I'm an alien, a legal alien in AK - ongoing

January: Oddly warm.

Richardson views.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ykIVoTgN...0/P1260180.jpg

How bad can a 7 mile approach through the flat to the start of the glacier and a mild uphill trajectory really be?

Uuhhh. I'm supposed to be afraid of moose, right?
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9rkwXm8ij...0/P1260187.jpg

We got a pull from some friendly sledders so did not spend as much time in moose country as we otherwise would have.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ngRGNGAIl...0/P1260192.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1D3cyCWpA...199%2Bcopy.jpg

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wr6vBLO2e...0/P1260203.jpg

Getting closer.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MyH6BvBSB...0/P1260216.jpg

Still getting closer, hut now in view.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GU2XU3cKC...0/P1260225.jpg

Other things also in view.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XaqHkM9Ts...0/P1260231.jpg

It's January in the Alaska range but we're also having a heat wave so this whole trip was really quite pleasant temperaturewise.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ibCydZs6g...0/P1260233.jpg

We walked around a bit the next day and then skied out because we have jobs to get to (ugh) and there are those 7 miles of flat once it stops going downhill (ugh) and the 3.5 hour drive (ugh).

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EicwkL7n5...0/P1270247.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b7xKU5JVG...0/P1270261.jpg

February: Roadside turns, where not to find them.

Apparently there is not going to be much snow this year. Roadside turns off the Parks highway not forthcoming.

This looks crap and it was but be tried anyway and turned around at the first choke because it started getting very slabby.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aO6n2kk1o...0/P2100272.jpg

Fantastic access though, considering.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LbF748cu3...0/P2100315.jpg

Stoke levels through the roof.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w8FKnwbHn...0/P2100326.jpg

Tried again a couple of weeks later, three hills over. Some room for improvement. Making friends through shitty skiing still going well though.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GVS1kTKxf...0/P2170381.jpg

There were so many Skiland and Moose and Ester Dome days and after work stealth tours (and whatever the opposite of stealth is) and that's pretty much what kept me sane most of the time, but I'll stick with the more mountainy excursions for now.

February part 2: Creeks, hopefully frozen, part 1

By Deltas standards, two hours up a creek full of alder is a pretty acceptable approach. Here we have gotten past that first obstacle.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1T7NRqxMu...0/P2240405.jpg

K & F approach the sunshine tentatively.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gXreTouPj...0/P2240413.jpg

While M immediately goes all out.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nLpicIXgt...0/P2240421.jpg

Starting to feel that 4:00 am wake up.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eSJc1Y1cI...0/P2240428.jpg

Pretty Princess.

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JYMSBIYgK...0/P2240436.jpg

This seems like a good spot to call it, not gonna get to the summit anyway and the skiing is just gonna get worse going further up.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ty0Demumf...0/P2240455.jpg

Variable snow quality.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YMIOhkr4X...0/P2240480.jpg

Excellent sunset tree skiing on the way out.

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ma5PDk8r8...0/P2240520.jpg





March: Creeks, hopefully frozen, part 2

This is the river we cross to get to the creek.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Of5kOGjIG...0/P3020526.jpg

We are not alone in the creek.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vBNKGSEzb...0/P3020528.jpg

We have emerged from the creek.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XUAIIveam...0/P3020536.jpg

We should go to the ridge and watch the sunset.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JKds4Zzzl...0/P3020557.jpg

Home for the night with fantastic view of the creek.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--hcICAkGM...0/P3020543.jpg

Other side.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KoZNwXwP8...0/P3020555.jpg

Other other side.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Zgst4wFZ...0/P3020552.jpg

Bootie time
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0QSnqK8KV...0/P3020564.jpg

Good night.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-deePMxrHH...0/P3020569.jpg

Views.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A6fOL3Lz2...0/P3030577.jpg

Hm.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpEJD0JB3...0/P3030580.jpg

Hm hm.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-McfU6S5tz...0/P3030584.jpg

K quote of the day: “Man the guys in Fairbanks are on the weird side but the women are fucking rad.”
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6_rRGQQsY...0/P3030594.jpg

Circumstance leads to a long weekend in Girdwood, K and I drive down, A drives up. Upon arrival, K and I are immediately offered ski passes in the parking lot by people who are leaving because it's 2 pm and raining half way up the mountain. It pretty much keeps pouring all weekend and I like it because it is different from the non-weather in Fairbanks. Sticky second day at Tincan, just about snowing at the pass. A twists her knee and takes a rest day, K and I go back for an even stickier third day. They figure out I have never tried mac and cheese and so we have Annie's mac and cheese for dinner, after a brief discussion of whether or not it is appropriate that my first mac and cheese experience comes from a box. (It is, and they added some veggies to make it gourmet.) Ladies night at the Sitzmark so we go see a bluegrass band for free. On the way home, a stop at Hatcher for a short ski on Microdot. Lessons in applied communication with K, who may be the wisest person I know.

