Great reporting on AK and Europe season. You take and narrate some cool shots. Good luck in your new venture.
Printable View
Great reporting on AK and Europe season. You take and narrate some cool shots. Good luck in your new venture.
Great TR, well written, entertaining and great photos. Great to have you here in the states, and look forward to lost of AK reports. I, as I am sure many of us, will miss your euro based TRs, but it appears you got a wealth of reports stashed away, so keep them coming as well.
Well to America. Let us know if you visit the lower 48.
Solid update with the Euro shots...
A great way to start a Friday.
:yourock:
Nice work as usual Klar! Thanks for posting and keeping the bar high (perhaps a leetle to high for the likes of yours truly.. one can aspire though).
Cheers!
Americans tend to be a lot more into small talk than folks at home, which is kind of nice but also kind of worrying when you are buying some bread at Fred Meyer and the cashier gets into the details of her divorce proceedings. Sometimes things start out in 'nice weather today' territory and rapidly morph into increasingly strange, strangely intimate 3 minute conversations with strangers. The Skiland chairlift takes quite a bit longer than 3 minutes, hence the singles line and the resulting lift rides can get pretty interesting.
On a lift ride back in spring with Jimbob we were talking about his kids, who are in college somewhere, and he mentioned that he was glad that he taught them to ski because "now they'll always have something to fall back on that they can do if they want to get outside". Without thinking about it and mostly to fill the silence at the end of the sentence, I replied: "Yeah, it's never failed to cheer me up."
Then it was time to concentrate on not getting hanged by the chairlift while trying to get off and also not crashing into the person who did a double eject on the exit ramp two chairs ahead. After that little lift-exit adrenaline rush was over, it started to sink in how true what I'd said to Jimbob actually was.
------
Come June, I overcame my fear of being eaten enough to go look for some late season turns. I tried talking some of my new acquaintances from work into joining me but all the bearded dudes who like to talk a big game about their rad ski adventures when you run into them at the office coffee machine were stressing out about getting a garden planted and also an overnight trip was out of the question because their sourdough gets upset if they don't read it a bed time story.
I managed to find the right turnoff for a gravel road that goes nowhere and is popular with people who ride ATV's further up into nowhere than cars can go. I have no idea where my car can and cannot go and after successfully crossing some remaining snow patches on the road, I high centered it and got stuck. After an hour or so of shoveling, the tires were back on solid ground. I retreated a little, found somewhere to park and began worrying if bears would be attracted by my toothpaste. Except for a couple of sleepy-angry "I am going to spray myself and everything else in the car with DEET until I can't breath and all mosquitos are dead"-episodes, the night was uneventful.
In the morning I worked my way up to the snow line proper, skis strapped to bike, mostly pushing the bike. Left bike behind after 40 minutes or so and headed into the first big cirque above the road, connecting patches at first but soon skinning on nice, smooth, firmly frozen snow. The work dudes justified their urgent gardening by telling me the snow wouldn't freeze because it doesn't get dark anymore in June, but I think they actually just didn't want to drive 3 hours and drag their skis up a dry approach.
Anyway.
I had a pleasant walk in a nice place in really nice weather. I didn't feel like pushing things anywhere at all alone on an unfamiliar glacier, or maybe I actually just wanted a nice nap in the sun. Either way, a nice nap in the sun is what I got. I also got tiny teeth marks in the seat of my bike (??), crossed paths with two professional looking trail runners with XC skis strapped to their ultralight running packs heading up the ATV track while I was heading down (????), and was, once again, entirely cheered up by the whole thing.
