Jim Creek Trails

 I was pretty tired after that long ski trip yesterday. But I really wanted to check out the trails at Jim Creek because Alice and I plan to run the KrrBrrr trail race on Saturday. It is typically a nasty muddy, slushy and flooded mess, so I wanted to see what we might be in for. It's the Knik River Breakup Ramble Race. Last year at least half of the course was under water, and we had to bushwhack through trees and brush to get around the mess. But I found that it is much nicer this year. It has been much colder, and things have not melted out yet. I just walked the main trail from the parking lot down to the Knik River. It was nicely hard packed and easy walking or running. The side trails do have a lot of loose unpacked snow on them. Most of the race will likely be on those side trails, so it might be tough running. But I doubt we will have any flooding. I relayed the conditions to Alice so now we have a good idea of what to expect. It was a lovely 2.5-mile hike out to the river. I didn't venture onto any of the side trails, but I did get a good idea of what they will be like. I suspect it will be a bit of a post holing trudge in many places. But the weather should be nice, so it will be fun even if challenging. It will be a 5-mile loop that we can repeat as many times as we want for up to 8 hours. The last 2 years I was good for only 1 loop. I'm hoping to be a little more ambitious this year. But we shall see!

Mud Lake and Gull Lake Cross-Country Ski

 My friend, Jennifer from Anchorage hasn't skied in years and wanted to ski at Mud Lake because it's nice and flat and an easy place to ski. She rented some skis and we met at the lake. Pam came along too. Jennifer was late because it took her longer to pick up her skis than she expected, so Pam took off skiing alone at first. But she came back and the 3 of us took off together. It was a little crazy at first because the rental place didn't tell Jennifer how to get in and out of her skis. We fiddled with them for a while. Our 3 dogs got along fine. Bella and Dahla tended to take off ahead, and so did Pam. I stayed mostly with Jennifer at first since she doesn't have much skiing experience. But she seemed to catch on as we went along. At one point, she fell and couldn't get back up. Pam and I tried to pull her up, but we just made things worse. Finally, she decided to take off her skis. But none of us could figure out how they come off.  I finally, after a dozen attempts, found that there is a lever on the front that you have to twist to release them. That was crazy. It was a perfect sunny warm day, and Jennifer was thrilled that she had come. But once we got about halfway around the 6.5-mile loop, she was starting to get really tired. She was really slowing down. But Pam seemed to be mostly speeding up. I started doing what most dogs do. I would race up to Pam and ski with her for a while. Then when I saw Jennifer had fallen far behind, I would race back to her and ski with her for a while. I repeated that funny routine most of the way back until we had completed the loop around Gull Lake and were back on the main trail. At that point, I suggested Pam just head on without us so I could stay and help Jennifer. Pam took off with Dahla, and I talked Bella into staying with me. We proceeded slowly and surely and made our way to within about a half mile from the cars, when I saw Pam come racing back down the path from the parking lot. There was a small group of people off to our left with snow machines and a bunch of dogs. Pam ran through the snow towards them. Once in close range I yelled asking what she was doing. She said someone had parked blocking our cars and she hoped it was that group. Next, I saw Pam on the back of one of the snow machines as the rider raced her back to the cars and moved the offending vehicle. Not knowing exactly what was happening, I raced ahead to the cars leaving Jennifer on her own so I could see if I needed to help in any way. The car had been moved, and Pam was able to leave. I put Bella in my car along with my skis then ran back to Jennifer. To give her a break I took her skis and carried them back to the cars. We all got back safe and sound and in spite of all the craziness, we did have a really good time. Jennifer tracked her ski at 6.5 miles, and I tracked myself at 8 miles.  I think if I could have tracked Bella she put in at least 10 miles. I'd say we all got a good workout. I'll never understand why someone would completely block 2 cars in a parking lot then go off about their business. That was shameful. I'm glad Pam was able to find them and that they had not sped off somewhere far away and come back hours later.

Pam and our 2 little dogs

Jennifer and her dog Lola

Blueberry Knoll Hike

 Today is my friend Pam's birthday. She wanted to do a good hike to celebrate, so she chose the Blueberry Knoll hike at the Government Peak Recreation Area.  We started at noon to avoid the coldest part of the day. This trail is very steep with a few very tough rocky sections. Sometimes those sections are really muddy and treacherous. The first part of the trail was very nice with hard packed snow. We climbed easily wearing our micro spikes for traction. As we climbed and the trail got steeper, it also got warmer. The nice hard packed snow started to turn into some very slippery slushy sections. It became much more challenging as we reached the areas that are normally treacherous even in perfect conditions. We were both wondering how hard it was going to be for us to get back down as things warmed up and became even more slippery. Once up on the ridge we were above those nasty spots and back to the nice hard packed firm snow. Pam's dog, Dahla had booties on in the beginning, but Pam found out fairly quickly that booties made climbing in icy conditions much harder for the poor little dog. So, she removed them. Then Dahla was able to race along with Bella. Bella was usually far ahead of the rest of us and was waiting on the top by the picnic table when we arrived. The view was gorgeous and we were so blessed to have such a beautiful blue-sky day. It was warm enough that I felt like I could stay there for hours. But we both needed to go back down. I found it easier to actually run down the hard packed areas, but Pam has some trouble on steep downhills. I would just spring ahead and wait for her to catch up. When I encountered the bad spots again, I picked my way down very carefully. I made it down the first 2 bad spots but ended up jumping from the worst area and landing on the mud. But I wasn't hurt. It was kind of embarrassing because another hiker was stopped right below the place I fell, and I felt like a klutz. My water bottle had fallen out, and he helped me get it back into the pouch on my pack. When Pam finally got right above that bad spot, I tried to talk her down a better way. But she didn't understand what I was trying to tell her. She managed to find a way all on snow and did a sitting slide down to where I was waiting. She lost her good water bottle somewhere along the way. Maybe we will find it some other day while hiking up there. We were both happy to get back to our cars with no injuries. We celebrated her birthday at a picnic table with my gifts and a tiny chocolate cake that I brought with me. It was a great hike and a fun way to celebrate her turning 76. We had 2 happy but tired dogs. 

