Matanuska Lake Trails

 It's snowing but very peaceful. Baby and I met with our friend, Pam and after a quick snack at Vagabond Blue's, we went to the Matanuska Lake Trailhead and went for a nice snowy hike. We had some trouble finding the exact trail we had planned to use, because others had broken trail, but not on the trail we expected.  We ended up going in an interesting unexpected loop and found ourselves right back where we had started.  But it was so nice that we simply repeated it. It's always so quiet and peaceful while the snow is falling.  Halfway through the second loop, Baby started having some trouble.  It doesn't take much snow to cover chihuahua feet, so they were getting cold.  I picked her up and put her in my pack and she rode the rest of the way on my front so she could see where we were going.  It was so nice to have someone to hike with instead of my usual solo hikes.  Pam and I caught up on the last month of our lives as we walked through the snow. The last hike of 2021. Maybe we will hike next year, tomorrow!

Bodenburg Butte

 I really wanted to do something with a little elevation gain today.  I had originally planned on Lazy Mountain, but since it was only 8 degrees out, I felt that might be too much for the dog. So I changed plans and we hiked up the Butte.  It's still a steep climb, but much shorter. The trail was very hard packed snow and Baby was happy to run along, ignoring the cold temperature. This trail is about half wooden stairs, which are very steep They do have a coated nylon steel cable running along through posts as handrails.  I found them to be extremely useful today. The stairs where all completely covered with ice, and it wasn't nice flat ice either.  It was more like 4 to 6 inches of glare ice that was rounded off into big solid lumps.  I had worn my hiking boots and brand new very sharp microspikes. Thank goodness for those, because it would have been impossible without them.  Baby wanted to run the whole way, but I'm not quite as agile so I was holding tightly to those cables and hoping my spikes would keep me from slipping.  It all worked well.  It was quite a workout, especially with someone trying to make me run the whole way. 

All was great until we got to the top.  There we were met with at least a 30 mph wind that made it feel like 20 below zero at least.  My dog became quite vocal and told me off unmercifully, pulling towards the trail and barking her displeasure. Needless to say, we didn't stay long, but I did get a few pictures before she dragged me back down the trail. Going down was rather treacherous because she wanted to run the whole way, while I was gingerly trying to keep from sliding down off each ice covered step while clinging to the hand cables.  I was very happy to get to the bottom of the stairs still upright. We made it and it was a great little hike.  

Knik Glacier

Baby voicing her displeasure

Sunrise at 1:40pm

Thunderbird Falls Trail

 It was very icy up at Eklutna Lake and Baby seemed quite disinterested in hiking up there today. I didn't feel like carrying her the whole way so I drove back down. But decided to give the Thunderbird Falls Trail a try. It was just as icy and just as cold, but she didn't seem to care at all and raced along like it was the middle of summer. The conditions were perfect for walking as long as I was wearing microspikes on my boots.  We went all the way down to the base of the falls. It was nice watching the water flow through the iced up sections. It's such a beautiful and peaceful place.

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.

Long Lake Loop

 I haven't been very active for the  last week.  I've still been having trouble with my right knee and leg from the Equinox Marathon and my fall on the Government Peak Traverse.  The pain has been quite severe at times so I finally consulted my orthopedic physician.  After an MRI and X-rays, he did find that I had bruised the bone where I hit my knee on the fall.  But now the pain has mostly subsided. So I can start to be more active again. In addition to the leg pain I have also been dealing with severe migraine type headaches.  So instead of enjoying hiking and getting ready for the ski season, I've been spending too much time in the emergency room and with various doctors. I've had a couple of CT Scans and MRI's and hope to soon know the cause of all this misery.  The neurologist feels quite certain that it is the result of the fall on the Equinox Marathon where I hit my head, and the time in July when I was running up a hill and smacked my head on the big metal viewing platform on the Little Susitna River. That hit caused a huge bruise that spread over my entire forehead for several weeks.  The headaches and visual disturbances I've been having are consistent with both migraines and the concussions I likely sustained in both of those strikes to my head.  I'm hoping that it all disappears soon so I can resume my normal life.