One of the better pullout views on the Richardson, I think these are Hess and Deborah.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZLYRpoRu...0/P6021640.jpg
Nap spot
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P1AfUH9Qt...0/P6031651.jpg
more go pro selfies
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ff6R_Bydq...0/GOPR1579.jpg
Flat fun.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1-eU1t28U...0/P6031664.jpg
Spring is here
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rGeEZ8xX1...0/P6031676.jpg
cool looking scenery further up the valley
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tzuFDbwUn...0/P6031679.jpg
time to pack up again
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cb7_1-u_P...0/P6031681.jpg
June ended with a crazy interlude of traveling. I helped out as a gear ferry/fairy for a Girls on Ice camp and went from a grey day crossing cold glacier runoff streams to a flight to sticky Midwest nights (so dark!) for a conference in Nebraska City. Attendees from California tried to order avocado toast for breakfast but apparently avocado toast is not a thing in Nebraska City. After that I went directly on to another conference in Chamonix, which was nice because I got to go for long evening walks up the hill and watch Mt Blanc & Co change colour. I picked up 6 kilos of valais cheese for one of my swiss expat office coffee machine friends from his mom, then drove across the Alps to say hi to my parents, and then flew back half way around the world with a bunch of cheese.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NfVTNrg6j...0/P6171703.jpg
Nebraska City scenery
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYNUqKCT4...620_205418.jpg
Cham scenery
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kYLc0Kgtl...0/P6261705.jpg
Vallée Blanche not looking all that blanche.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8VcFvTe9g...0/P6271707.jpg
"Conference"
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7aTU-7oJ3...0/P6291714.jpg
Upon my return to Fairbanks, gardens had been planted and people were in summer hiking mode, so I joined in. Beginning of July weekend walk somewhere just south of the Denali Highway with bearded swiss guy 1 and 2:
Bearded swiss guy 1 has adapted well to AK life and takes a gun when he goes hiking, and also wears this hat.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_zt5OjBeh...0/P7061727.jpg
Looking north and east towards the Deltas
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1SQ7a5Jh0...0/P7061731.jpg
nice and green
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bdtvmNF8I...0/P7061735.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g2HBo4D2W...0/P7061740.jpg
Switzerland has never been invaded because there are two guys on every mountain pass, keeping vigilant watch in both directions at all times. This is what that looks like.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-onRgDotJW...0/P7061746.jpg
During his service in the Swiss navy, swiss guy 2 accidentally invaded Germany but it was okay because it was foggy and Germany did not notice. Then the navy ran out of butter but his mom has a sailboat and was able aid in the critical resupply of the troops. They did not have to resort to cannibalism and were able to complete their difficult nautical maneuver in the rough seas off the coast of Montreux. Here he is making fondue.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c_BvScR2p...0/P7061749.jpg
Dawn and dusk and midnight looking much the same.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KzpKb3J1o...0/P7071752.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KiZ3dDAPF...0/P7071754.jpg
Indiana Jones on the way back out
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2mhK-mgDS...0/P7071763.jpg
Cute thingy
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oJzjgygfN...0/P7071772.jpg
snow!!
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JsPZd8kFI...0/P7071773.jpg
Does this count as skiing?
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dy5N2MVrK...0/P7071775.jpg
Cute thingies 2
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iqCKkn138...7071779crp.jpg
"Do you think percolation theory can be applied to caribou making trails through the alder?" was a question not only asked, but considered with some seriousness, which says a lot about the nature of this group (average and median sample size over time = 3).
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pXWCwNCXr...0/P7071778.jpg
swiss guy 2 kindly gave me his bug shirt. I rather like this look.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gGWY6MSTx...313-USA_AK.jpg
Post #45 may be my favorite post here in a long time. (Avocado toast goes as far east as Denver, but then it peters out until....Austin???) And the contrast of scenics of Nebraska and Cham, not seen often together....so f'kin funny. Nice work as always.
:D
:yourock::yourock::yourock:
Reading this really makes me need to get outside, thanks!