Bella & Me

Pam & Dahla

Lazy Mountain Climb

 Kim led the Valley Wanderers today up the back side of Lazy Mountain along the Matanuska Peak Trail. Rosemary and I were the only ones who joined her. Several of the others were attending the "No Kings" rally in Wasilla. The 3 of us just weren't feeling like devoting this lovely day to politics. I do agree that I'm extremely unhappy that our government has taken on authoritarianism, but Sometimes I just want to get away from all of the depressing politics of today. Being out in nature is where I'm the happiest. Today was one of the best days for being outdoors in the crisp fresh air with a couple of good friends and our dogs. It was really cold, only 10 degrees when we started at 10 am. But once the sun started to reach us, we warmed up quite a bit. Past the area we call Stonehenge we started to feel some chilly winds, but that subsided when we reached the top ridge. It was a little more treacherous than in the summer, because of patches of snow on the highest rocks. I was the only one willing to venture up to the true summit. I have a compulsive urge to reach the very top and attempt a 360-degree video. I reached my goal. Bella disappeared as she ran back down to join the others. I very carefully picked my way down through the rocks for the descent. It was as beautiful as I have ever seen up there today. The mountains dressed in show makes the view so much more spectacular than the typical summer view. I love being up there when it is still basically winter, even though it is a few days past official spring. At 10 degrees this morning, I think actual spring is a few weeks off yet. The trail was in excellent condition with hard packed snow and was perfect for micro spikes. We reached our cars at the Smith Road trailhead fairly quickly. It was a little over 6 miles total distance and took us about 4 hours.

Kim and her dog Silvia

Bella

Matanuska Peak from Lazy Summit

Bella and Me

Kim and Silvia

Ski on Mud Lake and Gull Lake

 I went with my friend Pam and of course our 2 dogs to ski on Mud Lake again. It’s still terribly windy in both Palmer and Wasilla. But the lakes are in the Butte area which is always spared by the wicked Matanuska North Wind. We found it to be nice and calm and with a mild temperature in the bright sunshine. I’m certainly getting this route cemented in my mind after 4 times exploring out there. It’s just so breathtaking that it’s hard to keep myself from coming back. I am looking forward to coming back and doing at least part of the route in my kayak after the snow and ice are all gone. 

Government Peak

 It's a very windy and cold but also a very sunny day here in Palmer. I hiked with the Valley Wanderers to the second picnic table on Government Peak. We were mostly out of the major wind, but even at the table we were starting to feel it. We expected to need snowshoes and we all carried them. But we found it was possible to get by without them, so they were just along for the ride to build character! I was glad Bella wasn't complaining of the cold or tiredness from yesterday and requiring me to carry her. Then it would have been quite the operation, since the snowshoes were riding in the pack I use to carry the dog. She was the leader most of the way. Apparently, she has memorized the route since we have hiked that trail many times. She did great, even when she sometimes fell into deep holes and had to drag herself out. I think she enjoyed the trip.

Mud Lake and Gull Lake Ski

 I went back to Mud Lake to see if the conditions have changed since last week. It was another perfect bright sunny day. I tracked mostly the same route I skied last time. I was hoping to find a way to cross over to Jim Lake. But I didn't find any snow machine trails or ski trails that seemed to lead in that direction. Although I do know approximately where I would need to go if I had enough time. I got a very late start today so didn't try breaking a trail through the snow to find a way. Bella got very upset at the start and even ran almost all the way back to the car. There is a shooting range about a half mile down the road from the Mud Lake parking lot. Today it was very busy there and the noise of the gunshots was really scaring her. I had forgotten my running belt so at first, didn't know how I could put her on the leash and still hold onto my ski poles. But I found that I could just put her retractable leash into my pocket and zip it up. It took a lot of coaxing and a few dog treats, but I finally got her to walk along beside me. I kept her on the leash the whole time because I didn't want her running back to the car again. Once we got fairly far away from the parking lot, the sound diminished and she didn't seem concerned about it anymore. The groomed trails were not as pristine as they were last week, but I still found they were good skiing. I got a nice workout for a little over 6 miles and just enjoyed being outdoors in the sunshine.