The KrrBrrr

 I had an interesting morning running The Krrbrrr race (Knik River Break-Up Ramble Run) through the mud and the muck, the stickers, trees, brambles, and the moose and horse poop. It's a crazy trail race that consists of a 5 mile loop through the messy flooded, muddy mass of ATV trails that connect Sullivan Road to the Jim Creek, Knik River drainage. Runners have to contend with ATV's, moose and occasional horses as they forge their way through the currently mostly flooded trail system. Negotiating my way around the gigantic flooded areas required bushwhacking through fallen trees, and hoards of gnarly wild rose bushes with nasty thorns that grab onto everything. I made sure to wear heavy long pants to avoid arriving at the finish a bloody mess. Runners, or in my case, walkers (I'm a chicken) can run as many loops as they want in the 8 hour allotted time. Like the previous 2 years, I was quite satisfied to call it a day after completing one loop still standing and not covered with mud. Heartier runners amazingly accomplished multiple loops. I'm proud of them! It's really a lot of fun and a challenge to find one's way from one pink flag to the next even though there may be a 3 foot deep moat between the 2 flags. I was slow and careful enough to actually arrive back at the start finish line without even getting my feet wet. My studded running shoes were covered with mud though. There was ice beneath many of the muddy sections and those studded shoes were perfect to help keep me from toppling over like some of the faster runners did. I love doing it just to have a little visit with the other runners. They inspire me.

Twin Peaks Trail

 I got a very late start getting out of the house today. But finally decided to drive up to Eklutna Lake and hike part of the Twin peaks Trail. We only went to the overlook at the first bench because we didn't have enough time to go all the way to the second bench. But the first bench overlook has the best view. We did encounter a few sections of ice but it was easy to either walk around it or walk in the softest parts. I had my spikes with me but didn't need to put them on. The bottom was a little muddy but for the most part, the trail was pretty dry. I love this steep little trail to the overlook. It's a good 3.5 mile workout and very beautiful. 

Archangel Road Ski

 It looked like today would be another sunny day. But the morning clouds didn't burn off like they have been doing lately. I skied along Archangel Road practicing my skate skiing. The snow was perfect, but the light was not very good. The farther out we went, the darker and thicker the clouds became. The light was so flat that I was afraid to get any speed going on the downhills. I was disappointed because I had hoped to go past the bridge since the snow conditions were so good. But I was starting to get a little vertigo because of the visibility. So, we turned around at the bridge. Bella enjoyed a good run and enjoyed visiting with other skiers and getting a few friendly pets from all of them. 

Bodenburg Butte Climb

 It was another nice sunny day so I had to get out of the house and get some exercise. We hiked up the West Butte Trail. I figured it would have been completely snow and ice free by now, since it has been so warm. But soon after we started our hike I found it was too icy and I couldn't even walk without falling. So I found a flat spot and put on my micro spikes. The bottom part of the trail was very icy and the spikes were quite essential. Once we got to the wooden stairs, I really didn't need them anymore. But I didn't know what might lie ahead, so I kept them on all the way to the top. There wasn't much ice the rest of the way, but there were some slippery muddy spots. It was a beautifully clear day and calm for a change. We stayed up there enjoying the view for a while. Then we mostly ran all the way down. Bella got pretty muddy and found herself carried directly to my kitchen sink for a bath to her lower parts when we got home. Her long hair really does like to collect mud. 

Lazy Mountain Climb

 I climbed up Lazy Mountain from the back side along the Matanuska Peak Trail and the Lazy Mountain Southside Trail with friends, Frank and Katie plus dogs, Maya and Bella. It was so perfect, with very little mud and great well-packed snow on the upper part. Bella and Maya were usually out in front leading the way. Bella as usual, was the first one to the summit. She ran straight up the rocks to the top and was up there wandering on the rocks as I picked my way up there. It's pretty exposed and I needed to walk very carefully. It was mostly snow free on top but I was still wearing my micro spikes. I had to concentrate so I didn't catch them on the sharp rocks and have an embarrassing fall on Lazy Mountain. I spent a few minutes on the top while the others continued to the flag a little below. They weren't too interested in rock climbing up with me and the two dogs. But getting to the flag is high enough to call it the top. I stood up there and took a 360 degree video of the view. Bella was running up and down and making me nervous. I wanted to scream at her to stand still but didn't want my shouting to show up on the video. She's actually a lot more sure-footed than I am, and I'd be the one more likely to stumble and go toppling down the mountainside. There were several other dogs and their owners also heading to the top, so I went down a little lower and waited for Frank and Katie to take their pictures by the flag. While I was having a snack, Bella raced back to the top and was getting in the way of the others. I called her and she came running back. But a few seconds later, she was right back up there. She didn't want to come when I called her, so I pulled out my bag of dog treats and yelled "I have treats!" Then she came running. We hiked down the same way and had a wonderful 6.5 mile hike. 

It's a hike that almost didn't happen though. When I first arrived at the parking area and parked, I noticed the lot was glare ice and I even slid a tiny bit. But I parked with plenty of room away from the other car parked there. When Katie arrived, she pulled up next to me. But her car started to slide! We all panicked and I quickly moved my car so she didn't slide into me. But then she started to slide into the other parked car. Frank was there with his truck but far away from our cars. We couldn't come up with a safe way to get her car out of there, so she called a tow truck. While we were waiting I saw a woman coming down the trail. I raced up to her and asked if she owned the red car. I was so relieved when she said yes. She saved the day and our hike, by driving away. Then Katie was able to move her car over and park along the road like I did. She had decided to forget about the hike, but we talked her into still doing it. I'm so glad she got to go, because it was a really nice day and a perfect day to climb Lazy Mountain.

