First moose, Dall ram, and cannibal ground squirrels!

Over the past couple of days I have seen my first moose (eating along the trail I was running on) and my first Dall ram (hiking up around Mt. Healy). The weather has been pretty much overcast lately, with some sunbreaks and some rain. Today was pretty much gray the whole time, but that didn't stop me from getting out and going hiking. I basically went the same way me and Justin went the other day, but this time I hiked along the saddles between some of the neighboring peaks.

The day started a little weird. I got up early and ate breakfast at 6:30am so that I could start heading towards the trail at 7:00am. I don't know if it was the big breakfast or the morning, but I felt really lethargic getting up the mountain. I ended up getting up in about the same time as me and Justin went up the other day, so I don't know what the deal was. I think I was the first person on the trail today and was definitely the first person up to the top. And I saw some interesting things up there.

The first thing is that the ground squirrels up here are opportunistic eaters. I thought they were foragers and, for the most part, omniverous. This belief was proven wrong when I came to the peak and found two ground squirrels fighting over a fallen comrade. They were fighting over who would eat him. I have a video if you don't believe me (unfortunately it's too big for this blog)!

Near the top of the last peak I thought I would go to today I was surprised by a Dall ram. He was on the other side of the saddle I was crossing. I snapped some photos of him. He seemed pretty interested in me. I thought I would backtrack a bit and eat a sandwich, hoping that during this time he would find his way to where he was going. Instead, he started heading my way, so I backtracked a bit further before deciding to head home.

The rocks up here do some really weird things. For one they come up in all sorts of weird textures, some look like wood almost, while others are brittle and break almost like a dirt clod. They all provide sanctuary for different animals, wild flowers, and lichen. I got some really cool shots of the bright orange lichen.

During the whole hike I had been dealing with cool weather, and was constantly stuck with being cool or being dry. Unfortunately my waterproof layers were just a bit too warm and I started sweating like crazy. So I hiked through the mist in a T-shirt and got a bit cold and wet. It cooled off enough at the top of the mountains (the wind was blowing pretty good up here) to go back to a shell.

Overall, it was a fun day. The weather could have been better, but it sounds like this kind of weather is the norm up here. I've learned of a couple other trails up around here that go to some of the neighboring mountains. They should provide some good opportunities to break in my new boots.

Until then...

The weather rebounds!

Well after the snow in the peaks and rain in the canyon yesterday I sure didn't expect today's weather. It was amazing. The sky was clear and blue, and the air had a crisp, clean feel to it. For this reason, my friend Justin and I bolted after dinner and hiked to the top of Mt. Healy.

A little over 6 miles round trip and some really amazing weather later we got back. It took us about an hour to gain around 1700 feet and cover the 3.1 miles in. The coolest part was on the way back. We must have come out during prime hare feeding time, because they were all over the trail on the way down. The video on the right was of an odd little hare that ran back at us on the trail. He did this one more time, before scurrying off into the bushes. Pretty funny!

The view was great. Hopefully the weather will hold through this weekend so that I can hike along the ridge line on Sunday and hopefully get some clear pics of Denali from the higher peaks.

I also found what looks to be a good little bouldering rock. It should be fun, it isn't too high, but I can top out on it and it looks like it should provide some fun problems and good exercise. During work today I also scoped out some clean rock near Musher Mountain (that's what my coworker called it) that may provide some cool opportunities for climbing. We'll see how it goes.

Huge thanks to Dad for shipping me out a new pair of boots and my climbing gear. I'm hitting the hay!

L'chaim!

Nasty Weather and Failed Waterproofer

Well I have had a heck of a string of equipment issues lately. The boots are currently repaired with the equivalent of duct tape (a strip of bike tube) and replacements are on the way, but then today my jacket absorbed every drop of water that fell on it. It repelled just fine earlier this week when we had some pretty fierce rain, but today nothing was going. On the mile or so walk to the post office I discovered this. Luckily a little outdoor shop (with a fine selection of very expensive outdoor gear) had some liquid water proofer, so after everything dries out I'll re-waterproof my gear.

