Government Peak Snowshoe Trek

 Today I snowshoed with the Valley Wanderers partway up the Government Peak Race Trail. The snow was pretty deep plus it had been rained on. Even with snowshoes it was tough going. We only hiked up to the picnic table which is about a mile and a half up the mountain. The trail had not been packed past that point and we were all ready to head back down. We also hiked about another mile along the ski trails at the Government Peak Recreation Area and packed down the snow under some of the trees. They will be decorating some of the trees for a special Christmas event so we packed down the deep snow to make it easier to decorate the trees. I'll be in Hawaii for that event. It was much easier to pack down the snow with our snowshoes than to just stomp it with regular boots. It was pretty up there, but pretty chilly.

Eklutna Lake Ski

 The weather has been terrible for a couple of weeks.  Several storms dropping over one foot of snow each followed by the big ground blizzard with 70 mile an hour winds and multiple power failures. It hasn't been easy to get out hiking or skiing. I've been too busy shoveling snow, cutting up fallen trees and searching for guys with snowplows so I can get in and out of my driveway. Never mind the horrendous road conditions. Today it finally calmed down enough that I decided to drive up to Eklutna Lake and spend some time on my cross country skis. The road is plowed but a bit icy. I did see one car that had run completely off the road. Some people with a big truck were in the process of pulling them out. It has warmed up from the icy winds and below zero temperatures, to a nice 25 degrees. I skied along the Lakeside Trail for a couple of miles on the main trail. The snow machines have packed it quite well. The lower trails were boot packed but not very wide for skiing. I did come back on the lower trail where Baby had been killed, so I could pay my respects once again at the memorial I made last summer. The little butterfly house and the other two butterflies are still there, undisturbed by people passing by on the trail. It's always sad for me to use this trail because I can't forget that terrible day when the two big dogs killed her. I still hike and ski as if she is still with me. It's just not the same without her. But it felt good to finally get some exercise that doesn't involve a snow shovel. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm so thankful that I'm healthy enough and that I live in such a beautiful place where I can drive for just a short time and ski in a snow-covered wilderness. The lake is still open but there is quite a bit of snow on the trail and still on the trees. 

Reflections Lake

 It's been snowing everywhere all night and this morning. I didn't want to spend too much time out on the roads in these conditions. But I had to get out of the house. I walked around Reflections Lake, as I always used to do with Baby. I always feel kind of sad out there remembering how it was almost a daily thing when she was here with me. I always feel like her essence is all over that trail. I always considered it to be her favorite place. She got so excited when she realized I was getting off the highway at the Knik River Access off ramp that leads to the lake. There was some snow on the ground but it was barely snowing there. The lake is partially iced over but I could still see areas of open water. It isn't time to be venturing out onto the lake itself. But the trail was pleasant. I didn't climb up the tower because the entire area was fogged in due to the snowstorm. I took some pictures from the bridge and on the area that goes along the Knik River. It is always beautiful there. even if the weather conditions are not.

Knik River

Knik River

Gold Mint Trail

I had lots of other things to do today but still wanted to get in a little bit of outdoor mountain time. I drove up to Hatcher Pass to check out the conditions. It was foggy and not very inviting since it was actually raining. So I went down and hiked just a couple miles on the Gold Mint Trail. It was still kind of a misty rain but not too bad. The trail was dry until a little past the first mile. Then I encountered glare ice. I wasn't expecting that so didn't even bring my pack or my grippers. Once the trail was too icy to continue, I turned back. Things are not terribly scenic right now because there isn't much snow and things are kind of brown and dreary. I thought the ice formations on the creek were interesting though. 

Blueberry Knoll Climb

It's kind of overcast and dreary but I felt the need to hike uphill somewhere. I figured I would just put on my hiking boots and drive down the hill and see where the mountains looked the best. Government Peak and Hatcher Pass looked a lot more inviting than the Chugach Range, so I decided to go for Blueberry Knoll. I really didn't have time to climb all of Government Peak because I got a very late start just heading out the door. But Blueberry Knoll is a nice steep 4 miles round trip, but so far it isn't covered with snow yet. Happily the ground was frozen and I didn't need to deal with tons of slippery mud, which this trail can be famous for. It was a perfect day to head up there by myself and simply enjoy the view.