...Divide Mountain ski tour

A self-portrait at the beginning of the ski loops.

Part of the ski trails use the Iditarod National Historic Trail.

Beware! (It really wasn't that bad).

My idea of a name for a ski trail: Paradise.

The flag at Seward Middle School flapping in the wind. The wind was really whipping!

I drove to Seward this morning to watch Laura's volleyball team play a game against Seward Middle School. It was cold and the wind was really blowing, but the drive was beautiful thanks to clear sunny skies.

After the game I stopped by Divide Mountain Nordic ski area to ski a couple of loops on my cross country skis. The parking lot was frigid. When I put on my boots and I felt like a Popsicle by the time I was dressed in my gear. Once in the trees, however, it was very pleasant. I skied around Paradise Loop and talked with a couple from Seward who knew the trails well. Then it was back to the parking lot and the wind. I hurriedly removed my ski gear and hopped in the truck and turned on the heater for the drive home, glad to have the experience of a...Divide Mountain ski tour.

...Island Lake ski tour

Mrs. Huffy gives Gabby a treat for being a good dog during our ski tour of Island Lake.

Silhouette of a skier on Island Lake.

Mrs. Huffy takes a break to bask in the sunshine.

A skier wearing goggles.

Mrs. Huffy glides through the snow.

Island Lake was empty this afternoon. Even though the weather was beautiful and the snow conditions were perfect, Mrs. Huffy and I had the place to ourselves. So, where was everyone you ask? Ice fishers, snowmachiners, skiers, and snowshoers alike were undoubtedly sitting in their homes watching the Green Bay Packers play the Pittsburg Steelers in the Superbowl. Eventually we would be there, too. But, we had some skiing to do first.

We took off from our house and headed toward the other side of the cove. Then, we crossed to the point near Krogseng's before skiing around the back side of the island, back to our cove, and finally the house.

Gabby had a great time checking the abandoned ice fishing locations for bits of left-over bait and snacks left behind by ice fishers. We took our time skiing and made frequent stops to enjoy the weather and scenery which was devoid of the usual Sunday afternoon lake people. But, it wasn't long before we were sitting at the Zimmerman's house watching the game ourselves. We missed the first quarter, but that was okay because we had the memory of an...Island Lake ski tour.

...Dawgs v Huskies

Laura gets ready for volleyball action.
Laura at the net.

Serving the ball.

Final score of the second match.

The teams congratulate each other after the game.

We drove to Homer today to watch the Nikiski Middle School girls volleyball team play the team from Homer Middle. It was a spectacular day for a drive with sparkling snow, water, and skies.

The Homer Huskies won the first match but Nikiski played well during the second and third, and won the game. There were plenty of great serves and good volleys by both teams. It was exciting to watch the...Dawgs v Huskies!

...Sunday afternoon ski tour

Mrs. Huffy navigates the downhill portion of the trail.
Emily tromps through the snow on her blue snowshoes.

Emily peers around Mrs. Huffy on the trail.

The skier and the snowshoer move along the trail.

What could be better on a Sunday afternoon in January than a ski tour around the campground loop at Captain Cook State Park? Not much was our answer, so we packed up our gear and made the short drive to the park. We strapped on our skis (and snowshoes) and took off for a foray through the snow just as darkness was beginning to fall. The woods were quiet as we cut through the crust and across the tracks of spruce grouse, snowshoe hares, moose, and lynx. Emily pointed out all of them and Gabby gave them her best nose work sometimes following them into the woods.

We made it around the loop once and Emily announced that she was "running out of energy." We got a good laugh out of that and headed for the truck. After all, the snow was deep and took extra effort. But, it was worth it and fun to go on a...Sunday afternoon ski tour.

...a cold walk

Mrs. Huffy models her face mask.
Emily all bundled-up for the walk.

Mrs. Huffy walks across the ice of Island Lake.

Emily walks on our snowshoe trail.

The layers Liz wore: primary layer, insulating layer, liner gloves, mittens, face mask, fleece hat, and down parka.

It's been cold. Really cold. Minus 20 degrees cold.

But the sun was out and it was difficult to think of wasting it, so we bundled up and headed outdoors for a walk. The snow was crunchy and the air crisp. When we stepped onto the ice of Island Lake our breath hung in the air as we tromped across the cove and out toward the island. Ice fishers were clustered around the edge of the lake and the exhaust from their vehicles formed clouds on the ice. We were glad to be moving. It would have been painfully cold to be standing still in the open air above a hole in the ice.

It didn't take long before we were over the island and making our way back toward our snowshoe trail through the woods. Gabby ran in all directions and didn't seem fazed in the least by the temperature. She was glad to be out of the house. And, so were we. Even though it was...a cold walk.

...ice fishing at Peterson Lake

Henry, John, and Charlie pose on the ice of Peterson Lake.

Charlie's "automatic turning bungee cord sausage cooker." It impresses many people. The sausages are in front of the heater above the paper towels.

A close-up of the sausages cooking in front of the Mr. Buddy heater.

Charlie and a nice trout.

A close-up of Charlie's trout.

Many of my friends like to conjure up unique methods of cooking when they go ice fishing. I was lucky enough to make a trip with several friends today and I got a good look at some of the very clever cooking systems. Charlie has rigged several bungee cords from the ceiling of his ice fishing tent to which he attaches a long fork so he can cook sausages using his Mr. Buddy heater. It is ingenious and it works! We all enjoyed some very tasty sausages as we fished through holes in the ice.

We also caught some trout while we were there and basically enjoyed a pleasant afternoon in the outdoors. It made me wish every day was Saturday because it is fun to do some cooking with the Mr. Buddy heater while...ice fishing at Peterson lake..

...ice skating with the Hufford girls...and Gabby

Laura skates on Island Lake...while listening to her iPod.

Laura, Emily, and Gabby careen across the ice.

Mrs. Huffy laces up a skate.

Laura gives Gabby a few pets while skating.

Mrs. Huffy and Gabby skate into the sunset.

For the past week I have been looking forward to checking the thickness of the ice on Island Lake. It has been frozen since last Saturday and I was hoping it would be thick enough for skating by today. Still, I wanted to be certain, so I carted my ice auger out just beyond shore and fired it up to drill some test holes. Turns out it was over 8 inches thick everywhere I drilled. Plenty of ice.

We went back to the garage and got our skates and a sled for Emily, then headed down to do some serious skating on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. For more than an hour we careened across the ice with Gabby at our heels. None of us were ready to quit, but we had obligations in town so we reluctantly switched out of our skates and headed for Kenai.



Of course, now that the ice is thick enough we will soon be doing some ice fishing and taking walks out to the island and back. But, for a few hours this afternoon it was more than enough to be...ice skating with the Hufford girls...and Gabby.