Archangel Road Ski

 This is just about the only place to cross country ski right now because there has been so little snow this winter. It's also been so warm that even when there is precipitation, it's mostly been rain. So, I came up here to ski with Pam and our dogs to try to get in some skate ski practice. I need all the practice I can get. We skied to the bridge and back for about 4.5 miles round trip. Bella loves running along up and back, getting about twice the mileage that I get. I wish I had her energy!

Twin Peaks Trail

 I hiked the Twin Peaks Trail with a small group of the Valley Wanderers today. It was very icy all the way up to the first overlook with the bench. Spikes were essential. Chris was far ahead of us all, and Dan had left early to not be left behind. He's our amazing 86-year-old hiker who really puts us all to shame, if only with his determination and stamina. But like me, not always the first one to the top. Chris usually holds that distinction. Although, unless I spend a lot of time calling her back, Bella frequently reaches our destination either right with or just behind the official human leader. Once past the first bench, the conditions were much more favorable. It was no longer icy but well boot-packed snow. I was really dragging on my way up to the first bench, but once I ate a granola bar and drank half a bottle of water, I felt much better. It was cold and windy down in town but stayed in the low 30's and calm all the way to our turnaround point at the second bench. I had hoped we could climb up to the upper overlook, but it was not packed at all, and snowshoes would be needed. So, we turned back at that point. The lower part of the trail had done some melting and was not nearly as icy as on the way up. It was a beautiful day and as always, a great workout. Bella is now snoring on my bed after a hard day of hiking.

Archangel Road Ski

 I usually ski or hike with my friend, Pam every Friday. But today she was busy taking care of her granddaughter, so I was on my own. I drove up to Archangel Road and went skate skiing with Bella. She would have nothing to do with being on her leash, so I let her run free. She was quite well behaved and didn't get too far ahead of me. There is about 4 inches of new snow that fell last night, so conditions were pretty good. It was a bit slower with the new snow, but at least the trail was nicely groomed. That road is a nice place to practice skate skiing because it's mostly flat with only gentle hills. Skate skiing is more difficult than classic cross country, but I like the way it feels and once it's mastered, a person can move a lot faster than on classic skis. But I am certainly no master and I still struggle on even the slightest uphills. But I am starting to get the rhythm. I had hoped to have more good days to practice but this winter has been very disappointing in the snow department. I still have a long way to go to perfect the art of skate skiing. But it was a beautiful day and Bella and I both enjoyed ourselves.  \

Hay Flats to Matanuska River Peninsula

When Mark and I climbed the Butte the other day, he took some pictures of the little peninsula that looks like an island along the Matanuska River. He's been interested in finding a way to access that area because it looks interesting from afar.

The Peninsula

 I have a friend, Frank Wall who lives close to that area. He likes to hike, hunt and ski out there from his house all the time. I asked him if he had been out there. He said he would take us out there to check it out. So today we met him at his house and did what turned out to be a much longer hike that we had expected. As the crow flies, it would only be about 3 miles. But it's not easy to find your way directly there because of streams and trees etc. Frank led us along the old Dike Road for a couple of miles first. Then, from there we doubled back along ATV trails through the mud and long ice areas while gradually heading in the correct direction. Mark is not used to long hikes and was getting tired. But we all pressed on, through the mud, ice and several serious stream crossings. I had to carry Bella across a couple of the streams, but she eagerly ran across the shallower ones. Franks dog, Maya, is much bigger and explored a lot more of the area than the rest of us. At times I did keep Bella on her leash to keep her from getting herself into trouble. But, for the most part she stayed nearby. Once in clear view of the little tree covered mound, Mark disappeared. He saw it and got tired of trudging through the muck so took off for the peninsula mound and we lost him. I kept hollering for him and he didn't respond. We hoped we would come across him, since we were basically heading to the same location. But we were on actual trails. He was pushing through the brush. Frank and I were both tracking our route with GPS phone apps. We found a small trail heading directly to the top and started up it. At that point, Mark called me on his cell phone. He was heading up also, but in a different place. We shouted for him, but he never responded. Once on top, I called him back on the phone. He said he was on an actual ATV trail that was heading up. While Frank and I were taking pictures, Mark finally showed up. He had found an ATV trail on his way up. We took a nice break then took Mark's trail back. Frank knew how to go directly back to his house from the bottom of the mound and we went mostly directly through the scrub brush and over streams and ice until we got to the Dike Road. Soon we encountered a huge ice area. I didn't want to cross all of that ice, so elected to go straight up over a steep hill to avoid it. Frank took my route and Mark stayed down on the ice. The dogs followed us. Once over the hill, we joined up with Mark and easily made our way back to Frank's house. Instead of what we figured would be a couple of mile short hike, we had clocked 8.5 miles. It turned into quite the adventure. I think Frank just wanted to give us a guided tour of the area! I think we might have been able to get there through dead reckoning, but I can see how it might be hard to go there directly from his house. I enjoyed the walk on the dike. I'm glad we didn't get separated for very long and that we all made it to our intended destination. Mark and I may try to get there by just walking along the river someday if we can find a different trail there. We had two very happy very muddy dogs. Bella went directly into my kitchen sink, avoiding my bed and getting a nice through bath. Such a fun adventure with great views from the top.

