...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.

...berry picking with the Hufford girls

Traffic jam...Alaska style. Caribou cross the road.

Fingers stained by berry juice.

The prize.

Mrs. Huffy with a handful of berries.

The Hufford girls pose with the bounty of the boreal forest.

For the past week or so it has been cold enough that we knew it was berry picking time. Yesterday Liz and Emily drove to Cooper Landing to pick some, but they weren't able to find many. While they were doing that I was at work where I happened to be talking with the school secretary and she said there was an over abundance of berries near the Kenai Golf Course. When I got home I mentioned it to Mrs. Huffy and we made plans to check it out this morning.

On the way we stopped by Louie's for breakfast where Emily ate one of the biggest Chef's omelets I have ever seen. After filling up with hot chocolate, toast, eggs, and hash browns, we drove a couple of miles to the golf course. Along the way we were stopped in an Alaska style traffic jam by a herd of caribou that seemed to be having a difficult time deciding where and whether-or-not they wanted to cross the road. Once we were moving again we were at the berry picking grounds in no time.

We walked into the woods and there they were--everywhere. We immediately stooped over and started filling our plastic bags with the tangy berries as quickly as we could. After an hour or so we had plenty and our hands were stained red from berry juice. We took a few photos and jumped back in the truck where we immediately turned on the heater for the ride home. After putting the berries in the freezer we unpacked and settled in for an afternoon of baseball games on the television, happy with memories of...berry picking with the Hufford girls.

...the bull moose of Denali

A bull moose runs through the fall colors in Denali National Park.

This bull still had velvet hanging from the tips of his antlers.

The rock and fall colors near the Savage River parking area.

The sign at the beginning of the moose rutting zone.

Fall colors on a hill side near the Savage River. Note the hikers in the bottom right hand corner of the photo.

Swans on a pond in front of Denali. This photo was taken from Broad Pass.

Bright fall colors near the entrance of Denali National Park.

Mountains in the mist near the Savage River.

The colorful taiga along the road.

Crimson taiga.

Our intrepid group (me, Laura, Liz, Emily, and Mary Jeanne) in front of the sign near the entrance of Denali National Park.

We had been making plans for our Labor Day Weekend trip to Denali National Park for most of the summer. When Friday arrived we hurried home from work and loaded into the car and were on our way. We stopped in Wasilla for the night and drove on to Denali on Saturday morning where we moved into our cabin for the weekend at Grizzly Bear Cabins just outside the park. We took an afternoon jaunt to the visitors center and out to Savage River where we enjoyed the scenery which was just about as colorful as it gets. We also saw several bull moose along our way but they were way off in the distance.

That evening we ate a gourmet dinner at a restaurant called 229 Parks. As we were being served the power went out and we finished dining in the restaurant's emergency lighting. We had a good conversation with the owners father and then made our way back to our cabin where we sat in the dark until it was time for sleep. The power came back on around 2:30 AM.

The next morning I got up early and took a drive out to the Savage River. Along the way I saw and took pictures of several bull moose. Later that morning our entire group took a drive out to Savage River where we hiked downstream to a bridge which crossed the stream and followed the trail back to the parking lot. On the way back we stopped at a new picnic/hiking area where we ate lunch and walked the trail. Then it was on to the dog sled demonstration where we enjoyed a presentation by Denali's sled dog Rangers.

After the demonstration we went to for dinner at McKinley Chalet before taking a final drive back to the Savage River. Along the way we saw five bulls. Two of them were small but the others were very large and had cows with them. It was great to watch as the bulls shredded the willows to impress the cows which mostly remained unimpressed. There were other park visitors watching the animals as well and some of them were clearly professional photographers with huge camera lenses. It was a memorable evening and we stayed until dark at which time we drove back to the cabin.

The next morning we arose early to a bluebird day and began our drive back to Nikiski. In Cantwell we stopped for fuel and admired Denali which was out in its full glory. Driving on we stopped near a pond in Broad Pass where we took photos. It was spectacular. Nine hours later we arrived at home, tired but happy with the memories of...the bull moose of Denali.

