Skiing the Big Su and the Big Swamp

December 13th, 2009

I had a free day to do a long ski this weekend, so I rounded up some friends for a trip to the Susitna Valley. Bill, Rachel, JT, Scott are all either doing, or thinking about doing, the White Mountains 100 race in March, so they were eager to get out of town and ski some snowmachine trails.

We decided to head to Willow. There isn’t a lot of snow for cross country skiing anywhere in South-central Alaska right now. But I figured if anyone could create good skate ski conditions with the snow we have, it would be the good folks of the Willow Trails Committee. WTC did not disappoint, and the groomed trails impressed our whole crew.

We started at the Crystal Lake trailhead and headed down the Corral Hill trail to the Susitna River. Our goal was to complete some sort of loop, but not all the trails were in yet. So we headed south on the river to see what trails we could find. We had almost reached the Yentna River (and were thinking about turning around) when we found a trail headed east. That trail was narrow, rocky, and dirty, but after a few nervous minutes headed south, it swung back to the east and intersected with the Big Swamp trail as we hoped. Being back on the WTC-groomed trails, we had a sweet trail back up through the Big Swamp to Willow Swamp and back to the car.

It was a 36 mile loop that took us 5.5 hours, including a bunch of stops. Temps were -5 F at the trail head most of the day, and probably a fair bit cooler on the river in the morning. The glide was surprisingly good, in spite of the cold snow. It was a great day to be out in the sunny Su Valley, escaping the ice fog in Anchorage.

Photos and maps in the gallery:
 

Sking the Willow Trails

 

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Ski, Susitna Valley | No Comments »

Nordic skating on Duck Flats

November 8th, 2009

I used to start hoping for snow as soon as the weather turned cool. Now each year I hope for a few weeks of cold weather before any snow falls. Why? For ice skating! Not the go-around-in-circles kind of ice skating. No, I’m talking about cruising for miles at a time on nordic blades.

Today, Tim and I explored the Duck Flats area at the head of Knik Arm. I’d heard that the skating there last year was phenomenal. Since it hasn’t been very cold this fall, we were concerned that we might be a little too early. But since nordic skating has such a short window of time, we decided to give it a go anyway.

The ice was not good. To get to Duck Flats you have to skate down Rabbit Slough for a few miles. On the slough, there were multiple layers of ice. The base layer was thick, but the top layer was not. Most of the time the top layer held our weight, despite lots of creaking. But occasionally we’d break through and have a split second to wonder if it was going to be wet or dry underneath. Luckily, our feet only got wet a few times. The ice was also gritty from lots of wind, which made it very slow in many spots.

Out on the Duck Flats, the ice was solid as long as we avoided vegetation, but it had been windy when the ice froze out there, so it was bumpy and dirty. A few smooth spot were found, but as Tim said, we should have brought our full-suspension skates!

But in spite of the conditions, we still managed to skate for about 20 miles and explore a really cool area, so the day was a success. When the ice is smooth and hard, this area would be amazing.

Of course, Tim’s the star of my pictures. If you want to see pictures of me, go to Tim’s 2010 Skiing (and skating!) page.
 

Skating Duck Flats

 

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Anchorage, Ice Skate, Susitna Valley | No Comments »

My Favorite Run In The World

October 15th, 2009

My favorite run is not long.  It clocks in at a modest one hour and twenty minutes.

My favorite run does not climb big mountains. The elevation gain is less than one thousand feet.

My favorite run does not have lots of expansive views. It only has two viewpoints.

Obviously, based on what I’ve said so far, my favorite run in the world is not in Alaska.

My favorite run is not a secret, it is hiked by hundreds of people every week.

My favorite run in the world is not an exciting new route. I first did it when I was six years old.

squam

Most of my favorite adventures are off the beaten path. I like adventures that are little too long, too hard, or too far-flung for most people. But my favorite run in the world is none of those things. There is nothing epic about it at all. It’s comfortable, like an old sweatshirt on a Saturday morning.

On my wedding day, I made all the guests do this run (or hike) with me.

My favorite run is located on the shores of Squam Lake, NH. It starts with the Five Finger Point trail, then goes up East and West Rattlesnake “mountains.” Growing up, I spent all of my summers at a family camp on Squam Lake, and it is my favorite place in the world. I did this run at least a couple of times every week when I was in my teens. Nostalgia is a big part of why it is my favorite, but it’s also a perfect everyday loop. Interesting, but not overwhelming. Tiring, but not exhausting.  And while the only viewpoints are at the tops of the Rattlesnakes, the view-to-effort ratio is the best I’ve found anywhere.

