Photos: Arctic Valley draws berry pickers and hikers, even in the rain

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Sixth graders, teachers and chaperones from Aquarian Charter School pause for lunch while hiking at Arctic Valley on August 23, 2018. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Rain didn't keep people away from Arctic Valley on August 23, 2018, and many showed up with buckets for picking berries from the flanks of Rendezvous Peak, Mount Gordon Lyon and other Chugach mountains.

Two sixth-grade classes from Aquarian Charter showed up in the morning to begin a hike to the saddle that overlooks Eagle River's South Fork Valley. It was a first-week-of-school activity designed help the kids bond, said teacher Kacey Magestro. She said she kept the kids moving so they didn't get cold in the rain, but otherwise the weather didn't dampen spirits.

"They're Alaskan kids, so it's not a big deal," she said.

Sisters Willa and Rachel Irrigoo found berries on the face of the ski hill. Willa said she likes to use some in akutaq, a dessert sometimes called Eskimo ice cream. Some were not quite ripe yet, Rachel said, so she expected to come back again in a few days.