By STEVE KADEL/Frontiersman reporter

On a recent hot afternoon, only the dog seemed to be showing good sense. While Joy and I labored up the steep Bear Mountain trail, Summit the husky burrowed into the shade of some dense brush and waited for us to catch up. He emerged from the green refuge only after seeing us pull water bottles from our packs, and eagerly lapped up his share from a bowl. Then he bounded uphill to wait under the next shady bush for the slow two-leggeds.

Bear Mountain is the long, flat-topped bench rising behind the community of Peters Creek. It offers a nice view of Knik Arm and, on clear days, mounts McKinley and Foraker to the north plus Sleeping Lady and the Kenai Peninsula to the south.

The one-way trip to the top only gains 1,800 vertical feet, but that's accomplished in two and a half miles with the trail steepest just below the summit. We walked onto the tundra after 80 minutes and decided the sweaty effort was already worth it.

A breeze kept things cool here as we enjoyed a snack, more water and the scenery. Both of us have hiked Bear several times, but the reward on top never gets old.

On this outing, though, the weather was so good it seemed a shame not to keep going. I pointed out Mount Eklutna about a mile to the east and 800 feet higher, and asked Joy if she wanted to go for it.

"Piece of cake," she said bravely, and we set off again.

We ascended over spongy heather until reaching a broad, rocky ridge where hardy wildflowers clung close to the soil, somehow surviving the tough conditions above 3,000 feet elevation.

We continued along the ridge, which has no visible path, and descended slightly to a sheep trail cutting northeast from a small saddle. A few hundred feet farther below is another saddle where hikers begin regaining lost elevation up what has been called a "sculpted ridge" to the top of Eklutna.

Summit had run ahead to the second saddle, and I knew why when I saw him tail wagging with two other dogs.

Soon their owners appeared. Mark and Barbara Adams of Chugiak had come up a more straightforward route from the east, one that also begins at the Peters Creek trailhead where we departed.

Mark was carrying a "pack" that held special cargo -- the couple's 1-month-old son, Samuel Adams.

"That's what we're going to have when we're done," Barbara laughed, looking ahead to post-hike liquid refreshment.

I mentioned that Samuel seemed to be traveling in style, and Mark replied, "It's like having his own Sherpa."

A half-hour later, Joy and I reached Eklutna's 4,110-foot summit and sat down next to a small rock cairn.

The view was tremendous in all directions, especially farther south into 500,000-acre Chugach State Park.

With the clear skies and perfect conditions, we didn't want to leave this utopia.

Reluctantly, we descended and followed a trail that veered left from the saddle at Eklutna's base.

It connected with the Peters Creek Trail, an old road-bed, for the final two miles of our nice loop hike with a total gain of 3,000 feet.