Matanuska Moose Range Hike

Baby and I trekked in the semi-packed snow along the main motor trail at the Moose Range.  It was pretty rough from snow machine travel, but we were able to walk fairly easily. I was really just checking out the conditions.  I was surprised that the snow was still soft and not ice like so many other nearby areas.  We went out to the swamp and crossed most of the way across it. Then the snow was a little too deep for the dog so we turned back. It was short, only about 2 miles, but it showed me what I needed to know.  I think the trail that I skied a week ago was much better and if I come back soon, I will plan to ski it instead of walking. The ski club keeps that section pretty well groomed. 

Eklutna Lakeside Trail

 I hiked about 6 miles today up at Eklutna Lake with my friend Pam, and our two dogs, Dahla and Baby. It was very warm, for February, about 45 degrees! But it was also very windy.  The snow was a combination  of slushy snow and glare ice.  The lake is still partially frozen but there are open areas around the edges and major areas of water on top of the ice. Baby was obviously not very interested in walking so after the first mile, I gave up and loaded her into my backpack. We hiked to the first cabin and took a nice little break there. I let Baby out of the pack at the cabin and she happily ran all the way back to the car with no complaints.  I guess she doesn't quite understand the point of hiking out the trail, but she sure knows the way back to the car. Dahla, on the other hand, loves to walk and run and explore.  She tends to chase after people and bikes but Pam is comfortable having her off leash.  Baby does the same thing, except if I let her off the leash, she will immediately run all the way back to the car, also chasing people, bikes, moose or anything else she finds.  So she stayed on her leash. It doesn't seem to bother her being on the leash though.  I know better than to let her off, after the time I chased her all over Lane Basin after making that mistake.

Eklutna Lakeside Trail Hike

 Today Baby and I went up to Eklutna Lake to see if the road was even passable.  It was actually not bad and we made it all the way there.  There were only 2 other cars in the parking lot so it sure wasn't very busy up there.  I thought about skiing but the conditions looked pretty rough, so I just put my ice grippers on my boots and we went for a 3 mile hike along the Lakeside Trail.  I wanted to go farther but Baby suddenly came to a screeching halt and let me know that she was done and wanted to go back.  Who am I to argue with a chihuahua? We ran all the way back to the car, with her trying to chase the only other 2 people on the trail, who passed us on fat tire bicycles.  We couldn't catch them, but she sure kept trying.  It ended up giving me a nice little sprint workout.

  

Moose Range

 Wonderful 4 mile cross country ski trek with Baby on the Mat-Su Moose Range trails. The trail was groomed, but I'm not sure how far it goes.  There is an official trail showing in the All Trails app but that was no longer groomed where it makes a turn back towards the Wendt Road trailhead.  I kept going until I'd reached about 2 miles, then, since it was getting late, I decided to turn back.  I'm sure it is also a loop but didn't want to keep going in case I would still need to retrace my route.  Once the weather improves I'll try to ski farther.  But the part that I skied was fabulous today.  

Rabbit Slough Ski

 Nice little 2 mile ski today on Rabbit Slough. I spent the last couple of weekends downhill skiing at Skeetawk, so haven't been out hiking or cross country skiing very much. I really just wanted to check out Rabbit Slough to see if it looked good for skiing.  It was wonderful! The snow was very wet which made it very fast and slippery.  The slough is really just a long winding creek that goes all the way to the inlet. I want to go all the way later this week if the weather cooperates.  It's supposed to snow heavily most of the week though, so that may have to happen next week instead.  I think it would be possible to get lost out there once you get out towards the inlet away from the trees and brush.  I skied with my friend, Mark today. I'm glad we came back when we did because a huge storm moved in about one hour later.  

I'm looking forward to going back and going further next time.

 

Archangel Road Ski

I wanted another chance to work on my skate skiing.  Today could have been better! Baby, the dog, wasn't too interested on heading out and kept stopping and turning back to the car.  So I put her in my backpack and worked my way towards the bridge.  The snow was much harder packed and faster than the last two days when I skied the same place.  It was challenging with the dog in my pack.  The icy conditions made it a little more difficult also.  I found myself taking advantage of the groomed classic ski tracks when I got tired of trying to keep my balance with my little weight on my back.  It started snowing as soon as I left the car.  I finally made it to the bridge.  At that point, Baby started to squirm, her way of telling me she was tired of riding and wanted to get out and run.  So I let her out and hooked her leash to my waist belt. Then we took off at high speed all the way back to the car.  It was quite a wild ride, especially with the fast snow. Baby ran non stop all the way to the car, well, maybe with a couple of potty stops along the way.  I don't think I got a very good workout on my way back, but it certainly was fun.  There was 2 inches of snow on my car when we got back.  I only saw one other skier on my way back.  We had the place to ourselves the whole way.