Continuing with the weekend warriors go hiking theme:
Cruisy day hike somewhere above chena hotsprings:
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RuN4UJY1H...0/P7141792.jpg
In late July, A. wanted to hike Kesugi ridge and V. joined. Both are from Bavaria, like me. I remain unconvinced that there are people from Alaska in Alaska. We got a late start in Fairbanks, drove the drive, hiked up to where the views get good that evening and camped, then hiked out to Ermine Hill the next day. As a bed time story A. told us about that time she matched with a guy on tinder (she was bored in FBX and looking for people to do outdoorsy things with).The guy was a pilot and suggested they fly somewhere for a date. She figured this sounded good, what could possibly go wrong?
They flew to abandoned hot springs somewhere in the bush, she got hypothermia (it was winter) but the guy managed to get a fire going and she got better (guy was freaking out because he thought she might freeze), then the weather was bad the next day and they couldn't fly out, then it was good enough to fly but they didn't have enough fuel to get all the way back so had to land at some airfield somewhere, walk 'for hours' to get fuel in nearby settlement, then the weather was bad again, they had to stay in said settlement, weather remained bad, eventually some person from the settlement gave A. a ride back to civilization in a car while tinder guy remained with the plane and waited for good weather.
Their relationship did not develop further.
Hiking up to the ridge trail
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PlrT4zQmN...0/P7211815.jpg
Time to look for a camp spot
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QfEOPO0cs...0/P7211817.jpg
Mountain's out.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oOLqVhgrL...0/P7211821.jpg
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dTrbcyC2R...0/P7211833.jpg
Didn't have to look far for that camp spot.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mt6ktJmQa...0/P7221838.jpg
A's shot, still loving my bugshirt
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EALghUxTa...0/DSC09848.jpg
AK trail highway
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fF6tsG46Y...0/P7221851.jpg
Snowchicken family
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4fZSulUco...0/P7221861.jpg
-----------
End of July: Another weekend, another long drive - half day - overnight - half day - long drive – trip. Same players as above. In increasing desperation, I brought skis hoping to find a snow patch somewhere.
Heading up, A's pic
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wn4dT6BU_...0/DSC00005.jpg
Not where we are going, A's pic
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkXGL6daW...0/DSC00014.jpg
Finally leaving behind the ATV trail. Apparently ATV'ing is a popular family activity and they make tiny ATVs for 5 year olds. Lots of toddlers, lots of guns, lots of gasoline. Everyone was very friendly.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9s96diotS...0/P7281864.jpg
While I hiked for my turns on some snow patches next to the glacier, A and V hiked for some views.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A4YcVHj_p...0/P7281905.jpg
What I thought was a snow patch was actually a debris covered glacier remnant with a bunch of weird holes. There is ice under this.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SlNNI8p1r...0/P7281879.jpg
Eventually found a patch without sketchy holes
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pF8Ae1GmB...0/P7281900.jpg
Worth a couple more laps
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yT03UguPn...0/P7281908.jpg
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QLccE4zLA...0/P7281913.jpg
A's pictures:
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OOwGv4yaS...0/DSC00243.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UHQPru_cH...0/DSC00253.jpg
It started raining as we were going to bed. A & V had my fairly rain resistant tent so they could snore together in the larger of our two tents. The smaller one, which I had, was not very rain resistant, although to be fair it was standing in running water by morning because a small spring appeared directly above the tent as the rain went on and I'm not sure you have a right to expect dryness when you put your tent up in a river.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHXJMSeW3...0/DSC00290.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FhO_GE2UT...0/DSC00291.jpg
Getting out of here
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HttCNJisJ...0/P7291920.jpg
The 'crux'
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6zYv9al1r...0/P7291923.jpg
brunch
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJDTKtGFT...0/P7291927.jpg
Apparently this picture shows that the sky in Alaska is different than at home.
-"How exactly is it different?"
-"Just different. Like, you know, more three dimensional."
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MgohGRM-K...0/P7291934.jpg
And in terms of being a stranger in a strange land, transcripts of my most recent interactions with the local Wells Fargo employees. WF is the only national bank in Fairbanks and also the only bank theoretically capable of dealing with foreign currency, so I have an account there. Checks are archaic and baffling. I have never written one. Why do you still do that??