Last month, while we were back east, we spent three days at the camp on Squam. I did my run every day. As always, I followed each run with a swim in the lake, and then a big meal at the dining hall. Maybe that’s why it’s my favorite.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in New Hampshire, Run | No Comments »

Winner Creek to Twenty Mile packraft hike

September 17th, 2009

Well, I think I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that there will be no big packrafting trips for me in 2009.  I kept holding out hope for “next weekend.”   But it didn’t happen. My injury kept me from making plans too far in advance, and by the time I was healthy,  the weekends were all booked up with other plans.  Remember my post about the best six months to be in Alaska (March-August)?  I spent  five of those six months hobbled.  Nice job jinxing myself.

But even if there were no epic trips to be had, I wanted to take my raft for a hike at least once this year.  So when Bill mentioned that he and Chris were going to do Twenty Mile this past weekend, I jumped at the chance to go with them.   This trip is an old standby, easily done as a day-trip from Anchorage.  Its an easy and very scenic trip, and it has a tiny bit of route-finding and swiftwater to make it interesting.

putting in on the river

Hiking time: 4 hours
Boating time: 3.5 hours
Total trip time: 8 hours
River level:  19.42 ft   3.15 cfs
This level was a little lower than when I have done the river previously.  This made the first several turns in the river easier, and still without too much bottom-scraping.

For those thinking of doing this trip, check out my other trips on this route, and also this note that I posted on the Alpacka forums:

There is a new (to me anyway) false trail to watch out for on the hike down to the river.

About halfway down from the pass to the river, we came upon a patch of tall grass where the trail appeared to take a sharp left hand turn, just before a patch of alders. “That’s funny, the trail didn’t go that way last time,” I thought. Every time I had done this trip previously, I had bushwhacked straight for about 25 yards through the alders to where a pretty good trail picks up again in the hemlocks. But even so, the new trail to the left looked well-trodden. I knew better, but it was too tempting - we gave the new trail a try. After about five minutes, it worked its way back to the creek and then began to peter out as people’s paths took different routes to skirt along the top of the creek gorge. After ten minutes we gave up and went back to the original trail, which was as good as ever.

Not sure why that new trail is there. Were people scouting/running the creek? It’s gnarly up that high.

Anyway, this isn’t a big deal, but hopefully this will help others avoid wearing in a trail that, as far as I can tell, goes nowhere. Bust through the alders, its much better on the other side.

Chris and Bill at the fork in the trail, after our short detour

It was rainy all day, but the clouds were just high enough to see the mountains.  It was a great time, and I was happy to be in my boat, hanging out with great company.  A great finish to a less-than-great summer of adventure.

So maybe I didn’t get as much done this summer as I hoped.  Winter is coming and bringing a whole new set of adventures with it!   (I hope I didn’t just jinx myself again.  Dammit.)

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Alaska | No Comments »

Caines Head Alpine Trail

September 14th, 2009

I spent the Labor Day weekend camping with family and friends at Caines Head State Recreation Area, on Resurrection Bay south of Seward. On Sunday, we did a really cool hike up the Alpine Trail. Despite rave reviews in guidebooks and online trail guides, this hike is still relatively unknown. I think it ranks among the best trail hikes in Alaska.

img_2882

The trail from Caines Head to above treeline is three miles (plus an additional 4.5 miles if you are starting from Seward instead of Caines Head or Derby Cove). Once you get above treeline, there are tons of cool glacial ridges and gullies to explore, a few small tarns, and spectacular views of Resurrection Bay and Callisto Peak.

photo: Jen Jolliff

At one of the tarns, the kids and moms stopped to wade in the water and scramble on the rocks, while Ian and I explored the southern flanks of Callisto Peak. Lots of amazing features to see up here. Gorges, glaciers, cliffs… and that’s before even raising your head to gawk at the views of Resurrection Bay.   Ian and I hiked up to the southern ridge of Callisto, where we were treated to a spectacular view of Bear Glacier and the gigantic icebergs floating in its glacial lake. For me, it was the “view of the summer” and one of the best glacier views I’ve ever seen. Unfortuantely, in our haste to drop our kid packs and start exploring, Ian and I both left our cameras behind. Damn! So I can’t share that view with you. The best I can do is show you a couple of pictures of what the view looks like in winter (thanks to Matt Faust). These pics are taken from the top of Callisto rather than the ridge, but you get the idea. Its even more dramatic in the summer with greenery and blue water to offset the white ice. 

