Hiking in the "Great Land"

 Alas, I have returned after a long delay!  At the end of August, my team leader for cultural resources shared a hiking group with me called Alaska Outdoors (http://www.alaska-outdoors.org/_sgg/f10000.htm) that I have been a part of for the past 6 months.  We hike twice a week with a light hike on Mondays and a more challenging hike on Thursdays.  I typically attend the Thursday hikes.  It is fun a group, and our leader Toshi knows everything about every trail around Anchorage and also sets a group friendly pace, which really makes for a great atmosphere.  If you ever join a hiking group, I recommend finding one that will cheerfully set a pace for the slowest hiker.  You might not set any records, but you will have a great atmosphere the opportunity to make friends.  Onto the pictures!

This was by first hike with the group near Campbell Airstrip in Centennial park back at the end of August.  To my right, you can see three other people in the back row.  The last two are my friends Pat and Chris. Pat is a retired letter carrier in Anchorage and Chris is former Pennsylvanian who retired from Godiva. In the third row in the blue polo is Ted, who introduced me to the group.  I cannot recall the dog's name, but check out the hairdo!

 This was my first Thursday hike with the group along the Rainbow Trailhead.  We generally take a picture about halfway into the hike whenever Toshi gives the signal as he is both leader and photographer.  This picture overlooks the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet, so named because poor Captain Cook sailed this inlet only to turn again.

 Bear Valley was my favorite non-winter hike.  This trail has a very steep continuous ascent and I was the second one up to the top.  Since I am in the photo, you'll know that Toshi got their first.  We had low cloud cover that day which made for an excellent cloud hiking experience. 

 Here, we have the group at the top of the Bear Valley Trailhead.  Although, it was very warm during the climb, the wind at the top put everyone into their jackets.  You may notice by know that this is a very dog friendly group and several of our canine friends regularly make these treks as well.  The valleys in the Chugach Mountain ranger that face west looking toward Anchorage (photo is facing east toward Canada) are gorgeous, much like the Powerline Valley that I discovered on my Flattop Hike at the end of July.

Fall!  I actually saw fall with leaves changing colors!  This was a first since I was an undergrad during my semester at Gettysburg College back in 2004.  We hiked North Bivouac at the end of September and about that time I joined a swing dancing performance group and missed several Thursday hikes.  When I returned, things were a bit different ....

 Hiking in the snow in the dark is a true Alaska experience!  We hiked Potter Trailhead on November 10th about two weeks after the first snow hit Anchorage.  I found that hiking in the dark in the snow is easy after a couple of simple adjustments.  First, get a headlamp, which everybody seems to have.  Second, wear water proof pants.  Hiking will keep your body warm even if the temp is below 32F or 0F for that matter!



Our group dwindles a bit in size in winter and due to the outdoor conditions, but still we hike.  This is our climb up Prospect Heights Trailhead near Hillside.  Hillside is one of the ritzier subdivisions in Anchorage, but the catch is that you have a challenging icy commute in the winter when you build homes into the side of a hill.  I have been amazed at the subtle reflections of light off of the snow during the winter.  It gives the feeling that you are not really hiking in the dark, but unfortunately it is far too subtle to see with most cameras.  It highlights the valleys and even the ice on the inlet.

Jodhpur Trailhead! This was my absolute favorite winter hike.  It is the one that you should ask about the next time you see me in person.  We had to re-route on several occasions because we saw 4 Moose and it was the first time that many members of the club witnessed our fearless leader fall due to the slippery nature of the landscape.  We went up and down hills while it was snowing and even dropped to our butts to slide down some particularly icy spots.  We were rewarded with both an awesome workout and  spectacular views of the ice on the Turnagain Arm in addition to our wildlife visitors.

My sister Kara and her fiance Dave joined us for a day-after-Christmas hike during their visit to Anchorage for a wedding.  We took a nice stroll around University Park Lake and Kara made fast friends with both Sheba and Sammy.

Our group has no problem breaking new tread or occasionally cutting new spurs after a recent snow.  The up and down also includes crawling over trees and occasionally climbing over stumps!  This was our hike along the aptly named Basher Trail at the end of January 2012.  I think it was also one of the coldest hikes with temps around 0F and below!

 You will find me in a rather odd position in this picture--the front!  We have a term for the challenges of deep snow called postholing, which is when you take a step forward on what you believe to be packed snow and quickly find out otherwise.  I often "posthole" up to my kneecap or waist, anywhere from 18-30 inches.  In this particular instance, I jumped up, and landed about waist deep!  Toshi decided it was picture time at that moment as well.

I hope you have enjoyed some pictures of hiking and winter and both!  According to the National Weather Service, we have 103 inches of snow this winter, far above the normal 69.5 and or track to challenge the Anchorage record.  I will share some more snow pictures, a recent skiing expedition and a bit on the youth groups that I help lead, in the future!