It was a cool day today. As you can see in the pictures, there was a dusting of snow on the peaks of some of the hills surrounding the area I am at. I determined after getting a post office box that today is a good day for writing thank you notes and reading.

I am reading the book "One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey" by Sam Keith. Tyler got me this book as a graduation gift and it is pretty awesome. It basically is the journal of Richard Proenneke. A man who went into a remote area of Alaska, built a cabin and lived through a deep freeze in the Alaskan wilderness. His cabin is amazing and he was certainly an amazing fellow. I would recommend this book to anybody.

Hopefully I will have something more interesting to write later this week or next.

Prost!

June 21, 2009: Day Hikes, Cool Breezes, a rare swan (?), and a busted pair of hiking boots

My first day off since I got here was today. With that being the case, I started early. I got up at 6:00 for a morning run, which was around 3 miles. I still don’t like running in the cold, but this summer I’ll have to get used to it again. Then I showered, did laundry, ate a big breakfast, and was off-site by 9:30.
The plan was to hit the Wilderness Access Center and Denali Visitor Center. Then, with whatever time is left, I would check out some of the different hiking trails around the area and see the National Park Service sled dogs. I made it to the WAC first and picked up some postcards and cards for friends and family back home. The WAC is where backcountry-hiking passes are picked up. Different ranger-led hikes and other tours can be scheduled here too. One of the ranger-led hikes happening on my next day off sounded really cool. The folks working there were really helpful about hiking in the Park.
Next was the Denali Visitor Center, which was opened in 2005 and was designed with sustainability in the forefront. The picture on the right is of one of the windows with photovoltaics integrated into the window. I thought this was a cool concept; using silicon photovoltaics in a window that they wanted some natural light in, but not too much. They had a 3.5kW PV system installed in this way. They have a very impressive folder, provided by a Park Ranger provided at the Information Desk, that outlines the design and all the things they do at the park to minimize their impact. It is quite impressive!

You can read more about the building in the award write up at the link below.

http://www.cleanenergyawards.com/top-navigation/nominees-projects/nominee-detail/project/42/?cHash=d1d799105b

The rest of the day was spent hiking some of the trails around the park entrance. The main one was the Horseshoe Lake Trail, which was easy and fun. There were all sorts of off-shooting trails that allowed for lots of exploring the lake. Most of these were probably game trails, judging by the tracks left in the mud. As seen in some of the photos, there are three beaver dams, as well as their lodges and much evidence of their labors.
I also saw a swan swimming and eating in the lake. I'm not sure what type it is, but judging from the Audobon Society guide I have it is either a Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) or the more rare Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator). I am leaning towards it being a Trumpeter due to the lack of yellow on the bill, due to so many of them being located in Alaska and the fact that they like to nest on mounds, like beaver dens. I also saw the beaver that has been hard at work on the lake. Overall, it was a fun little hike!
I hiked through lunch and was getting a bit hungry so I finished the day by scouting out the other trailheads and checking out where the post office is at so I can get a PO Box on Wednesday.
One bad thing did happen though. My hiking boots… they’re dead. I killed them! Not only did my left boot repair job fail (not a big surprise), but my right boot sole is also starting to separate (a little surprise). Bummer! I’m thinking that I will order a new set of boots as soon as my security deposit comes in. Climb High Outlet has a good pair for relatively cheap and in my size, so I’m thinking I’ll order them up unless the shipping time and cost is nuts. If that is the case, then an REI run in Fairbanks may be necessary.
I thought that these boots quit kind of early, but as I was hiking back I considered their age. I bought these about 7 or 8 years ago. They survived day hikes around Oahu and Kauai, several northwest winters, a winter framing houses, and numerous outdoor projects. So I guess I should be happy with how they’ve held up. All the same, being required to buy new boots stinks compared to choosing to buy a new pair of boots.
Monday may see white-water rafting on a river filled with frosty glacial runoff. It should be fun, cold, and fun!