Depositing a check:
Lady at counter: HI!!! WELCOME!!! What can i do for you today???
Me: Hi. I have this check. Can you .... (trying to think of the word 'deposit') .... put it into my account, please?
L: SURE! I AM DELIGHTED TO DEPOSIT THIS CHECK FOR YOU! WOW YOU SMELL SO GOOD!
M: ...oh. Haha. Okay! Thank you! Good bye!
Filling out forms:
Lady at counter: HI!!! WELCOME!! HOW CAN I HELP YOU TODAY???
Me: Hi. I got these forms in the mail. I am not sure what they are for and how to fill them out. Is there someone who can help me with this?
Lady: SURE! I will get a banker for you!
....
Banker: Uh... Hm. You can just fill out this one.
Me: Are you sure? It says this is for residents?
B: Right. Fill out the other one!
M: Okay. So what is it for?
B: It's just something we have to get from everyone. It doesn't matter.
M: ...
B: So, usually my mom helps me with this but she's not here today. You know how it goes.
M: Oh. Yeah. Of course. Okay. I think I'll just come back some other time. Thanks.
B: No problem!! Thanks for stopping by! Have a GREAT day!!
And then I recently had to look for something in my visa papers and found the list of questions I had to answer for the application.
Questions I was asked by the government of the United States of America before being granted a visa, excerpt:
Have you ever been subject of a removal or deportation hearing?
Have you ever been involved in, or seek to engage in, money laundering?
Are you a member or representative of a terrorist organization?
Is your mother in the US?
Have you ever engaged in the recruitment of child soldiers?
Have you ever renounced United States citizenship for the purpose of avoiding taxation?
Have you ever been directly involved in the establishment or enforcement of the population controls forcing a woman to undergo an abortion against her free choice or a man or a woman to undergo sterilization against his or her free will?
Have you ever been directly involved in the coercive transplantation of human organs or bodily tissue?
Questions I asked myself, excerpt:
Are these really all 'No' questions or would they throw in a 'Yes' question just to fuck with people?
Under what circumstances would a recruiter of child soldiers, enforcer of mandatory sterilization, terrorist, money launderer, admit to being such in this weird form?
Are all of these offenses equally disqualifying for a visa or is there some kind of scale?
What does my country ask people who want a visa?
Where they all a no? Asking for a friend
Not sure they would have let me in if I'd told them about my side hustle where I employ child soldiers for money laundering purposes so yes, no.Quote:
Originally Posted by grinch
Mid August, my boyfriend visited again and we had a very romantic getaway to the fabled North Slope. We had hoped to hike a few days in the Brooks Range but the weather sucked so we ended up driving all the way to Dead Horse before hanging out on the northern edge of the Brooks Range for a bit and waiting for a break in the rain.
Dead Horse has the all the charm of a dead horse. I did enjoy meeting a herd of musk ox just outside of 'town' and watching them lumber around in permafrost polygons in front of the weird industrial container skyline of Dead Horse.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kdi1WS7FV...0/P8161977.jpg
There were a couple of baby musk ox, very lively and cute.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FkwEYdRIQ...0/P8161971.jpg
This seemed to be the boss.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4I3Cbc9Vp...0/P8161984.jpg
On the way back south to the mountains.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QTji4Kaj0...0/P8161991.jpg
We shared the campground with a 70y/o guy from Talkeetna who had driven up there for a long weekend with his 7 huskies in a Mercedes Sprinter. I'm not positive but it seemed liked he was sort of sleeping on the dog cages, which were hanging from the ceiling of the car so the dogs wouldn't get bumped around so much. He had the dogs pull him around on a weird scooter thing and did a few laps on the dirt road by the campground every so often.
Our setup. Vanlife is so inspiring.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jCsswSIB7...0/P8172001.jpg
Did manage a bit of hiking just off the road but weren't really equipped for full on rain action so retreated pretty quickly.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A1vMpGBHv...0/P8182014.jpg
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RUTVXBwl5...0/P8182026.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tS7Rbgm3D...0/P8182029.jpg
Made it to the snowline!