Bella

Maya

Katie & Frank

Katie & Bella

Katie

Archangel Road Ski Again

 I skied again along Archangel Road today with my friend, Pam and our dogs of course. Once again it was perfect conditions. The Mat-Su Ski Club has been diligently grooming the road lately, because it's just about the only place that has enough snow to cross country ski. It also gets pretty crowded up there because of that. We left early enough to beat the crowds. Before I got my new boots, I had a hard time keeping up with Pam on the uphill parts. But today I was able to stay either right with her or ahead. On the way back I was moving much faster because it's mostly a gentle downhill. I'm really enjoying skate skiing now. It's 4.5 miles round trip to the bridge and back.

Archangel Road Ski

I got pretty frustrated skiing here at Archangel on Monday. One of the things that I noticed was that my feet felt like they weren't being held securely in my boots. My boots are combination skate and classic ski boots. I felt like they weren't giving me quite enough ankle support for skate skiing. So, yesterday I drove to Anchorage to Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking and bought some boots specifically for skate skiing. That was a really good move, because today I felt much better skating. The conditions were perfect, and I was able to skate all the way to the bridge and back. Those boots made a tremendous difference. Skate skiing in very equipment specific, more so than with classic skiing. I think I'm finally getting the hang of skate skiing. It was a gorgeous day and both Bella and I had a delightful time. 

Archangel Road

 Once again, I'm back on Archangel Road trying my best to learn how to skate ski properly. Today was a ski hike with the Valley Wanderers. There were only 4 of us, plus Bella my dog. Judith and Jane were using classic cross-country skis while Meg and I were on skate skis. Meg actually teaches skate skiing, so she gave me some very valuable tips. I was still very slow and lagged behind the others most of the time, especially on the uphill parts. But it was still really nice to be out there once again, in the sunshine. Bella was racing back and forth and likely ran twice the distance of the rest of us. I probably got a better workout than the others because I was working so hard, due to my still lack of ability. We encountered a skier with a couple of big dogs and Bella let them know that she is clearly tougher and bigger than either of them, even though both were at least 5 times her size. She put them in their place, but they didn't seem to mind her antics. The snow was really hard packed and extra icy and slippery. The conditions really contributed to my difficulties. It was clearly not the best skate skiing conditions. But it was still fun and a beautiful day to be out there. We covered about 4 miles.

Lazy Mountain Climb

 I usually hike on Fridays with Pam and her dog, Dahla. She asked for suggestions, so I suggested climbing Lazy Mountain. The weather has been so nice, and I'd heard others had been climbing there. So, I figured the trail would be well boot packed. We didn't meet until 11 am because she was tired from a long work week. It was very icy going up the steep Lazy Mountain Trail. We both had on very new Kahtoola Micro Spikes, so it wasn't too difficult to negotiate the ice. But higher up the trail gets ridiculously steep and at one point, I heard Pam call out to me from farther down the trail. She had fallen and was stuck somehow and couldn't get back up. I climbed back down to help her, but she was able to get up on her own. It was a bit treacherous descending down to where she was, on that nasty ice. Once she was moving upwards again, we jointly decided not to return on the same trail. At least for sure, I knew she would have no parts of it. I wasn't too excited about picking my way back down through that ice either. 

We took a break at the first picnic table and had a few snacks. The rest of the way up was perfect hiking conditions. There was just enough snow to cover any icy spots, and the snow was well packed down, making the trail easy to navigate. Bella was forging ahead so I moved ahead to keep her in my sights. Bella ran right to the highest point of the summit and waited for me. It's a little sketchy to climb up those last few rocks, but I always like to go all the way up and have a nice seat in the rocks to admire the view. Pam was moving a little slower, but I waited at the top for her. She doesn't like the last little rock scramble so didn't come all the way to where I was sitting. I took lots of pictures on top plus a 360-degree video looking in all directions. Bella wanted to continue on down the other side and would probably have been willing to walk along the ridges until she finally dropped from exhaustion. But I put a stop to that, and we hiked down and joined Pam. Her dog did come up to our spot but wasn't able to convince her to come up with us. It was a little scary up there with ice patches here and there among the rocks. But we had no trouble. 

The trip down was lovely on the hard packed snow to the picnic table where we took another nice break. From there we took the longer Lazy Moose Trail. It was still mostly frozen with some snow and ice. But easy to negotiate. Once we got about halfway down though, it got quite miserable with black gooey slippery mud. I almost fell once but one of the trail markers caught me before I landed headfirst on a fallen log. I'm glad I avoided doing that. It took us a long time to get down, and the longer trail turned a 4-mile hike into a 6-mile one. But at least we didn't need to negotiate the ice. Although I imagine the lower part of the main trail had also turned to steeper gooey slippery black mud. My dog was so muddy that I put in in my shopping bag and plopped her into the car seat to avoid getting my new car filthy. At my house, I carried her in that same bag directly to my kitchen sink for a much-needed bath. It was one of the most beautiful Lazy Mountain climbs I have ever done, and well worth the little hardships. Such a perfect day!

Bella on the summit

Ptarmigan along the trail

Matanuska Peak

Summit Video

Nancy Lake Parkway Ski Loop

 Bella and I hiked a pleasant 3 miles on the snow machine packed Nancy Lake Parkway Ski Loop today. It is a ski trail, but the conditions were not very conducive to skiing. It was packed by a single snow machine and was pretty rough. It's fairly hilly too. So, I didn't even attempt to ski it. I just hiked the 3-mile loop in my winter snow boots. It was fun exploring since I had only done part of the loop in the past. I was glad I had my phone with the AllTrails app to help me stay on the correct trail and have a good idea of where I was headed. There are a couple of places where a person could turn off and visit some of the lakes in the area. It was a nice change of scene instead of always going to the same few local trails.