Palmer Happy Run

I heard about the group of runners who gather every Monday night at 6 pm here in downtown Palmer to run.  It was horribly windy tonight but I wanted to see what it was like.  It was really fun.  From now on , all of their runs will be at night in the dark until next spring.  But with a good headlight that won't be a problem.  They had three distance options and I chose the longest which was 5.6 miles.  There were only a small number who ran that distance. Naturally I was last.  But I was more motivated just knowing that I was part of the group even though the faster runners soon left me behind. 
Matanuska Peak looked amazing as the sun was setting.

Gold Mint Trail

I had several hours before the Ski Patrol meeting so ran the Gold Mint Trail.  There was a lot less snow on the trail compared to last week when I was there. There was even about a half mile that was nearly snow-free.  But the rest of the trail up to mile 3 where I turned around was covered with wet snow.  It really was quite warm, likely above freezing the entire way.  It was a little difficult to run in some places because even with ice grippers, the snow was somewhat slippery.  But I was able to run most of the way.  It was raining down in town but not at all up on the trail.  The sun actually came out right at the 3 mile point.  It was a wonderful 6 mile run.

Matanuska River Trail

I spotted this large new sign for the first time yesterday.  I knew it must at least reach the river, but I didn't know how far it went.  I was curious as to whether it eventually would connect with the old Railbed Trail that starts on the north side of Palmer at the corner of Valley Way and Eagle Street.  So I explored it with friend Mark.  It seemed to end at the Matanuska River Park Campground.  But there was an unimproved continuation that followed close to the high riverbank.  So we followed it for a couple of miles.  It does really almost end at the start of the Palmer Railbed Trail.  But instead of actually connecting to it, it ends at Gulkana Street, one block from the Railbed Trailhead.  Since it was starting to rain we walked back mostly along Gulkana Street then cut back through the Matanuska River Park and rejoined the trail.  I'm so happy I discovered this lovely trail. 

Climbing the Butte

Climbed the newer Butte trail with friend Mark.  It's quite short but certainly a great little workout if you like climbing a staircase.  This trail has as many steps as it has sections of trail.  Quite invigorating and of course the spectacular views of the entire valley from the top.  It's been a long time since I've been up there so it was definitely time to visit the 800 foot summit before it is covered with snow.

Eklutna Lakeside Trail

A wonderful run with some hiking on the Eklutna Lakeside Trail to Bold Creek and back.  So peaceful.  No one else on the trail.  It was so calm at first with hardly a ripple on the water. It felt so great to run out there through the forest by myself.

Gold Mint Trail

It was snowing lightly at my house but I just had to get outside and do something.  I drove up to the Gold Mint Trail and hiked and ran in for a nice 5 miles round trip.  Mine was the only car in the parking lot and I was the only person on the trail. Most of the trail was snow-covered but it was well packed down from other hikers.  I did need my grippers to keep from sliding on the hills.  I loved the total quiet and peaceful feeling of walking alone through the snowstorm.  It was snowing but the snow was very light and the trail easy to follow so I knew there was no danger being out there alone.  I'm looking forward to skiing there in another month once there is enough snow for skiing. 

Blueberry Loop Trail

It's been a long weekend between all day yesterday at the Ski Patrol Outdoor Emergency Care Refresher and the CPR Refresher this morning.  So I just had time and energy for a short afternoon hike with my friend Diane up on the trail around Flattop Mountain near Anchorage. It was beautiful and a very pleasant hike.  I do wish we'd had time for a longer hike, but it was still a nice workout even with the gray skies.

Twin Peaks Trail

It's getting difficult to find good places to hike that give me a little altitude and some steepness without requiring an actual expedition, due to snow and the onset of winter.  But today I hiked up the Twin Peaks Trail to the second bench.  Most of the trail was snow-covered, but with heavy duty ice spikes, it was easy to walk without sliding.  Above the second bench I found it to be very slippery and decided against going up there.  It won't be long before that part of the trail becomes impossible.  But the main trail may be usable all winter simply because so many people will still be using it. I walked up then ran down.

I'm planning to climb Mt Aconcagua in January so I really need to be hiking steep uphill trails, preferably at altitude.  I can see that will be difficult now that snow has arrived in the high country.  I just registered for 6 marathons with Mainly Marathons in the Southwest US because most of them are high altitude, some at 7000 feet.  In addition to those, I also decided to do the REI Adventures Annapurna Sanctuary Trek the last few weeks of December.  The trek will give me 14 days at high altitude with difficult hiking.  I'm hoping that will make my January Aconcagua climb easier and I will feel more competent when faced with its supper high altitude.

Today was gorgeous as the Twin Peaks Trail always is.

Portage Pass Trail

I hiked to the high point of Portage Pass Trail with my friend, Diane and her dog Tobi.  It was not very long, but was definitely very steep.  A good but pretty short workout.  But the view from up there is spectacular.  I wish we had time to hike down to the lake, but we got a very late start.  Next time I go there I will definitely hike down to the lake. 

First Ski

I've been hearing how Hatcher Pass received two feet of snow and the trails at Independence Mine have been groomed.  Today was a gorgeous day so after putting my ski rack on my car, I decided to toss on my cross country skis and go check it out.  I only skied a couple of miles but it felt amazing and was so beautiful.

Wolverine Creek 5 Miles

I haven't actually run for about a week, so decided to get out there and do it.  It's been cold with even a little snow.  27 when I woke up.  But by 2:30 it was up to 40 degrees so I bundled up and ran my usual 5 mile run to Wolverine Creek and up to the big carrot and back.  I practiced running bursts of about 100 yards running as fast as I could to try to increase my speed. Also the big hills gave me a good workout.  I did feel a little sluggish but overall it was a good run. It's easy to talk myself out of running when the weather gets cold, but I don't want to lose the strength I've gained over the summer.  I still have quite a few marathons on my upcoming agenda.  I want to work on getting my marathon time under 6 hours. 

Eklutna Lakeside Trail

Spectacular hike up at Eklutna Lake today.  The fall colors are spectacular.  It was the perfect temperature and completely calm. I went with my friend Diane and her dog Toby. The lake is higher than I've seen it in many years due to recent rains.  Snow will be falling this weekend so we wanted to take advantage of such a gorgeous day.