...Gooseneck Lake ski tour

The Route: Stormy Lake to Gooseneck Lake.

Distance: 5.5 miles.

Time: 3.5 hours (including picnic).

Terrain: snow covered lakes and swamps, some dense woods.

Mrs. Huffy on Stormy Lake right after we got started.

Adjusting the backpack.

Self portrait on the swamp behind Stormy Lake.

Mrs. Huffy poses next to a ladder/tree stand most likely built by moose hunters. You could see a wide area of swamp from this vantage point.

Adjusting the iPod on the trail.

Mrs. Huffy, tough and fearless Alaskan wife, about to enter the bushwhack zone of dense trees and brush.

Mrs. Huffy emerging from the bushwhack zone.

A beaver lodge on Gooseneck Lake.

The view of Gooseneck Lake from our picnic site.

Mrs.Huffy enjoys a picnic while sitting on a space blanket 'picnic table' on the edge of Gooseneck Lake.

Girl Scout cookies. We ate lots of these for dessert.

Gabby the ski hound.

Mrs. Huffy makes tracks on the return portion of the ski tour.

Finally, we are back at the truck after a great ski trip.

For about the past ten days I have been planning a ski tour from Stormy Lake to Gooseneck Lake. Mrs. Huffy said she was game, so I started looking at maps and satellite images from Google Earth to determine which route would be the easiest and most direct. I had several ideas when we left the Stormy Lake boat ramp area, but nothing solid. Turns out were able to follow snowmachine tracks, which made the going much easier, until we got to within about 3/4 mile of Gooseneck Lake. Then we had to do some bushwhacking before crossing the final swamp and arriving at the lake.

Once at the lake we found a spot out of the wind and set-up a picnic lunch which included a significant number of Girl Scout cookies for dessert. There was a beaver lodge nearby which we gave a good looking over before we left.

We cut through some different swamps on the way back and ended up on the very far end of Stormy Lake. We skied across the lake, past some ice fishers, and then back to the truck. We got back to the truck tired, but already planning another...Gooseneck Lake ski tour.