled out of our tents wearing hats and warm down jackets, watching the bright white crags of Denali come alive in the rising sun.

The sunlight on the tundra crept toward us as we sipped hot coffee and attempted to eat the copious amount of oatmeal I'd made. This is not a normal relaxing Saturday morning by most standards, but for me it doesn't get much better.

I laughed loudly that first day when, emerging through a small pass and onto the ridgeline, Denali and the craggy teeth of the Alaska Range spread across the entire horizon. I was getting to see Denali twice on my Kesugi backpacking trip. Plus, the mountain was so crystal clear and dominant it was almost a joke — especially considering what I expected.

We walked approximately 14 miles that second day, which, in retrospect, was a bit much. Another friend joked before I left that I didn't really need a map, because to access Kesugi I just needed to "walk up to the trail and take a right" and walk for a bunch of miles.

The Denali State Park map, available through the Department of Natural Resources, came in handy — not so much to reassure us that we were on the right path but to set expectations for what was coming up next. There is a lot of elevation gain and loss over the route, which can be winding. Also, if we'd had any inclement weather, the map combined with many cairns along the way would have been incredibly handy.

No doubt we were exceptionally lucky with the crystal-clear weather. Whatever rain had come through earlier (we heard there'd been plenty) left mud and tiny lakes along the trail. We side-stepped some, but there were a few times I almost lost a shoe.

That night we hiked until we reached Skinny Lake, the only place along Kesugi Ridge that has established campsites and an outhouse. We picked one of the two wooden platform sites along the lake's edge and once again after dinner decided to chance the weather by leaving the rain flies off our tents. Once again, I awoke in the middle of the night dazzled by stars (and alert to bear noises, which I eventually decided were tiny waves hitting the lakeshore).

It was windy the next day, but with a bright blue sky illuminating the tundra's reds and oranges. We hiked out to Byers Lake, taking in the view of Denali that had almost become normal. At this point, our packs were lighter from days of eating and assisting one another with the bourbon. We ascended cleanly cut switchbacks toward the lake and arrived late afternoon.

That night we stayed in Byers Lake public use cabin No. 3, which I would absolutely recommend, especially for families. My legs were shot from backpacking, which made the half-mile stroll in the woods to the cabin difficult but doable.

Having a roof over our heads that we didn't need to assemble was awesome. We woke up Monday morning to clear, clear blue skies and the bright white mountain in full view.

[Check out the three Byers Lake public-use cabins]

I'm only half joking when I say that I won't do Kesugi Ridge again. Our trip was absolutely spectacular, and I'm not sure I'll ever have the opportunity to experience it this way again. The mountain is only out 30 percent of the time, so to have four straight days of clear conditions seems like the royal flush of backpacking.

Still, sometimes gambles pay off. Denali has been out all this week, and it's not too late to plan your trip to Kesugi. It will probably only get more beautiful as we get a bit further into fall.

Alli Harvey lives, works and plays in Anchorage.