McRoberts Creek Trail

 I joined the Valley Wanderers for a tough hike up the McRoberts Creek Trail to the tripod. We started out just using microspikes as we walked on the frozen footprints and post holes made by previous hikers over recent weeks. It was rather rough going, but we didn't need to wear the snowshoes we were all carrying.  I had figured out a way to tie mine onto my dog's backpack, hoping that I wouldn't need to carry her until I was actually needing to wear the snowshoes.  Once we got to the pump station, the snow started getting deeper and looser. I'm always bringing up the rear when I'm hiking with these ladies because they are a very hardcore bunch of hikers. But I love hiking with them because they inspire me. Jo was actually the leader of this hike, but at the pump station she decided to turn back. She was exhausted from recent travel, lack of sleep and jet lag. I wondered if I should join her, but decided to continue on even though I was still last in line. Soon after, we did put on the snowshoes because we were sinking in sometimes up to our knees. At that point it was becoming difficult for Baby to walk, so I took out the snowshoes and put her in the pack in their place. The extra weight in my pack tended to slow me down even more. I was beginning to regret that I didn't turn back with Jo. But now I was committed. The trail at this point was just a snowshoe trail through the woods. As we got higher, we crossed small streams and crumbling snow bridges. I was able to keep moving at my slower pace. Near our destination we reached a very steep slope with very loose unstable snow. I have never actually hiked or tried to climb wearing snowshoes so I was really fumbling on this slope. In fact, I actually started to slide at one point. It was quite a distance down to the creek and I really didn't want to see how quickly I could arrive there. Nan was right ahead of me and coaxed me on her successful technique. I found myself basically on all fours plunging the front of my snowshoes directly into the slope, while digging platforms into the loose powder with both hands. Nan grabbed one of my poles to help support me as I finally managed to reach a safer spot. From there it was much flatter and fairly easy going. Nan declared that she was not going to return that way, but instead go down the chute. I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that either, but anything would be better than tackling that spot in reverse. Once taking a short break near the tripod, with the magnificent view of Matanuska Peak and surrounding mountains, we started down a more gentle slope though untouched snow. I'm so glad I was not alone trying to negotiate the correct way down because everything looked the same to me. We came to what looked like a straight down cliff, and just slid down through very deep snow, mostly sitting, in my case. We continued down through a steep ravine though alders and brush that loved grabbing onto my pack. There was a lot of slipping, sliding, glissading and giggling as we all found our way back to the original trail far below. I still had Baby in my pack and did my best not to either bury her in the snow or hit her with a passing branch. My feet and all of my clothes were totally soaked and my toes were numb from the cold. Once we reached the trail, I took off my right boot and shoved one of my hand warmers into the toe. That solved that problem, but I could feel my toes being pinched. Better than frostbite though. Soon we switched back to the microspikes and I let Baby out of her pack to walk the rest of the way back. It was a fabulous adventure and such a beautiful place.

Archangel Road Ski

Today was as good as it gets! Such a gorgeous bluebird day with bright sunshine and freshly groomed trails.  I skied with friend, Pam and our dogs.  Baby was hesitant at first but she finally decided it was a nice day to run along with us and her dog friend, Dahla. She was rather polite to the other dogs we met along the way too.  She's getting better when she meets other dogs instead of acting like the Tasmanian Devil every time she meets one. We turned around where the grooming had stopped and the noisy stinky snowmachines had taken over. They make such a mess of the trails. I miss the old days when they weren't allowed on that trail. We met an interesting adventurer named Frank who had snowshoed all the way to the locked gate. He was smart enough to leave at 9 am instead of noon like we did. He told us of how pristine and untouched the snow had been the whole way, before the snowmachine drivers had arrived. I felt inspired after hearing of some of his adventures. I need to get out more. There are so many wonderful places to explore and I'm not taking full advantage of them. 

A Little Hike on Gold Mint Trail

 It was nice and warm, about 35 degrees so Baby and I went for a short walk up the Gold Mint Trail. She kept acting like she wanted to go back, but then she would take off forward in a dead sprint. It was kind of icy and I was just wearing my snow boots without ice grippers, so I was hoping she didn't pull me over into a snowbank. After about a mile she suddenly started barking, and I never saw anything. Our car had been the only one in the parking lot, so I was a little worried that there might be a moose nearby. By I think she was just ready to head back. So we did. Just before reaching the car we met another hiker with a big dog. Baby did her usual barking tirade and made me feel like a fool as the other dog sat obediently and waited for us to pass by. I haven't been very good at teaching this old dog new tricks. Oh well, it was very beautiful as always, on this trail.

Archangel Road Ski

 I took Baby and we tried skate skiing on Archangel Road. Baby wasn't having any of it. She came to an abrupt stop, signaling Nope! I had to put her in my backpack then continued up the trail. It was very hard packed, but not really icy. I found it very difficult to skate with the little load on my back. But we eventually made it to the end of the groomed area. Once I turned around, I gave Baby another chance at walking. She was all excited about traveling in that direction. With her assisting, I was much more able to both move, and skate. The road is sightly downhill on the whole way back, so a lot of the time I was able to just straight run down the hill. We did have an interesting encounter one a steeper section when another skier heading up the hill with a dog passed by. In her usual fashion, Baby had to start barking and go after the other dog. I was moving a little too fast to come to an abrupt stop so simply yelled NO, loudly. I couldn't see what actually transpired behind me, but in an instant, she was once again running in front of me, and I didn't end up in a pile on the ground. I think she realized quickly that she would be sliding on her back pulled by the leash if she continued pursuit of the other dog. She ran all the way back to the car and it was a lot of fun. 

Twin Peaks Trail

 Baby and I hiked the Twin Peaks Trail to the overlook at the first bench with my friend Alice. The conditions were great, with very hard packed snow if you stayed on the trail. Off the packed trail it immediately gets deep and loose. We needed our ice gripers the whole way. The weather was nice, not too cold, and happily, no wind.  It was blowing quite hard down in Palmer. The view from the overlook is so beautiful so we spent a little time there just enjoying it and taking pictures. I feel like I have a million photos taken from that spot. But I never get tired of seeing it. The lake is totally frozen now, but the last time I checked, the skiing conditions weren't very good. We didn't have time to check today. 

Bodenburg Butte Climb

 Baby and I climbed the Butte today. It was a de-stress hike. I haven't done enough hiking lately so had to get out and climb to get the cobwebs out of my brain. It was a perfect day for it too. Not too cold, around 30 degrees, almost no wind, cloudy but with sun on the peaks. The trail is very hard compacted snow, but not too icy. I definitely needed my microspikes though. Baby seemed to really enjoy herself and happily tried as hard as she could to pull me off my feet in both directions. But I managed to stay upright. Just before we got back to the parking lot she started barking at a moose standing in the trail as we rounded a bend. Her barking sent it scrambling down into the trees. We passed by without getting into moose trouble. I love winter hikes.