Photos: When weather is pleasant and fish are biting, a weekend in Hope is hard to beat

HOPE — For those visiting Hope, a small community located southeast of Anchorage on the edge of Turnagain Arm, recent warm and dry weather provided ideal conditions for fishing, hiking and camping.

On a weekend in July, butterflies fluttered around alpine wildflowers near Hope as people hiked past patches of red and yellow western columbine and brightly colored dwarf fireweed.

Along the Palmer Creek Lakes trail, day hikers cooled off in the midsummer heat by jumping into frigid emerald lakes at the base of mountain slopes. Ellie Hands, visiting from Minnesota, joined friend Penelope Spencer for a run across a patchy snow slope and down into a clear alpine lake, their laughs echoing across the water.

As the sun sank behind tundra-covered mounds, a bald eagle scoured the lakes for fish, flying just above tents as people slept.

Here are photos from a summer weekend spent around Hope.