L’chaim!

Long Days and Short Hikes

I awoke to rain, hard rain, then just rain reminiscent of a Pacific Northwest winter. The temperature even dropped quite a bit to help reinforce the feeling. Luckily the afternoon saw clearing and by 4pm things were looking pretty nice.

Well, I'm settling into my new job, which is good and bad. Good because I'm feeling pretty comfortable. The work isn't difficult, very similar to what I did in high school, but with less safety requirements :)

This settling is bad though, because the workload has been light. It's left a lot of time 'finding' things to do. It makes the day feel longer than it should, but I'll live. I actually work with really nice people and have been working with two cool Chicago guys doing recycling, which is mindless work, but those two have found ways to keep the atmosphere light and relatively fun.

After dinner today I headed towards the park and covered a little over 3 miles pretty quickly. The trail was well worn and bordered on each side by pink, purple, and yellow wildflowers. I also caught a rabbit hopping around near the trail. Digital focus doesn't help the image much, but you can tell rabbit, big, fat rabbit. The short hike was pretty nice and it looks like I will be able to use this trail every week to go to the post office and get my mail.

This weekend I will have my orientation done and can then look at getting into the park and doing some hiking. Most of the hiking in the park is unmarked, which will be new and fun. With any luck I will have some photos from inside the park itself posted in a week or so.

L'chaim!

June 17, 2009: Arrival at the Chalet Lodge, Denali National Park

After getting up at 5:30 and packing up, I enjoyed a quick breakfast with Gerry, Kathy, and Gerry’s parents before heading out to the Anchorage Aramark building to catch the bus to Denali. I’ve been trying to scout some climbing opportunities and saw some clean-ish rock on Highway 1 going north from Anchorage to Wasilla.
Well the bus and all 4 of its occupants (that is including the driver) got to the Denali Chalet Lodge around 1:00pm or so. I have yet to see any moose or bear yet, but am keeping an eye out. I got my room and met my roommate, he works nights and I work days so hopefully there won’t be any problem with us waking each other up or anything.
It’s sounding like its pretty easy to get into the park, hopefully this weekend after my new employee orientation I can get in and start doing some hiking. Most of the posted photos came from the bus, however the last picture is the view from the employee dorms. Posting photos over the internet connection here has not been the easiest thing to do so photo updates may be sporadic.

PROST!

June 15th and 16th: Sitting, Waiting, Flying, and Anchorage!

I was able to catch the second direct flight from Portland to Anchorage and landed in Anchorage at about 8:45pm on the 15th. The weather was good, but the hospitality was amazing. A big “Thanks!” goes out to Gerry and Aunt Kathy for letting me crash at their house in Anchorage and for the excellent food, drink, and company they provided!
The 16th I walked downtown Anchorage with Kathy, John, and Melissa, where we sampled some of the local delicacies (reindeer hotdogs!) and checked out luxurious musk ox fur knitted goods (amazing stuff: super warm and light, unfortunately also very expensive). A small museum next in the old Anchorage Federal Court House is where the cool Alaska map image came from.
After Anchorage, I hung out with my cousin Jason, his wife Brenna, two sons Sean and Logan, and 5-day-old daughter Lola. Catching up with Jason and Brenna was great. So many years have passed since me and Jason last saw each other and so much has happened, but the reunion was awesome!

The boys Sean and Logan are overflowing with personality and exuberance! We all ate dinner that night at the Moose Tooth Brewpub and Pizza, where I proceeded to eat myself stupid. Delicious pizza and microbrew was the order of the night!

Graduation (June 13, 2009)

The summer officially begins!

Though I had some fun before school was truly done (Big Thanks to Nick, Kate, and Steph), graduation marked the beginning of my adventures. Best of wishes to all my friends who are moving on to bigger and better things after this momentous day. Thanks to the Profs who put up with my ridiculous questions!

Time to pack up the wagon and point the oxen south before mounting the iron butterfly and landing in Anchor Town!