Bella and me

Mark, Me, and Frank

Scout Ridge Palmer Hay Flats

 I needed to visit my family off Fairview Loop, so drove over to check out the Scout Ridge Trail off Hay Flats Road near them. The trailhead parking lot was muddy with lots of ice, and the trail itself looked pretty wet. Bella and I walked a short distance on the actual trail, then decided to walk past the gate and go down to the flats themselves. It was a spectacular day to go down there. Most of the snow is gone and there is considerable open water. The area is mostly swamp and is a game refuge for wild birds. We walked across the very nice bridge over Cottonwood Creek. I was surprised to see that the creek seems to be free of ice and running fairly well. I wonder if it would be a nice place to put my kayak later this summer. Once across the bridge, things were far too wet to try hiking the trails. I would have needed my rubber boots. I will be sure to check it out later this spring or summer. When we walked back up the road, we found another trail that connects to the Scout Ridge Trail system and enjoyed the nice views as we made our way back to the car.

Bodenburg Butte

 Hiked up the West Butte Trail today with Mark. I considered hiking with the Walkabouts on the Crevasse Moraine Trail, but it was so muddy and icy yesterday that I decided to opt out of that option. Bella was so muddy yesterday from walking that with Pam, that I had to carry her immediately to my kitchen sink and give her a bath. I actually find that trail a bit boring anyway. The last time I climbed the Butte it was quite snow-covered and comfortable wearing micro spikes. So, I asked Mark to go along and check it out. Now the bottom half is no longer snow, but solid ice. I brought my spikes, and it wasn't long before I sat down and put them on, Maek was carrying his and did make it all the way to the top without them. But he put them on at the bench below the stairs on the trip down. The stairs were mostly clear, but I just left spikes on the whole way. Weekend days can get pretty crowded, so I kept Bella on her leash the whole way. In icy conditions, that can be suicide for me with her pulling the whole way. We did encounter quite a few dogs. I usually picked her up while she barked constantly until we were well past them. 

It was nice and calm until almost to the top. But once on top the wind was blowing really hard. We didn't stay very long, but did take a few pictures. I really love this little 3-mile round-trip climb.

Gold Mint Trail Hike

 I hiked the Gold Mint Trail with Mark and Bella today. We only were able to hike to about mile 1 because we encountered a massive avalanche that had completely obliterated the trail. I could see that some people had found a way around it, but that would involve a steep climb, or skis or post holing to go down towards the river to get below it. I needed my micro spikes to climb up to the top of it. Mark didn't have spikes, and it would have been nearly impossible to get up there without them. I climbed up and took some pictures of Bella who, of course ran to the top and looked down on us. Mark snapped a couple of pictures of me and Bella up on the high point. It was really impressive. Plus, it was a spectacularly beautiful day.