...ice fishing at Forest Lake

The day got off to a great start. 

Ice fishermen standing around a bonfire on the ice.

The Quickfish 3 on Forest Lake.

Due to ice build-up on the auger blades we couldn't drill through the ice.  So, we put it in the fire to thaw out.  Worked great.

Izzy...the ice fishing hound.

Waiting for the bite.

An ice encased fishing line.

Minus 13 at the parking area.  It was cold.  Charlie and I pulled our gear sleds out of the back of the truck and started for the outlet at the far end of Forest Lake, just about a mile away.  It wasn't long before we warmed up.  About 30 minutes later we stopped, drilled three holes with the hand auger (the power auger was too heavy to haul on this trip) and set the Quckfish 3 on the ice.  We were ready to fish. 

Several other ice fishermen arrived and it wasn't long before more holes were drilled and the first fish was caught.  The search for wood soon began and before long a huge bonfire was blazing.  More ice fishermen arrived and more holes were drilled and tents popped up.  More fish were caught...and so the morning went.

The sun rose above the trees but no heat could be felt.  A few hours passed and several ice fishermen started to talk about leaving.  Had to be home in time for dinner and to make it back to town for the parade and fireworks display in Kenai.  So, slowly the lake was abandoned and the fish world under the ice returned to normalcy.  The parking area was still cold but we knew heaters would soon be blasting and the ride home would be toasty.  That's how it was...ice fishing at Forest Lake.

...the cabin at Kelly Lake

The Hufford girls at the trailhead on our way to the cabin.

Mrs. Huffy on the trail to the cabin toting a full backpack and towing a sled full of gear.

Laura hiking along the edge of Kelly Lake on her way to the cabin.

The cabin at Kelly Lake.

The cabin's heat source.  It kept things plenty warm.  I had lots of fun adjusting things for maximum warmth and wood burning duration throughout our stay.

We had a birthday party while we were at the cabin.

The birthday cupcake.  One of those candles would not extinguish.  Very funny.

Laura helps Emily add up her score during a rowdy game of Phase 10.

We all had fun playing the game.

The bunk area of the cabin.

Emily climbs the ladder to her bunk at bed time.

We brought a Coleman lantern to use as a source of light during our stay.  We used an entire tank of fuel as the darkness is pervasive this time of year.

The view of the cabin in the early morning.

Emily and Mrs. Huffy play Bananagrams as the sun comes up outside.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters provided the early morning musical entertainment from a cell phone.

The gear sled loaded, bungeed, and ready to go back to the truck.  It was easier to hike than it was to ski due the minimal snow coverage.  So, the skis got to ride on the sled.

Laura blazes the trail back to the truck with a loaded pack and gear sled.

The public use cabin at Kelly Lake is maintained by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.  We have visited it several times during our hikes on Seven Lakes Trail which passes by its front door.  Last summer we were looking around and said, "We should rent this sometime."  The next day we called the KNWR Headquarters and reserved our date.  At $45 a night it is a great bargain.  It's also kid friendly as the hike to the cabin is on a well established and level trail.

So,  on Saturday morning we loaded our packs and sleds with everything we would need for a birthday party and a night at the cabin.  Upon our arrival we started a fire to warm the place up and began to think about dinner. Afterward we played Phase 10 and Bananagrams, and told ghost stories before going sleep for over nine hours!

When we finally woke up Mrs. Huffy and Gabby took off for a hike following the trail to the turn-off to Hidden Lake while the rest us us stayed behind and lounged about the cabin.  Upon Mrs. Huffy's return we packed things up and left the cabin around 11:15 AM.  We had a great time and we know that we will return to...the cabin at Kelly Lake.

...first tracks of the season

Emily looks back at the photographer as we make our way around the campground loop at Captain Cook State Park.

Emily follows Mrs. Huffy's tracks through the snow.

Mrs. Huffy poses for a photo op.

Emily and Mrs. Huffy take a break on the trail.

Winter is off to a great start and we are back on our skis!  We made the campground loop at Captain Cook State Park the location of our first tour of the season.  Emily, Mrs. Huffy, and I slid through the snow taking time to look at the animal tracks and feed Gabby treats as she romped in the powder.  A good time was had by all and we were happy with our...first tracks of the season.

...the bears of Russian River

A brown bear surveys the scene near the trailhead to the Russian River falls.

This bear has some claws.

THE ROUTE:  Carter Lake Trail.  Well established trail with lots of water crossings.  Very muddy.

Mrs. Huffy crosses a stream on Carter Lake Trail.

Michelle on her way up the trail.

Trent leaps across a stream.

The hikers at the top of Carter Lake Trail.

The fall colors were beautiful in the valleys.

But, up high winter has arrived.

Dinner cooking over a fire at the end of a day of bear viewing and hiking.

Our weekend opened up unexpectedly.  On Thursday evening we discovered we had no commitments and the weather forecast was excellent.  Time for some fall camping at Russian River Campground.

