Eklutna Lakeside Trail

 A most amazing 6 mile hike on Eklutna Lakeside Trail. It was cold, around zero Fahrenheit, so Baby was only happy to walk about 1/2 mile before I picked her up and stuffed her into my pack. She stays warm in there because she was wearing her heaviest coat and was also inside the 3 layer fleece bag I made for inside the pack. I had her ride in front instead of on my back because I can see what she is doing that way.  Sometimes that method seems to hurt my back, but today it felt quite comfortable.  

It was so spectacularly beautiful out there today that I wondered if I'd really ever want to turn around. But at the Yuditnu Creek Bridge, I did turn back since the sun was getting low and I knew it would be getting close to sunset. The lake is still open and I've heard there was even a kayaker out there somewhere, taking advantage of the last few minutes of open water.  I didn't see them myself though.  We actually had the entire trail to ourselves until the last 1/2 mile.  Baby was getting a little restless so when I reached the 1 mile post, I let her walk the rest of the way.  She seemed happy to be back on the ground exploring and marking the trail once again. Trail conditions were perfect for skiing but I walked this time, wearing my micro spikes. 

A hike on such a gorgeous trail is all a person needs to feel totally at peace away from the world's many troubles.

Archangel Road Ski

 It's been below zero for a couple of weeks, making it hard to get out and enjoy outdoor exercise. But I have to get out before I go crazy! So I grabbed my cross country skis and drove up to Hatcher Pass to finally get out and ski.  It was 10 below but did warm up to plus one when I got to the Archangel Parking lot.  First I tried skiing with Baby on her leash.  That lasted only a couple of minutes because she was much more interested in chasing loose dogs that ran by, than running ahead of me.  It was so cold that my hands nearly froze just getting my skis on.  Then I quickly realized that Baby needed to ride in my backpack, for the good of both of us.  So, once again, my hands froze as I struggled to pour her into the the heavy fleece bag that I keep inside the backpack. Then I hoisted all 8 pounds of her onto my back and was finally moving. I made a note to myself, use mittens, not gloves and bring hand warmers next time.  I did struggle with cold hands for my whole 4 miles.  But I would just stop occasionally and stick my hands inside my hood and warm them on the back of my neck.  It actually worked rather well.  I skied all the way to the bridge and was surprised that I actually made it that far.  It is often a nice destination when skiing Archangel Road.  The sun was behind the mountain at that point, causing the temperature to plummet.  So I turned around and we headed back.  It was a gorgeous day and the bright sunshine made it seem warmer than it actually was. 

So, my first cross country ski of the season has been accomplished and I'm officially ready for winter.  I just registered for the Frosty Bottom Marathon in Anchorage on January 15th, which means I need to get out there and train as much as possible, regardless of the weather.

5 Mile Run Wolverine Road

 I planned to do my usual 5 mile run to Wolverine Creek and up to the big carrot sign. But as Baby and I rounded the big curve by the hay fields, she let me know that she was having none of that wind blowing in her face.  It was only 40 degrees, so not terribly cold, but the wind was really howling along that stretch. We turned around at about mile 2 and headed back towards home.  I really wasn't ready to stop running and wanted to still log at least 5 miles. So when we reached Kathleen Drive we turned down it and followed it to where it joins another road, which routed us back to Wolverine Road.  That was still only going to give me about 4 miles so I turned down Curt Circle and followed it to the end, then ran the short side streets that joined it.  It was  quite a maze of streets, but we did end up with 5 miles. I was kind of tired because we did take a 2 mile walk this morning then another 1 mile trek along the Palmer Rail Trail while killing time before my dental appointment. It was a nice run and a couple of very nice walks on a relatively balmy day after the last week of nothing but rain. The mountains are snow covered but the hay fields and the road were completely dry. Snow will be coming in a few days to change that though.

 

Gold Mint Trail

A beautiful hike through the new snow on Gold Mint Trail today.  I had not intended to go very far and was just wearing my snow boots instead of actual hiking boots. But it was so nice out that Baby and I just kept going until she finally put her paw down and let me know 2 miles out was far enough.  I think her little feet might have been getting a little cold.  It was a gorgeous sunny day and I did feel like I could stay out there forever.  It got a little cooler though when the sun set behind the mountains.  It's definitely time to put my ski racks on my car. It would have been a perfect day to ski up there. I've heard the trails farther up the hill are already groomed for skiing.

Crevasse Moraine to Matanuska Lake Hike

 Such a lovely hike, with friend, Pam and our two dogs.  There was a little bit of snow on the trail but we didn't need our spikes. It was close to 40 degrees so nice and warm even though there wasn't a lot of sunshine. We parked my car at Matanuska Lake and started from Crevasse Moraine, following the Long Lake Connector and Long Lake Loop Trails.  It's been at least 20 years since I've taken this route, so it was nice to get to do the traverse once again. This is a wonderful gentle trail system of rolling small hills.  Baby hiked really well until the last mile. I think her feet were getting cold and she started trying to climb up my leg.  I loaded her up into my doggie backpack and carried he the last mile.  I think she appreciated it.

5 Mile Run

We got a nice couple of inches of snow this morning. Baby and I did a short walk around Reflections Lake early in the day. But this afternoon I just needed to get in an actual run.  My sore knee seems fully healed and I don't have any weird headaches.  So Baby and I did my old usual run from the house to Wolverine Creek and up to the giant carrot at the top of the hill after the creek. It's a tough run because of the huge hills up and down from the creek. I wore my ice bug running shoes because of the ice and snow along the road.  Baby did great! She ran the whole way, only stopping a few times. I felt really good too.  I haven't actually run since the Equinox Marathon, so I felt quite out of shape. But I felt very comfortable out running again. I need to seriously start training if I even want to show up for the Big Sur Marathon.  Right now, I'm so out of shape I'd have no chance of finishing.

Eklutna Lakeside Trail

 Just a nice short little hike along the Eklutna Lakeside Trail with Baby today.  No headaches today so I wanted to get out and do at least a short hike.  It was pretty cold and dreary and not very photogenic.  But it's always a lovely place to go. I did get a pretty bad headache wile driving down the long winding road. I took my headache medication and several hours later I felt better.  But I do think the problem is finally going away on its own.  I hope that's the last of it.  I'm ready to get back to hiking, climbing, running and all the outdoor things that I love.