I highly recommend checking out this hike if you are in the Seward area. The views are as good as Lost Lake or Exit Glacier/Harding Icefield, but with a lot less people. And if you do go, please send me a picture of the Bear Glacier view! I want that shot in my photo album. Maybe I’ll just have to go back. Sigh.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Hike, Kenai | No Comments »

Mountain Orienteering 2009

August 17th, 2009

2009-mountain-o

The turnout for the Arctic Orienteering Club’s annual Mountain O event is usually low (45 people this year, only 8 on the long course).  I think this is because people don’t really understand the Mountain O.    Orienteering itself confuses a lot of people.  Mix in some mountains as well, and people figure it best to avoid the whole thing.    But in my opinion, the Mountain O is the most fun race of the summer.  It’s basically a big treasure hunt in the mountains.  Plus, it only costs $6.  You can’t beat that exercise/price ratio!  Anyone who loves to run or hike in the mountains should give it a try.  There are usually short and long course options, to fit your fitness, navigation, and motivation levels.

As I sat at home last night feeling battered, bruised and exhausted from this year’s event, I started thinking that this little-known event can hold its own when compared to some of the most infamous mountain running races in Alaska.

Crow Pass Crossing: 24 miles, 3890′ elevation gain,
Powerline Pass race: 13 miles, ~4000′ elevation gain,
Matanuska Peak Challenge: 14 miles, 9000′ elevation gain
2009 Mountain O Long Course: 16.8 miles (mostly off-trail), 5600′ elevation gain

More than anything, I was just trying to justify the fact that the race had left me pretty wasted.

The start and finish were at the Glen Alps trailhead of Chugach State Park.   You know its going to be a big day when, twenty-five minutes into the race, you are standing on top of Flattop and you’ve only covered 1/10th of the race distance and found two of the 19 controls.  I ran most of the way with Ian Moore, who is both a faster runner and a better navigator.  There were a bunch of controls early on that were “tricky” at best, and “misplaced” at worst.  One by one, we’d all get to the spot where the control should be, then wander until someone stumbled on it.  That allowed me to stay within sight of Ian while we completed most of the climbing.  Then we ran together for a couple hours after that.  Ian and I have both been battling ankle injuries recently, so we ran a bit gingerly on our feet in the rocky terrain, wondering how long our legs would hold.

After three hours of racing, we had traversed the Flattop Ridge to Ptarmigan Pass, descended into Rabbit Creek valley, started up the base of McHugh Ridge, then crossed back through Ptarmigan Pass to Powerline valley.  As Ian and I crossed Powerline valley, we took slightly different routes.  I was sure we’d reconnect in a matter of seconds, like we had many times before.  But all of a sudden, I was alone.  I never saw Ian again.  I suspected that he had ankle problems and dropped back.  But I also knew Ian’s skills as an orienteer, and it was completely possible that he was ahead of me and I simply couldn’t see him.   As I approached the finish at Glen Alps, it would not have surprised me a bit to see Ian standing there, already done.   But, as I suspected, he had experienced a shooting pain through his leg and then dialed it back after that.   My legs, for their part, were sore but feeling as good as I could have hoped for at the finish.

I completed the course in four hours.  Times on the long course varied up to six and a half hours, possibly even longer for those who didn’t finish.  A long day for everyone!  Congrats to Lindsey for being the only woman to complete the long course (3rd place overall) and Jen for winning the short course.

2009 Mountain Orienteering Results

All the participants deserve congratulations for surviving a challenging course that was made even more difficult by fog and tricky controls.  But it was still a lot of fun.  Come join us next year!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Chugach, Hike, Orienteering, Run | No Comments »

Packrafting: Startin ‘em early (and a bit later)

August 14th, 2009

Last month we introduced the kiddo to the wonderful world of packrafting.

img_2533

And last week, we had three generations  out in the rafts, paddling among the ‘bergs.

img_2698

100_06051

img_2711

100_0601

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Denali, Kenai, Kids, Packraft | 1 Comment »

Bard Peak paddle-climb

August 11th, 2009

Aaaahhhhh.      

