Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This mountain cache is a narrow ammo can, hidden on the summit of Tiehacker Mt. at an elevation of 4,240 feet. A fine, steep trail provides what is probably the most scenic and enjoyable mountain hike in the entire Seward area, and that's saying something! A 2005 Alaska Geocoin is waiting for the First Finder, along with various other trade items.
Tiehacker Mountain was named in honor of the men who worked in the early days of the building of the Alaska Railroad, cutting railroad ties by hand from hemlock stands on mountain ridges. They sledded the ties down to the railroad in the winter using horses, and traces of their trails can still be found in numerous locations in the area. Several large piles of cut ties, abandoned for some reason and now deeply covered in moss, have been found on the western slopes of this mountain.
A smart and sweet lady named Pat Williams, who grew up in Seward, worked with Senator Stevens to have this mountain officially designated as Tiehacker. Pat passed away in 2014, just five days short of her one hundred and fifth birthday.
The Tiehacker trail starts near Little Bear Lake, which used to be a favorite local swimming hole, but now is an obscure pond on an overgrown back road. To get there, turn off of the Seward Highway onto Bear Lake Road, 7 miles north of Seward. Follow that road about a mile, and turn onto Tiehacker Road, just past the Bear Creek fish weir. At the end of a street at N60"10.956 W149"21.553, a rough road leads into the woods and goes left to connect to the old road to Little Bear Lake, which is about 3/4 mile to the east. Some folks drive all the way back, but it gets rocky and overgrown. Bikes or boots are best, or skis.
The well-traveled but occasionally brushy mountain trail leaves the old road at N60"11.057 W149"20.563, and very quickly becomes a rather direct route to higher elevations. Goat hunters and then snowboarders have cleared the branches off of the old game trail up the ridge. Be well prepared, but travel light.
Once above the alders and grasses, the goat track along the ridge edge is a mountain lover's delight. The Bear Lake Glacier on the south is gorgeous, and Bear Lake itself is revealed at the base of the mountain. Lost Lake and the Resurrection Peaks are in the distance to the west, the town of Seward and Resurrection Bay are visible, and Kenai Lake can be seen 10 miles to the north. The hike just keeps getting better as you approach the summit. Hoary marmots, mountain goats, ptarmigan, and eagles are often seen. Sightings of black bears and even Dall sheep are rare but possible. The trail skirts the Tiehacker Glacier, which is usually covered with snow until late summer, when crevasses are revealed by the melting of the pack. When conditions are right, skiing and boarding is great from just below the summit all the way down into the tree line. Ridgeseeker and local pals first skied this mountain in the mid 1970's (Whoa!)
At the summit, a small metal marker embossed "Tiehacker" and placed during the International Geophysical Year in 1957 is especially interesting. There are views up the valley of the South Fork of Snow River, with the Sergeant Icefield visible to the east. Beautiful Hearth Mountain, 6,182 feet high, is across the valley to the north. The classic cirque at the head of Bear Lake Glacier is very visible and amazing.
The approximately 5 mile roundtrip is a year-round local favorite that any mountain hiker (even the seriously overbooked EMTEElad) will really enjoy.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx sbe n ubyr arne n jvaqoernx jvgu n ivrj bs Xranv Ynxr.