We arrived on Friday evening just before the Burnett's pulled in.  We immediately set up camp(s) and got a fire blazing.  After several hours of visiting we made plans to hike the Lower Russian Lakes Trail to the falls the next afternoon.  Then it was time to hit the hay.

At 1:00 PM, we loaded the trucks and drove toward the trailhead parking lot.  When we got there several other vehicles were parked in the road and two brown bears were eating berries in the bushes.  We pulled up close enough to get some good photos and after the bears wandered back into the woods we abruptly changed our hiking plans to Carter Lake Trail.

It was a wonderful hike with many water crossings.  The streams were full with the rain that has fallen over the Kenai Peninsula for the past month.  There was lots of mud, which was enjoyed immensely by the kids in our group, and a beautiful view when we reached the top including Carter Lake and the snow capped peaks around the valley.

Following the hike we returned to our camp for another evening fire where we cooked dinner and recalled the adventures of the day not far from...the bears of Russian River.

...hiking Slaughter Gulch Trail

THE ROUTE:  Slaughter Gulch Trail

TERRAIN:  Very steep established trail, loose rocks and dirt, probably extremely slippery when wet.

ELEVATION GAIN:  1435 feet (according to my GPS)

Emily and Mrs. Huffy climbing up the trail.  Emily was using her new pack for the first time.

Looking across the valley at the mountains on the other side.

Emily and spectacular fall colors.

Mrs. Huffy trying to check her Facebook account.  That's Kenai Lake in the background.  We ate lunch at this location.  Best meatloaf sandwiches I ever made!

Emily and Mrs. Huffy hiking/crawling back down the trail.

Mrs. Huffy puts her hiking poles to good use.

The view across the valley.  Yes, that is Termination Dust on the tops of those distant peaks.

Emily celebrates after the hike by eating an enormous scoop of strawberry ice cream.

I have no idea how Slaughter Gulch got its name.  I probably don't want to know.  I do know that it is a spectacularly beautiful place, and the trail leading up to the gulch is extremely steep.  Still it is a great hike and one we will do again. I've heard that once you reach the gulch you can hike to Resurrection Trail even though the route does not appear on any maps.  We didn't have time for that today, but that's my kind of hiking.

We were lucky as the weather was nice and sunny and we spent an hour enjoying the views and eating lunch at the top of the trail where there is a fantastic vista of Kenai Lake and the surrounding mountains.  We also watched some Dall sheep through the binoculars and generally enjoyed being outside on such a grand day.  In fact, conditions couldn't have been better for...hiking Slaughter Gulch Trail.

...blueberry blues



THE ROUTE:  Upper Russian Lakes Trail
DISTANCE:  4.4 miles RT
TERRAIN:  Gentle rolling trail,  some mud, bridges over streams.

The Hufford girls at the trailhead.

The Hufford girls on a bridge with their shadows.

Blueberry bush leaves eaten away.

A single blueberry.  Not in the best of shape.

The curved bridge over the stream where we took a break before turning around.  We have visited this bridge many times and it used to sag as as well.  The forest service has been busy trying to repair it.  You can see the Hufford girls lounging on the other side if you look closely.

The view from our turn around point.  That's Cooper Mountain in the background.

The berries we were able to pick...about four tablespoons worth... in a plastic bag.

We pick blueberries every summer.  Lots of them.  But, this summer has been different.  We found some nice blueberry patches on Ptarmigan Lake Trail in mid-July, but we haven't had much luck since.  And it's all due to a small green caterpillar that has eaten its way through practically all the blueberries on the Kenai Peninsula, and throughout southcentral Alaska for that matter.

So, today we thought we would take a hike to one of our favorite berry picking trails and see what we could find.  There are always more berries than we can ever pick on this trail and we thought there might be a chance that we would find a spot where the berries had escaped the caterpillars.

We were wrong.

Normally the bushes along the trail are drooping under the weight of an abundance of juicy berries and berry filled bear scat is common.  Not this year.  There were no berries and no scat.  Just a bunch of blueberry bushes with holes in the leaves.  The bears are in trouble if they depend on berries to fatten up.

The afternoon wasn't an entire loss however.  We did chat with a couple in their early 80's for about thirty minutes.  They told us about their cabin on Kenai Lake and their trips to Costa Rica and Kona to watch birds.  They were also keenly interested in Laura and Emily as they had two grand daughters adopted from Korea.  Then, there was a group of backpackers that visited with us as we took a break.  They had spent the weekend at the Aspen Flats cabin.  And, there were some mountain bikers that said "hi" as they rode past.  Of course, Gabby had a wonderful time running down the trail and through the woods following her nose and then checking back in with us to see if we would offer her a treat--which we did with great frequency.  I should also mention that the weather was perfect for the end of August.  It was sunny and the temperature was around 65 degrees.  It wasn't a bad afternoon, the lack of blueberries notwithstanding.

We got back to the truck and drove for home trying to think of what we could have for dinner.  Laura sheepishly suggested that we stop at McDonald's for Oreo McFlurries and call it good.  To her surprise her parents agreed!  After all, what better way is there to get rid of the...blueberry blues?