Eklutna Lakeside Trail

 Pam and I wanted to ski on Eklutna Lake itself today. But it's been getting quite warm lately, so we had some reservations about venturing out onto the lake. It's likely still safe, but it's not a good idea to take any chances. First, we tried to walk down to the lake to check conditions. We found the ramp leading down to the lake was a thick ice sheet. It would require ice spikes to even get down to the lake to ski. We quickly abandoned that idea and decided to hike the Lakeside Trail instead. I wore my snow boots with my micro spikes. The trail was also very icy but easy walking with the spikes. It was very rough and would have been horrible for skiing. It started out very cloudy, but by the time we reached the Yuditnu Bridge, the sun was shining brightly. The wind was increasing by then also. But it was not uncomfortably cold. We took a break in the cabin while our dogs begged for treats. Then we hiked back, completing a nice 7-mile walk. All in all, it was a delightful little hike for us and our doggies.

Nancy Lake Parkway Loop Trails

 I drove up to Nancy Lake just to get a change of scene and get away from the house. There is a nice trail system right across from the Winter Trails parking lot that I wanted to check out again. I haven't hiked or skied there for a couple of years. The conditions were good enough for skiing, and I even had my skis. But I wasn't sure of the conditions so decided to simply go for a short hike and check out the trails. Bella and I walked 4 miles and explored the trails in several directions. We were all alone until shortly before reaching the end of the branch that leads to the park entrance station. Suddenly a huge dog appeared, followed by its owner, who was frustratingly shouting its name. The dog was totally ignoring him. Bella was doing her typical barking routine, so I scooped her up into my arms and carried her until we were safely past both dog and man. Otherwise, we had the entire trail to ourselves. It's always very peaceful out there. It's far enough away from major population areas, that it probably doesn't attract many visitors. It's a series of hard packed snow-covered trails meandering through peaceful forests. I always feel like a stranger wandering through an enchanted forest when I go there. Bella loved running ahead and trying to decide which trail to take.

Krrbrrr Race

 Today I ran the KrrBrrr, short for the Knik River Ramble Breakup Run. The last couple of years this trail system has been a muddy flooded mess. But this time, it has been much colder, and it really isn't quite breakup yet. It was all on snow. We had some respite in places where we got to run on nicely packed trails, but the majority of the 5-mile loop was very loose deep post holing snow, that got softer as the day wore on. I typically have only done one loop and been glad to check out and go home. They do allow the race to go on for 8 hours if anyone is willing to take such punishment doing multiple loops. Since it was such a beautiful sunny day, I decided to force myself into doing a second loop. I really never felt my feet at any time during the whole race. It was only 25 degrees and a bit windy at the start. But my feet stayed cold even when I otherwise felt warm, because even with gaiters, my feet, socks and shoes were soaking wet. Most of the time, the snow was deeper than my running shoes, gaiters and all. I ran parts of the race with some friendly other runners and for the most part really enjoyed it. I had planned to run with my friend, Alice, but somehow, I never saw her. She was either way ahead of me or started a little late. The race director did say she picked up her bib at the last minute. She is considerably faster than I am, so I was surprised she didn't go whizzing by me at some point. My total mileage was a little under 10 miles. It was definitely a very good workout!

Here are the photos of me taken by the race photographer

Jim Creek Trails

 I was pretty tired after that long ski trip yesterday. But I really wanted to check out the trails at Jim Creek because Alice and I plan to run the KrrBrrr trail race on Saturday. It is typically a nasty muddy, slushy and flooded mess, so I wanted to see what we might be in for. It's the Knik River Breakup Ramble Race. Last year at least half of the course was under water, and we had to bushwhack through trees and brush to get around the mess. But I found that it is much nicer this year. It has been much colder, and things have not melted out yet. I just walked the main trail from the parking lot down to the Knik River. It was nicely hard packed and easy walking or running. The side trails do have a lot of loose unpacked snow on them. Most of the race will likely be on those side trails, so it might be tough running. But I doubt we will have any flooding. I relayed the conditions to Alice so now we have a good idea of what to expect. It was a lovely 2.5-mile hike out to the river. I didn't venture onto any of the side trails, but I did get a good idea of what they will be like. I suspect it will be a bit of a post holing trudge in many places. But the weather should be nice, so it will be fun even if challenging. It will be a 5-mile loop that we can repeat as many times as we want for up to 8 hours. The last 2 years I was good for only 1 loop. I'm hoping to be a little more ambitious this year. But we shall see!