Relief to have a few days with nothing to do but ski.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t6WAam_b4...P3160621cp.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vNA-mH9y-...0/P3150618.jpg

Nice pics and blog. Glad you got to try some box Mac and cheese.

This is a klar appreciation post.

:yourock:

What hut did you go to in January?

I love this thread.

As for mac and cheese, I'm sorry that Annie's was your first experience. My wife buys it for the kids because it's organic and natural or some other nonsense but I think it's difficult to choke down. As far as boxed mac and cheese goes, the ultra processed kraft really is the gold standard. A good homemade mad and cheese really can be a nice thing....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Buke

I love this thread.

As for mac and cheese, I'm sorry that Annie's was your first experience. My wife buys it for the kids because it's organic and natural or some other nonsense but I think it's difficult to choke down. As far as boxed mac and cheese goes, the ultra processed kraft really is the gold standard. A good homemade mad and cheese really can be a nice thing....

---

she is in Alaska. Have to throw some spam in with the Kraft. Good to see you out winter camping.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AKPogue

What hut did you go to in January?

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The USGS shack on Gulkana. Would be really cool as a base for a few days I think if you had snow machines to get to the hut and then toured from there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Buke

As for mac and cheese, I'm sorry that Annie's was your first experience. My wife buys it for the kids because it's organic and natural or some other nonsense but I think it's difficult to choke down. As far as boxed mac and cheese goes, the ultra processed kraft really is the gold standard. A good homemade mad and cheese really can be a nice thing....

---

I thought it tasted pretty good, kind of surprised at the lack of actual cheese? it tastes somewhat cheesy but the texture of melted cheese is missing? it's sort of cheesy liquid?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BFD

she is in Alaska. Have to throw some spam in with the Kraft.

---

My time here is rapidly coming to an end and I have been all sorts of nostalgic and I keep wondering how much of what goes on here is 'Alaska' and how much is 'USA'. The odd mix of people, the very special social microcosm of my academia bubble, the confusing towns (what even is North Pole?), the guns, the motorsports with guns, the motorsports with guns and really small children, the thing where everyone seemingly throws trash out of the car windows in winter and then comes together as a community in summer to pick it all up (???), the seriously massive military bases 'hidden' in the middle of nowhere, etc. How does Fairbanks compare to a town of similar size somewhere in, like, the midwest, or the more backwater parts of the PNW?

Spent a week or so at Thompson pass in April. Roadside vert and time off and a ski partner! All the things I have been missing! OMG!!

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lLc82u6cE...0/P4090896.jpg

I seriously cannot overstate how great it feels to start going uphill straight from the road, without alder or other obstacles.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-743Vy3Zfk...0/P4090902.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K5QBgdB3V...0/P4090908.jpg

Snow machine roar behind us and the snow smells like gasoline, but they were friendly and also left us this, so.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ps3zCVQQ-...0/P4090928.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ADPT2pwul...0/P4090966.jpg

The Books picture everyone takes from the road

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z7oZBYIc0...0/P4090987.jpg

Also this
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VoGkMOMTn...0/P4090990.jpg

Not all that well thought out but very scenic glacier loop the next day:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uKfl2Kbu7...0/P4101012.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-grEFvvpb_...0/P4101024.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SDD3Bb-jJ...0/P4101050.jpg

Some grey weather, also fine.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S9Ew796dH...0/P4111055.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nhlo9Oakw...0/P4111068.jpg

Then we got ourselves into slightly more of an 'out there' situation.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hCaFRzZHn...0/P4131125.jpg

With my time consuming desk job in the mountain challenged location of Fairbanks, I have been experiencing a lot of the apparently well known feeling of “I can almost see the cool parts of Alaska from here but I'm certainly not going to get there”. This little plane drop helped a lot. We didn't really ski much of anything because we didn't have enough time, mostly just traversed from A to B on a huge, hugely flat glacier and didn't quite trust the snow, but it was still so worth it.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-karBWtRJ-...0/P4131133.jpg

Greeted by a little serac fall.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qACsyJHCH...0/P4131145.jpg

Evening views.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yf9z67fvM...0/P4131153.jpg

Noon views
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-siilIUhp-...0/P4141184.jpg

Couple of turns
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-13K8Md_lb...0/P4141201.jpg

couple more turns before we get back to the really flat part
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GxjePgsTH...0/P4141217.jpg

Do not like
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UD8Zp-j4i...0/P4141230.jpg

Do like
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BPC5IyTUq...0/P4141244.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-42f53qJ5_...0/P4141242.jpg

We skied out after 2 nights because there were other flights that needed to be caught and "skiing out" was something of an adventure too.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V9RH42G3P...0/P4151258.jpg

All's well that ends well, right? (he is smiling because we made it over the lake and I'm going to be the one who walks down the road to hitch a ride and get the car)
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bVg9HOUly...0/P4161264.jpg

+++++!!!!!