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wyJL7a90V...0/P8182041.jpg
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3iQSlEw4-...0/P8182046.jpg
Stumbled into a group of 20 or so ptarmigans
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Qw09ZYEF...0/P8182032.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9YLclZ1kL...0/P8182047.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wrfyF1QLg...0/P8182051.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56wZfQlzh...0/P8182059.jpg
We were a little bummed about the weather but since I stupidly caught myself a full time job and apparently annual leave and overtime leave are not concepts that have entirely arrived in this country, it was back to the office after this and we couldn't wait it out. What little we saw of the Brooks Range was gorgeous.
I hope you got out when the tundra turns colours. It is achingly beautiful.
I use checks for Americans and for goverment. Payment systems in Noram are stone age
+++++++
If you need convincing there are people from Alaska in Alaska than maybe your next TR should be from the Mecca Bar.
Haha, ^truth. I was gonna say get off the road system - Ft. Yukon, Tanana, Huslia...Quote:
Originally Posted by BFD
Great pictures, klar.
I'm just a beater but this is the best TR on the forum.
Here here!Quote:
Originally Posted by tBatt
I believe they only ask one question. "Do you drink beer with anything in it other then water, hops and malt?"Quote:
Originally Posted by klar
If you answer yes to that, even as a citizen you aren't allowed into the country.
It always made me laugh with those forms that they wanted to know if you were culpable for the holocaust despite having provided absolute proof of being born decades after it having happened.Quote:
Originally Posted by klar
Really inspiring
great new pic additions. love the color contrasts and wth is up w/ that antler?!
Nobody knows. But people over 70 just can't seem to wrap their heads around the notion that using a card makes more sense.Quote:
Originally Posted by klar
OP is living large
adventures aren’t just in the mountains; making life changes is adventure too
respect
wow. wow.
wow.
It takes some commitment to make fondue in the backcountry. Those pans are a bitch to clean melted cheese out of.
heh. I would not be surprised to learn that a few Germans above a certain age but definitely too young to have been personally culpable answered yes to that anyway. Helmut Kohl's tale of the 'mercy of the late birth' was very controversial with the 'collective guilt' generation.Quote:
Originally Posted by PNWbrit
hm? Caribou grow new antlers every year. They just leave the old ones lying around wherever in blatant violation of Leave No Trace policy.Quote:
Originally Posted by b-bear
Ain't that the truth. This whole thing has certainly been a learning experience in more ways than one. Thanks :)Quote:
Originally Posted by questionable_character
I raised this concern with him and his response was that he likes the cheese taste and just keeps cooking with the pan without cleaning out the cheese. Apparently it improves the flavor of mountain house and oatmeal alike.Quote:
Originally Posted by jorion
--------------------------------------
When Autumn leaves start to fall, I get a runny nose and a never ending cough and start listening to sad music, although I know better. Between mid-september and mid-october, colours have gone from oversaturated to sepia to ‘fuck it’s dark, I hope it snows soon’.
I was pretty sick for a bit and am still kind of trying to get over my flu, so I haven't been out as much as I'd like.
Angel Rocks, early September
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5MtZ6i9HN...0/P9082064.jpg
Spruce grouse, white mountains
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ApLDpimC...0/P9162084.jpg
Drizzly day on Wickersham Dome
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ca5w6yF3M...0/P9162088.jpg
A colleague won a spot in the Denali road lottery and invited me along for the drive, which made for a nice break from honestly kind of mind-numbing routine of workweek and weekend trips. Colleague and husband are falconers. As in, they have a falcon and hunt things with it. We spent the 12~ hours in the car talking about their recent trip to Harry Potter World and about how to best find falcon nests (check rocks for poop) and obtain new falcons for falconing (falconeering?) from those nests by, like, grabbing a falcon (???). I had a very good time.