Today I did take a very nice little 4.6 mile walk on the Long Lake Loop on the Matanuska Lake Trails with my friend Pam and our dogs. It was a beautiful day after a light snowfall last night.  I didn't even get a headache, which is a very good sign!

Eklutna Lakeside Trail

 I've been taking it very easy, resting my sore knee from the marathon and fall on Government Peak. But at least I don't seem to have much trouble walking when the terrain is mostly flat and smooth.  So I ventured up to Eklutna Lake to see what the conditions are and maybe to catch some more fall colors.  As always, it was fantastic up there.  I only planned to walk about one mile but when I reached the one mile marker, I just couldn't stop.  I continued on to mile 2 then decided it was best to turn around and not push my luck.  It was a gorgeous day with blue skies and new snow on the mountains. The lake was much higher than my last few trips up there. A lot of the leaves have already fallen but it was still very beautiful with many still hanging on. My dog, Baby was delighted to finally walk a little farther than up and down my road. She thrives on checking out new places and bouncing through the fallen leaves. We walked 4 miles and I'm not feeling much pain in my knee. I'm hoping that's a sign that it is finally healing. I'm really missing my long uphill hikes and hope I can get back to normal soon.

 

Equinox Marathon

Marathon #160 completed today.  This was one of the hardest ones yet. I did run this one back in 2008 and although I remember it being difficult, I had forgotten just HOW difficult!  Back then I was 3rd in my age division, F 60-64. This time in spite of all the trials, I came out first in my division. F 75-79.  Of course that was only because I was the only person in that division. 

Before I even started, I was a little tired from the long drive up from Palmer to Fairbanks. 360 miles and over 6 hours. I also was still having a little stiffness and pain in my right leg left over from slipping on a rock the previous Saturday on my way down from the Hatch to Government Peak traverse. But it didn't seem to be causing any significant problems. It was a beautiful day, but quite chilly in the high 20's. But at least it wasn't snowing. I felt pretty good until mile 6 when on a small downhill section I managed to catch my foot in a tree root. Not uncommon on a trail marathon. I smacked the left side of my head on the hard ground and also hit my left arm and left ribs.  As soon as my headache stopped, I picked myself up and said to myself, "Well, only 20 more miles to go!" Then I continued on.  My ribs were really hurting because the first half of the race is mostly uphill and it was very painful to take a deep breath. But I trudged along and made it to the top then down the other side on the out and back portion, then down the last miles. It was very cold and windy on the top portion and I was glad I'd dressed fairly warmly. I was occasionally feeling a little discomfort to my right leg because I think it was my right foot that had caught the tree root, causing that fall.  But even bouncing myself down the long steep powerline section called the Chute, I really had no trouble.  I do love downhill and was able to run almost the whole way down to the finish.  I was really happy to finish but I am extremely sore in many places.  I'm going to be recuperating from this race for a while, but it was worth it.  It's a beautiful and challenging marathon. The fall colors were amazing!

Lazy Moose Trail

 I was still pretty sore from yesterday's Government Peak Traverse, but my friend Alice really wanted to try to climb Lazy Mountain.  She doesn't like extreme steep trails so we took the Lazy Moose Trail.  It's 2 miles longer than the Lazy Mountain Trail, but considerably more gentle, with meandering switchbacks and great views of the valley below.  My legs were doing OK, even though I was still feeling some pain where I had fallen yesterday and smacked my knee on a rock. Once we reached the halfway point, the trail does get steeper, although nothing like the first section of the old trail.  But Alice found it was still too steep for her, so we turned back shortly after the halfway point.  Baby was really funny because she didn't want to turn around.  She knows that trail so well and knew there were ground squirrels and marmots and other things of interest further up the trail.  She stood there with all 4 legs braced in her "I'm not going to turn around!" stance.  I had to do a little bit of coaxing to get her to finally agree to go down.  I didn't want to go down either, but Alice was having some back pain so we had no choice.  We still had a nice 6 mile hike and the fall colors were beautiful.  Later on the wind came up so maybe it's just as well we turned back. I bet it got pretty cold up there. 

