Angel Rocks... Rocks!

TOR:

(also known by geomorphologists as either a castle koppie or kopje) is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. Tors are most common and most well known as landforms that were created by the erosion and weathering of granitic rocks.

Hi Blog!

On Friday, June 10, 2016, we finally had some nice weather here in Fairbanks. What better way to celebrate than with a hike? We had been planning a visit to Chena Hot Springs to enjoy their unique and natural hot pools. As it turns out, Chena Hot Springs Road cuts right through the Chena River State Recreation Area. When we stopped in the Visitor's Center the other day we had picked up a trail map for the Angel Rocks Trail. Hiking followed by hot springs - doesn't get any better! Here is Kathy at the trailhead at the start of our adventure.

This first part of the hike follows the North Fork of the Chena River. The Chena River is a 100-mile tributary of the Tanana River, which in turn is the largest tributary of the Yukon River. It flows generally west from the White Mountains to the Tanana River near the City of Fairbanks.

After about a mile, we left the river behind and began climbing through a boggy area. The boardwalk helped to keep our boots dry.

We gained over 900 feet of elevation in the next mile. Here, Dave stops for a welcome drink of water.

We made it to our first tor! These tors formed almost 12 millions of years ago when molten rock pushed upward and cooled before it reached the earth’s surface. The surrounding earth slowly eroded, exposing the less erodible rock pinnacles. Dave is taking in the view from Overlook Rock.

No rest for the weary. We still had more ahead of us. If you look closely, you can see people standing on top of the large rounded tor.

After negotiating several switchbacks, we soon found ourselves standing eye to eye with one of the Angels of Angels Rocks.

The closer we got, the more unique each rock outcropping appeared.

This one looks just like a drippy sand castle.

As the granite cooled, it cracked under pressure. Subsequent eruptions sent basalt oozing into the cracks. Kathy couldn't help herself. She just had to poke the basalt!

There is nothing like eating lunch with a 360 degree view from the top of Angel Rocks. Just click the link to see what we saw.

After lunch, the trail meandered across the ridge line. One last viewpoint before driving back down into the forest.

The return loop on the north side of the ridge was steep and rugged. We really had to watch our step, so we didn't take any photos of the trip back down. It wasn't until we reached the river valley that we stopped at this beaver pond. While we couldn't find the beaver, we couldn't help but admire the engineering required to build such a nice dam.

Having completed our 4 mile loop, it was now time for a soak at the Chena Hot Springs Resort. See next blog!