Ptarmigan
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vnTeEJVz6...0/P9182104.jpg
Grizz
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f907TpJ7B...9182111crp.jpg
Views
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J4MjIxGLp...9182124crp.jpg
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ONP8pGjnm...0/P9182129.jpg
Grizz 2
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6KNgoIUHG...0/P9182142.jpg
Why did the caribou cross the road?
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I_ky4i5fp...0/P9182158.jpg
Because they like the attention of a dozen people with huge cameras.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GywnfxA3W...0/P9182163.jpg
This lady was slightly more circumspect.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PEGZ-GsBI...0/P9182174.jpg
Gloom
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cW-eqhxA4...0/P9182186.jpg
Doom
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pE_6uITdJ...0/P9182175.jpg
Wannabe Grizz
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iyc6PLIKI...P9182184_1.jpg
😁
klar, have you picked up a pacraft?
Thanks for this ongoing TR, really enjoy the images and words.
How the hell have I not seen this until today? Thanks for sharing your adventures! Although, I must admit I will miss your Euro outings.
New updates are super good. Oh Alaska I hear your call
Legal alien in NYC.
Attachment 254830
This post is freaking great!! Welcome to the U.S. Must be a wild change!!
More please. I spent two summers up there in the nineties. Great trip down memory lane for me here. Reminds me I need to get my kids up there and show them around.
This thread reminds me of why I live here.
Ahh shit get meccanized!!Quote:
Originally Posted by BFD
This is an awesome thread how did I not see it until today. I lived in Fairbanks when I was a kid we moved after 6th grade. Lots of great times up there.
Some updates. It's been a while but life can be a little overwhelming sometimes and then it drowns out the internet.
October: The time of year when the snow sucks but at least there's not much of it.
First ski attempt of the new season.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kmh3KG3jr...0/PA212232.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4pdFF8EgE...0/PA212236.jpg
Better to go hiking for now.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YCjPIxR93...0/PA272269.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Px5iDcjmb...0/PA272278.jpg
Breezy.
https://vimeo.com/297788518
November: Contrast.
Kind people have taken it upon themselves to introduce me to Alaska cabin trips. This means going to a cabin, hanging out there for a bit and eating food.
Some cabins have lakes.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-33dqYPZxk...0/PB030020.jpg
And rivers.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-us8BHwtT_...0/PB030030.jpg
Because the world is a wild place, the next sunset I saw was this one.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R-LzlxDeG...0/PB080096.jpg
nutmegchoi: “Of course I'll drive to downtown and then give you a brooklyn tour, I love driving in NYC, you just have to be more aggressive than everyone else!!”
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WmxupUF1U...110-WA0001.jpg
After that interlude, there was another cabin with a longer approach, hot springs and naked people and no, I am not going to leave my skins on for the descent to slow me down, do you know what skiing is, OMG.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8UAByHK1W...0/PB180179.jpg
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f_nrcNKCV...0/PB170157.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2cNeJ058x...0/PB180173.jpg
December: Rocks and hard places, coming home for christmas.
Exploratory walk up a Deltas drainage, you know, just because.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_oCQTeNuG...0/PC020276.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XYe16AetA...0/PC020294.jpg
Okay, we are still talking to each other and kind of had fun sort of, so this went well, right? We are friends now? (Making friends as an adult is weird. Haven't had to do that in a while. 3 hours of driving to slog up some weird valley onto some weirder glacier to ski on rocks and then driving 3 hours back home doesn't seem like the worst way of doing it.)
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BegDLoRvL...0/PC020295.jpg
I went home over the holidays.
This is not Alaska.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QpU_Ub8eo...0/P1010396.jpg
New year, new day.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mz1ok41yF...0/P1010399.jpg
The best kind of grey.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hvMxg7LB_...0/P1030001.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5yrAHc_dh...050042crp2.jpg
Good bye for now, home hills.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mLmYPQbZZ...0/P1080076.jpg