April Bowl to Government Peak Traverse

 I got to hike from April Bowl to Government Peak and down along the Blueberry Koll Trail with a couple of friends today.  I did this interesting traverse last year with my friend Pam, so Dela, another hiking friend asked me about it. When she asked if I'd like to join her group, I jumped right in for the opportunity.  It is best to put a car at each end so you don't have to backtrack to April Bowl. I had forgotten how strenuous and difficult this route really is! I think Pam and I had avoided a few of the shortcuts that didn't turn out to be shortcuts on our previous hike.  We ended up needing to go straight up instead of just toughing it out and climbing on the rocks.  But it was all good.  We were a little worried at first because clouds seemed to be forming around the tops of the mountains.  Getting caught in a thunderstorm up there would not be a good thing at all.  But the clouds were just dancing along in and out and were never threatening.  They even cleared when we got to the top and offered some more interesting views. It took us over 8 hours to complete the 8 mile trek.  I'll be a little sore for a while I suspect.  

On the April Bowl portion a big loose dog came along. As I bent down to grab Baby, another big loose dog raced over to us and grabbed my poor little dog by her back.  I wrapped myself around her to protect her and screamed until the owner came and pulled her dog off of Baby.  We were both so shook up, Baby was shaking and so was I.  Fortunately Baby only had a small cut on her leg and I was not hurt.  We were able to continue. The dog owner was very apologetic and nice about it, but no one should have a loose dog on a popular trail like that.  I'm so relieved that we weren't hurt.  It was a horribly scary experience.  But other than that, it was a wonderful hike with Dela and Rebecca.  They were good sports on this tough hike. 

Gold Cord Lake

 Just a quick hop up the wonderful trail to Gold Cord Lake.  It was pouring rain down in town but we didn't hit any rain until we got to the lake.  Even then, it was just light rain.  We hiked up into the rocks above the lake to get a little different view than the usual lakeside view.  Baby and I sat on the rocks for a little while until I started getting wet! I think this has become her new favorite hike.  She loves to chase the ground squirrels and marmots, who love to tease her. 

Twin Peaks Trail

What a spectacular autumn day to hike Twin Peaks.  It was so beautiful and I really needed a nice uphill climb.  I usually just stay on the official trial and then head up to the upper ridge towards Pepper Peak for the great view of the lake.  But I got tempted by the very steep shortcut that bypasses the second bench and goes straight up to the ridge from the first bench.  I'm not so sure I would recommend that route, but it was beautiful and gives a view of the lake from a totally different perspective. It's really quite straight up and very steep.  But I'm glad I gave it a try.  I came down the regular way though.  The fall colors are not quite at peak yet, but they certainly didn't disappoint.  On my way down from the ridge a couple of guys asked me if I had seen the bear that crossed the ridge 10 minutes before I did.  Thank goodness, I had managed to missed encountering him!

Baby, my chihuahua seemed to really enjoy herself.  She tried her best to pull me off my feet as she ran all the way down, making me run along with her. 

Gold Mint Trail

 It's raining in Palmer today but I wanted to go somewhere for at least a short hike or run. I found that it wasn't raining up at Gold Mint Trail so Baby and I hiked in 2 miles then back out because I have a commitment later today.  The trail was quite wet and I'm sure very muddy if we had the time to walk further. But I really want to come back next week if we have a couple of nice days, and hike the whole 9 miles back to the Mint Hut at the base of the glacier.  Of course I'll need to backpack in and camp because we probably don't have enough daylight to do all 18 miles in one day.  I'm not sure I'll find anyone to go with me, but I'm going to try to do it anyway.  I've wanted to get back there for many years and if I can't find a fellow hiker, I'll just have to be satisfied with a chihuahua as a hiking buddy! The fall colors are starting to show so it will be spectacular out there soon. It was kind of sad to see how the beaver dam with its massive beaver houses has been destroyed by the big avalanches this past winter.  If it had not been so wet and muddy, I think it would be possible to go right inside of the old beaver houses and see how the little guys once lived.  