Mud Lake and Gull Lake Cross-Country Ski

 My friend, Jennifer from Anchorage hasn't skied in years and wanted to ski at Mud Lake because it's nice and flat and an easy place to ski. She rented some skis and we met at the lake. Pam came along too. Jennifer was late because it took her longer to pick up her skis than she expected, so Pam took off skiing alone at first. But she came back and the 3 of us took off together. It was a little crazy at first because the rental place didn't tell Jennifer how to get in and out of her skis. We fiddled with them for a while. Our 3 dogs got along fine. Bella and Dahla tended to take off ahead, and so did Pam. I stayed mostly with Jennifer at first since she doesn't have much skiing experience. But she seemed to catch on as we went along. At one point, she fell and couldn't get back up. Pam and I tried to pull her up, but we just made things worse. Finally, she decided to take off her skis. But none of us could figure out how they come off.  I finally, after a dozen attempts, found that there is a lever on the front that you have to twist to release them. That was crazy. It was a perfect sunny warm day, and Jennifer was thrilled that she had come. But once we got about halfway around the 6.5-mile loop, she was starting to get really tired. She was really slowing down. But Pam seemed to be mostly speeding up. I started doing what most dogs do. I would race up to Pam and ski with her for a while. Then when I saw Jennifer had fallen far behind, I would race back to her and ski with her for a while. I repeated that funny routine most of the way back until we had completed the loop around Gull Lake and were back on the main trail. At that point, I suggested Pam just head on without us so I could stay and help Jennifer. Pam took off with Dahla, and I talked Bella into staying with me. We proceeded slowly and surely and made our way to within about a half mile from the cars, when I saw Pam come racing back down the path from the parking lot. There was a small group of people off to our left with snow machines and a bunch of dogs. Pam ran through the snow towards them. Once in close range I yelled asking what she was doing. She said someone had parked blocking our cars and she hoped it was that group. Next, I saw Pam on the back of one of the snow machines as the rider raced her back to the cars and moved the offending vehicle. Not knowing exactly what was happening, I raced ahead to the cars leaving Jennifer on her own so I could see if I needed to help in any way. The car had been moved, and Pam was able to leave. I put Bella in my car along with my skis then ran back to Jennifer. To give her a break I took her skis and carried them back to the cars. We all got back safe and sound and in spite of all the craziness, we did have a really good time. Jennifer tracked her ski at 6.5 miles, and I tracked myself at 8 miles.  I think if I could have tracked Bella she put in at least 10 miles. I'd say we all got a good workout. I'll never understand why someone would completely block 2 cars in a parking lot then go off about their business. That was shameful. I'm glad Pam was able to find them and that they had not sped off somewhere far away and come back hours later.

Pam and our 2 little dogs

Jennifer and her dog Lola

Blueberry Knoll Hike

 Today is my friend Pam's birthday. She wanted to do a good hike to celebrate, so she chose the Blueberry Knoll hike at the Government Peak Recreation Area.  We started at noon to avoid the coldest part of the day. This trail is very steep with a few very tough rocky sections. Sometimes those sections are really muddy and treacherous. The first part of the trail was very nice with hard packed snow. We climbed easily wearing our micro spikes for traction. As we climbed and the trail got steeper, it also got warmer. The nice hard packed snow started to turn into some very slippery slushy sections. It became much more challenging as we reached the areas that are normally treacherous even in perfect conditions. We were both wondering how hard it was going to be for us to get back down as things warmed up and became even more slippery. Once up on the ridge we were above those nasty spots and back to the nice hard packed firm snow. Pam's dog, Dahla had booties on in the beginning, but Pam found out fairly quickly that booties made climbing in icy conditions much harder for the poor little dog. So, she removed them. Then Dahla was able to race along with Bella. Bella was usually far ahead of the rest of us and was waiting on the top by the picnic table when we arrived. The view was gorgeous and we were so blessed to have such a beautiful blue-sky day. It was warm enough that I felt like I could stay there for hours. But we both needed to go back down. I found it easier to actually run down the hard packed areas, but Pam has some trouble on steep downhills. I would just spring ahead and wait for her to catch up. When I encountered the bad spots again, I picked my way down very carefully. I made it down the first 2 bad spots but ended up jumping from the worst area and landing on the mud. But I wasn't hurt. It was kind of embarrassing because another hiker was stopped right below the place I fell, and I felt like a klutz. My water bottle had fallen out, and he helped me get it back into the pouch on my pack. When Pam finally got right above that bad spot, I tried to talk her down a better way. But she didn't understand what I was trying to tell her. She managed to find a way all on snow and did a sitting slide down to where I was waiting. She lost her good water bottle somewhere along the way. Maybe we will find it some other day while hiking up there. We were both happy to get back to our cars with no injuries. We celebrated her birthday at a picnic table with my gifts and a tiny chocolate cake that I brought with me. It was a great hike and a fun way to celebrate her turning 76. We had 2 happy but tired dogs. 

Bella & Me

Pam & Dahla

Lazy Mountain Climb

 Kim led the Valley Wanderers today up the back side of Lazy Mountain along the Matanuska Peak Trail. Rosemary and I were the only ones who joined her. Several of the others were attending the "No Kings" rally in Wasilla. The 3 of us just weren't feeling like devoting this lovely day to politics. I do agree that I'm extremely unhappy that our government has taken on authoritarianism, but Sometimes I just want to get away from all of the depressing politics of today. Being out in nature is where I'm the happiest. Today was one of the best days for being outdoors in the crisp fresh air with a couple of good friends and our dogs. It was really cold, only 10 degrees when we started at 10 am. But once the sun started to reach us, we warmed up quite a bit. Past the area we call Stonehenge we started to feel some chilly winds, but that subsided when we reached the top ridge. It was a little more treacherous than in the summer, because of patches of snow on the highest rocks. I was the only one willing to venture up to the true summit. I have a compulsive urge to reach the very top and attempt a 360-degree video. I reached my goal. Bella disappeared as she ran back down to join the others. I very carefully picked my way down through the rocks for the descent. It was as beautiful as I have ever seen up there today. The mountains dressed in show makes the view so much more spectacular than the typical summer view. I love being up there when it is still basically winter, even though it is a few days past official spring. At 10 degrees this morning, I think actual spring is a few weeks off yet. The trail was in excellent condition with hard packed snow and was perfect for micro spikes. We reached our cars at the Smith Road trailhead fairly quickly. It was a little over 6 miles total distance and took us about 4 hours.

Kim and her dog Silvia

Bella

Matanuska Peak from Lazy Summit

Bella and Me

Kim and Silvia