A Little Cross Country Skiing

 I've mostly been digging out after all of the big snowstorms from last week. 30 to 40 inches in my yard still. I have been skijoring up and down the roads with Baby pulling and making me go faster. We do most of our walks on skis lately. Today they finally opened up the road to Hatcher Pass after closing it for a week due to avalanche danger. So even though it was 10 degrees below zero in town, I wanted to see if it might be a little warmer up there.  It was as warm as plus 5 in some places due to the usual temperature inversion typical for this time of year. But it was still really cold up by Independence Mine due to some pretty strong wind. So we went down and tried skiing on Archangel Road, a little farther down the hill. It was still cold there but at least there was no wind. It was rather poor skiing conditions because it had not been groomed and the snow is several feet deep. I was able to stay in some ski tracks and snowmachine tracks made by others for a while. But most of them turned off the trail so I followed a snowshoe trail, which was not as rough, but also was pretty deep and not much better than simply breaking trail. Baby gave up very soon after we started because her feet were cold. She rode most of the way in my backpack. We only covered about a mile total, but it was gorgeous out there and nice to be out in nature. 

Mirror Lake Trails Hike

 Another beautiful winter hike today with the Walkabouts. It was still pretty cold, 11 degrees when we started. The sun never did reach us. Baby was doing great for a while. But once we got out on Edmonds Lake, she started to get cold. The snow was not packed down like it had been on the actual trail, so I finally had to put her in my pack. I don't like her being cold and uncomfortable. See seems to enjoy riding in the pack. I think she stays quite warm because I first put her into a homemade bag made from 3 layers of warm fleece. Then I put her into the pack. She always seems quite comfortable there. We ended up walking the entire perimiter of Edmonds Lake. We were looking for a trail some of the others had walked before, that came off the lake. But we only found one that lead back to the road. So we ended up back on the trail where we had first entered the lake. There are many trails and loops in that trail system so we followed a couple of others then went back to the trailhead. It was quite beautiful with the snow covered trees. I think it would have been wonderful to be out there on the lake on skis too.

Twin Peaks Trail

 Fantastic hike on Twin Peaks Trail to the second bench with the Valley Wanderers. The trees were loaded with snow and even the drive up the road was amazing. Baby did fine until about halfway to the first bench when she started letting me know I needed to carry her. The snow was a little too deep for her tiny legs. She rode the rest of the way on my back, warm and cozy in her doggie backpack. The extra weight slowed me down, but I also got a better workout, I suppose. The lake is still open and I feel tempted to take my kayak out for a final ride of the year. But I'd probably regret it because it would be very cold out on that lake.

Archangel Road Ski

 Beautiful day cross country skiing on Archangel Road with Pam and our dogs. It was only 6 degrees at home, but up there, it was 25 degrees! It almost felt balmy. I was actually warm for a change. Baby ran and walked the whole way without being carried even once. That was so much nicer than when she has to ride in my pack. She likes running with her doggie friends. The snow conditions were absolutely perfect and recently groomed.