Bodenburg Butte

 I needed a good little workout this morning so decided to do a quick trek up the Butte with Baby.  It was tough negotiating all those steps as usual, but a bit more challenging today.  There was a family consisting of several fast walkers and several slow walkers and one huge unleashed pit bull dog.  Of course, Baby had to bark at the dog and go crazy as it ran back and forth from each of the people.  If I managed to pass the fast group, they always ended up catching and passing me. If I waited for the slower group to pass me, I always ended up catching then passing them.  So it was crazy with Baby barking all the way up. I pushed so hard at one point that I got light headed and had to take a rest.  It was better after that because they all passed me!

The view up there is spectacular and We had a wonderful little hike, me and Baby.

April Bowl to Hatch Peak

 Another beautiful hike in the mountains of Hatcher Pass.  I hiked with Mark and of course, Baby. It's a fairly steep hike but actually quite easy with a little rock scrambling in places. Baby was having the time of her life because she loves to run back and forth across the trail hoping to catch one of the many ground squirrels that are always running around on the tundra. She kept trying to crawl down into the holes beneath the rock piles trying to catch the ground squirrels. I kept pulling her back and warning her that if he kept it up one of these days she's going to have one of those guys bite her in the nose. Near the top she dove into one of those holes and I quickly pulled her back by her leash and heard the chatter of a squirrel who was obviously residing in that hole. We continued up and waited for a couple of guys to climb down some steep rocks.  One commented on how cute she was, then asked what happened to her eye. I looked and to my shock, her right eye was covered in blood. I was horrified and quickly grabbed my water bottle and flooded her eye and most of her head with water. I was relieved to see it was only a tiny cut on her lower eyelid and the cold water quickly stopped the bleeding.  At first I was going to turn back, but when we realized it wasn't serious we continued to the top.   I washed her eye again at the top and we had a snack and admired to spectacular view. I was happy Mark had decided to do the hike because he has not been hiking much after surgery last year.  He seemed to really enjoy the hike.  When it was time to descend, Baby tried to pull me off my feet all the way down.  My hands were getting sore just from holding onto her leash.  I didn't allow her to crawl into anymore ground squirrel holes. I hope she has learned her lesson and won't go poking her head into other people's business anymore!

Lazy Mountain

 Finally the weather was good enough that I could give the Lazy Mountain Trail a try.  I really like it because it's very steep and difficult and it is such a good workout.  I was a little dismayed at first because even though the weather was really nice, there were clouds swirling around Lazy Mountain and Matanuska Peak.  I wondered if I would end up hiking in the fog and never get to see the view. It was only 40 degrees when we started out so I was also a little worried that I'd get cold. But the temperature was fine. The steepness quickly warmed me up.  The trail was still wet from all the rain but fortunately it wasn't muddy. It was actually a little better traction that on hot days when it is slippery dust. I didn't need to grab onto tree limbs to climb like I so often have had to do in the past.   Baby was pulling really hard and I was breathing hard most of the time.  She was not interested in stopping while I caught my breath.  As soon as we reached the halfway point at the picnic bench the fog started rolling in. It wasn't very thick so I decided to continue.  I was pleasantly surprised when we reached the upper picnic bench because the clouds parted enough that Matanuska Peak suddenly appeared with a beautiful coating of new snow.  It looked like the Himalayas peeking its rugged head through those clouds.  From the top there wasn't much of a view of the valley below but the view of Mat Peak was just gorgeous.  We took the Lazy Moose Trail down from the halfway point mostly just for variety  I don't mind going back down the steep trail but the Lazy Moose Trail is so much prettier.  It was nice for a change and not so hard on the knees, even though it is at least a mile or two longer. I was able to run most of the way down Lazy Moose Trail.