Winter is here!

It's been a while since we got out to do anything because the temperature has been dropping and we're both working all the time, but we did find time to get out last weekend.

A surprising view from our kitchen one evening.

We headed up to hatcher's pass with our snowshoes to see how much snow had accumulated.

A view down to the valley and knik bay.

There is a small A frame lodge and some small cabins at the top of hatcher's pass. We rented one for two nights to spend thanksgiving in since we won't be making it home.

We started snowshoeing up to the top of the pass where a lot of the back country skiing is done.

Lucy staying warm thanks to grandma's knitting.

Pretty sure this is my Life is Good shirt.

Scouting some great lines to ski.

We couldn't have asked for better weather, the views were amazing.

Lucy pouncing around to stay warm.

We headed out the next day to ski some the lines we saw the previous day. Kristen's friend katherine came with us. unfortunately the weather turned on us by then.

Hiking up the summit.

We stopped to put on our gear and have hot chocolate and by the time we skied down it was nearly whiteout conditions.

But we still had fun

Til the next time...

A weekend with Jay

Nate picked Jay up from anchorage thursday and we took him on a whirlwind tour of AK with what good weather we had left.

Headed up to Hatcher's pass where it was snowing a little.

Jay took more pictures than he ever has in his life. I think he likes Alaska...

The next mroning we headed east for matanuska glacier along the chugach range.

Jay likes Alaska...

Trusty Jeep along the Chugach

Don't know if these need a caption.

Finally got to the Matanuska glacier which during the ice age(if you believe the world is more than 6,000 yrs old) streched 50 miles to palmer near where we live.

Very cool federally unregulated glacier. Proceed at your own risk!

Carefully navigating the glacier.

A gearless traversable crevass.

Kristen and I...

Jay and I checking out a bore hole, a column of water that eats through the ice and goes straight to the bottom of the glacier. The rocks we through down went probably 150 to 200 ft. down.

Our best shot of the ice caverns without having crampons or ice axes to get there.

The gang

Another much steeper borehole which Nate danger Allton is checking out.

On our way back west, Jay and I decided to put into the Big Su with our measley canoe. Lucy awaits our victorious return.

Canoe full of water... not a whitewater canoe but we did it.

The Knik river valley on a clear day.

We drove through anchorage the same day and had world class pizza! Continued on to gridwood and caught a truly rare sight. this is the bore tide which is a continuous wave up the turnagain arm. This wave travels 40 miles and is often surfed all the way in. The turnagin arm has the second largest tidal influx in the world and is truly something to see so much water flowing in and out daily.

A shot of my friend's parents' cabin in girdwood. A terrific A-frame at the base of the only ski resort in Alaska which boasts over 1000 inches of snow a few years ago!

We tried to get to portage galcier by canoe the next morning but winds and rain were a little too high. we were immediatley turned sideways and broadsided by waves.

It was a no-go. even by Nate standards.

Instead we put the canoe into the portage creek and had some time in the canoe before heading back to the hot tub!

Jay and Nate survivng the river in their canoe( not a whitewater ve-hicle)
Had a great time, probably the last of the ok weather. hopefully we find things to do in the winter!!
Thanks for reading.... stay in touch.