...finding Byron Glacier

On the way to Byron Glacier we drove out Skilak Loop Road. We stopped at Upper Ohmer Lake and saw this scene along the edge of the water.
The fireweed is nearing the top.

The seasons are changing and so are the colors of the vegetation.

We found Byron Glacier at 4:17 PM.

With the Hufford girls on vacation in California, Gabby and I needed a side project to fill the time. We had already been fishing several times with good success while drifting on the river. So, I thought it would be good for Gabby and myself to get a little exercise by going on a glacier hunt. Deciding on Byron Glacier was easy. It would involve a nice drive through the mountains and a pleasant walk along a gentle trail with a spectacular view at the end. Perfect for a guy with a camera and his nine-month-old Labrador retriever.

So, off we went.

Once we were on the highway I got to thinking that it would be a good idea to drive down the Skilak Loop Road. The glacier would wait and there is always a good chance of spotting a bear near Upper Skilak Lake Campground or Hidden Lake. In fact, I had seen four of them out there the previous week. It was early in the morning and Gabby didn't object so down the gravel road we went--hoping to see a bear.

By the time we got to Upper Ohmer Lake we were enjoying the views even though the bears were uncooperative. Well, I was anyway. Gabby had spent most of the trip sleeping. She awoke when I stopped the truck and we got out to walk to the water's edge. There were some nice lily pads to take pictures of and Gabby really liked all the smells. I'm not sure what she was sniffing, but she was going to town with her nostrils.

Back in the truck we continued toward pavement and Byron Glacier. Unsurprisingly, that's when it started to rain. If you live in Southcentral Alaska you probably heard me groan. I also used some...eh hem...words that are unrepeatable here. And, it wasn't just a rain shower. Oh no. It was pounding down rain. I stared straight ahead and kept driving. Both hands gripping the steering wheel. Tightly. We were going on a glacier hunt, Gabby and I, torrential downpour or not.

It was the 29th consecutive day of measurable precipitation and we: BROKE A RECORD! The previous record had been made a long time ago, Jackie Purcell says it was 1951, when it rained for 28 consecutive days. Now we had beaten it and I was there. I wanted to jump for joy...but, you know, I had that grip on the steering wheel and all so I kept driving. In the rain.

Gabby seemed unfazed and quickly fell back to sleep. I drove the truck and grumbled all the way to the top of Turnagain Pass. When we crested the pass and started down the other side I looked into the distance and couldn't believe my eyes. There was sunshine above the Portage Valley. I bit my tongue as fast as could and vowed silence for the remainder of the drive. I didn't want to jinx that valley. Gabby and I had a hike planned and I wasn't about to give Mr. Weather any excuse to drench us on the trail. Besides, I was probably already beyond the point of no return with Mr. Weather.

In silence we drove to the trailhead where Gabby woke up upon arrival her tail wagging wildly. She jumped out of the truck and immediately began the nose exploring. While I strapped on the trail necessities including a pack and camera she pulled at her leash trying to reach just a few inches further. She was prancing around sniffing here and there, glad that everyone in the parking lot wanted to pet her, and sniffing some more. Then down the trail she bounced jubilant to be out of the truck.

We hiked along stopping for smells and photographs and more pets from friendly hikers. In about 25 minutes we were at the snow field below Byron Glacier. There were lots of people taking photos and appreciating the spectacular scenery. But, the best part was that it wasn't raining. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a snowball fight. Because whenever I hike to Byron Glacier with my family we always have the Mother-of-All-Snowball-Fights. Every time. And, just for the record, I usually win (in case Laura is reading this).

Once we looked everything over Gabby and I turned around and slowly made our way back to the truck. It seemed way too soon when we got back to the parking lot but Gabby got right into the seat and fell asleep. All that sniffing had evidently worn her out. I drove over to Portage Lake to see if there were any chunks of glacier floating in the water and then we drove through Williwaw Campground stopping to look at the fish viewing area before we hit the road for home.

We drove steadily and I didn't even care when it started raining as we neared Sterling. The record had already been broken. Besides, Gabby and I had already had a great time...finding Byron Glacier.