Late April:

Another weekend of wandering up a drainage in the Deltas accompanied by the rhythmic song of facet layers collapsing every ten steps and the hum of distant snow machines.

K demonstrates dramatic cornice huck with skins.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z_z8eblmg...0/P4271342.jpg

K presents facets.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M7jgV2zry...0/P4271346.jpg

Up, up, up. (more like: up, very slowly, no it is not completely flat.)
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vGtPG-krM...0/P4271352.jpg

Tent/cave
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WHKg8Dl95...0/P4271358.jpg

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dvv5aAAT7...0/P4271363.jpg

Bluebird!

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YPO7NB7vm...0/P4281364.jpg

K presents more facets.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7hovKRG9q...0/P4281368.jpg

We decide not to ski the thing.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-20Pcx_yiE...0/P4281369.jpg

Other people did things on the other side.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mQz2UKGSc...0/P4281375.jpg

Posing for the gram.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KO0gix-CQ...0/P4281380.jpg

Down, down, down (see up, up, up)
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DWKkrnDiz...0/P4281383.jpg


****************************************

Early May: Example of a typical day of spring skiing in the Alaska Range from Fairbanks

3:50 The alarm does not ring. Awake anyway because it's too light out and birds are screaming in celebration.

4:10 Not going to fall asleep again. Might as well go skiing, I guess.

5:00 Departure.

7:00 Purchase fuel and medium exciting pastry in Delta Junction

8:00 Okay, this doesn't look great. But I'm here now. Maybe it hasn't slid completely and there is something smooth on the sides?

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ATC6P4iBL...0/P5051401.jpg

8:30 Here we go. I'll put my skis on the pack, there is hardly any snow in the forest.

8:38 Right, I am taking my skis off my pack and skinning. Once I have extracted myself from being stuck to my hips in rotten old depth hoar.

8:50 You don't need snow to skin, skins work just fine on moss and moose poop.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8kGi2-xo...0/P5051402.jpg

9:10 Made it through the forest! Skis back on pack because there definitely isn't any snow here.

9:30 I guess I could try booting up the snow in the gully, might be easier than the scree.

9:35 Nope. Punching through melt crust into facets, sinking in to my knees. Hard to get foot out because somehow crust is only breakable from above, not when you try to break it from below because your foot is stuck.

10:00 Definitely in the snow now. Going to try skinning. Will the crust hold? Exciting!

10:05 This is going better than expected. Making progress. Also, cool to actually be doing vertical from the road, I tend to forget how that feels.

10:15 So the whole thing slid, huh? No smooth snow on the sides?

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SQ3oc4HaU...0/P5051415.jpg

10:25 Put on crampons, skis on pack. Why am I doing this? The skiing is going to suck.

10:35 This is the second golf ball sized rock that flew by my head, should I be concerned? Let's take a gopro selfie while we contemplate this.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8XUeRtwE...0/GOPR1677.jpg

10:45 Okay gonna go up to that big rock just to look around the corner.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EiGLXXUS3...0/P5051410.jpg

10:50 Rocks falling down are no longer golf ball size, more like oranges. This seems like a good time to turn around.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3wMX7WzA-...0/P5051412.jpg

11:00 Yup the skiing sucks.

11:10 Those last 5 turns were actually kind of okay.

11:11 Punching through the crust again now. Skis sink and do not resurface, breaking crust with shins as skis keep moving below the crust. Stop by leaning really far back.

11:20 Gonna traverse over to the creek so I can avoid the forest.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lxJvPIxSv...0/P5051417.jpg

11:30 Almost at the creek, this was pretty easy.

11:35 Alder. Can't see more than 2m ahead. Bears?

11:38 Gonna sing to alert bears. You've got me on my knees, Layla. Laaaaylaaaa.

11:40 I don't know the rest of the lyrics to this. Does this song even have more words?

11:42 I don't know any other songs?

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-txRsx6jrB...0/P5051425.jpg

11:5 Creek! Smooth back seat power wedge through rocks to road.

12:00 Back at car.

13:00 Purchase jalapeño poppers in Delta Junction. How do people know what all the different kinds of fried lumps they sell here are? I have learned one heap of fried lumps is jalapeño poppers but I have no idea what the rest is and it makes me uncomfortable.

14:15 Roadside nap.

16:30 Arrival.

More FKNA goodness from klar.

Speaking from my (rather long ago) 12 years living in FBK, yes, it is an odd mix of people and no, it isn’t really like the midwest or BFE PNW. The AK setting has a strong effect on the social fabric...although come to think of it, I’ve never been to North Dakota.

I can see I need to go back and read the rest of this most Excellent thread

( This is Why I love tgr forums. Thank you, K. ) tj

klar= coolest ever. wow. wow.

Never heard of the USGS hut that's up there. There are some other huts around there that the Alaska Alpine Club put up. I hiked up the door for the lower canwell hut.
http://www.alaskaalpineclub.com/alpine-huts

Love it! Keep up the good work K!

This is fantastic! Loved it!