That noise you hear is me letting out a loud, contented sigh.  Finally, after five long months, I made it back into the mountains of Alaska.  My main goal as I was rehabbing my Achilles tendon was to heal well enough and quickly enough to do some peak-bagging before summer was over. If I could just bag a peak or two, summer would not be a total loss.   By early August, I was feeling ready and the weather was looking good. So Tim Kelley and I got together for a hike.

Tim suggested Bard Peak, which he had done before.  If you’ve ever gone to the Portage Glacier Visitors Center and looked across Portage Lake, you’ve seen Bard Peak. Here’s a picture of it in winter time. Bard Peak is the pointy one on the left.

P1010003.jpg

Bard Peak is fairly close to home and seen by hundreds of people every day, but rarely climbed.  It would provide enough vertical gain, bushwhacking, and rock scrambling to give my legs a good test without too many unknown-territory variables.

We accessed the peak by paddling across Portage Lake. The paddling made for great bookends to a spectacular hike.  Check my photos below, and of course also check Tim’s trip photos.
 

Bard Peak

 

It feels good to be back at home with sore muscles and a few scrapes on my arms and legs, enjoying the afterglow of a long-awaited peak-bagging outing.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Chugach, Kenai, Paddle, Peakbagging, Prince William Sound | No Comments »

The Big O

August 7th, 2009

I was probably a little too excited for this week’s orienteering meet.  I was merely going to  run around in the woods for a hour or two by myself.  At the end, I would compare my time to a few other people.  Not exactly a big deal.   I really should not have been so nervous before the start.

But then again, this was my one shot for the year.  I missed all the traditional (i.e. ‘real’) orienteering meets in May and June.  This was the last one on the calendar.  My only chance to compete at full speed.  I really wanted to do well.

Unlike a sport like skiing or running, adrenaline is not an advantage in orienteering.  You have to be calm and clear-headed.  I can’t even count the number of times I have blasted out of the start, only to be lost within minutes.  So this time I did my best to temper my excitement.  I started slow and deliberate.  I ran well for the first ten of the fifteen total controls on the Red course.  But then, with one mistake, my race fell apart on control #11. My bearing was off by a mere 10 degrees or so as I navigated a funky mess of hills, depressions, and reentrants.  I had to attack the control from four different locations before I finally found it.   I lost about 12 minutes, and my hopes for a good result were dashed.

I finished 4th out of 5 finishers and 10 starters.  It’s disappointing when one mistake ruins an otherwise decent performance.  But that is the way orienteering works.  In the larger scheme of things, I can’t really complain.  After all, I was crashing around throught the woods again.  That was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

RESULTS

ROUTE GADGET (race re-enactment)

Posted in Anchorage, Orienteering | No Comments »

Was it something I said?

July 29th, 2009

Last week, I mentioned the new Alaska Birkie bike race.  I wrote that even though I thought it sounded like a fun race, I wouldn’t be able to do it this year.  I also thought they should change the name of the race.

Well, I just saw an announcement that this year’s race is cancelled because of low registration numbers.   So much for my attempt to promote it!  But get this - they will be changing the name of the race for next year:

We will instead focus on a 2010 race. Our website will be the source of official information for the next year. There will be changes for the 2010 event starting with the name of the race. The race will not be called Birkebeiner. Stay tuned…

I hope they come up with a better name than the suggestions I offered!

So maybe I’ll get to do the inaugural race after all.  But then again, maybe not.  Summer in Alaska is really short, and as  I’ve said before, we’ve already got a ton of fun summer races.  Not to mention the other non-racing activities to choose from  (hiking, packrafting, road trips, etc).  It’s hard for a new race to get a foothold.  The Powerline Pass running race - a favorite of mine and many mountain runners - has bounced around for seven years , trying to find a date to call home.   That’s why I think this bike race should try September, or even early October.   Or maybe the first weekend of June, as soon as the trails open to mountain bikes.

But then again, what do I know?  I tend to gravitate towards events that don’t have a ton of participation.  So maybe I’m not the best guy to offer promotional advice.

Tags:
Posted in Anchorage, Bike | 3 Comments »

« Older Entries