Eagle Lake Skate

     So a day off and again no more snow, but a cold snap has allowed for clear and calm weather.  It also has allowed things to freeze quickly: perfect setup for another wilderness skating opportunity.  Yellowjacket and I headed out with the dogs to Eagle Lake at the back of the South Fork of the Eagle River for a chance to slice the ice. 
     This was the last day before some weather, hopefully lots of snow, was suppose to move in.  Yellowjacket got some spiffy new skates to try out.  We headed up the trail that was pleasantly packed until the bridge where we discovered a slushy ice-dam that was impassable.  Bummer.  We bushwhacked a few hundred feet upstream and crossed on more firm ice and continued on.  Once past the split to hanging valley we were breaking trail on a sugary 3 inches interspersed with frozen flowing water. 
     Upon reaching the lake we checked things out for skating: smooth enough, thick enough, it's a go.  Skating was a great way to get around.  That boulder field with a thin snow covering would have been miserable.  We skated all the way to the back of the lake, taking in the stillness, surrounded by the peaks that ascended into foggy snow and listening to the eerie bubbling that echoed underneath us.  This was the largest rink I had ever been on.  It was an excellently easy way to travel as well. 
     We skated around some more then headed back.  Not all things are frozen over yet, I stuck my foot ankle-deep in a mud hole being over-confident, and the river itself is still flowing over what ice is there.  The sloping valley walls also gave me more ideas for skiing this winter.  Also I should remind myself to crust ski this valley in the spring. 

Team Corndog crossing boulder infested, frozen streams teaming with hoarfrost.

 

 

Yellowjacket doing the Eagle Lake skate.

I'll take it.

     So I started working nights which does cramp my winter style a bit....it's hard to want to climb mountains and ski after working a shift, but this time of year with light and snow being so limited I'll take what I can get.  Yes, we have very limited snow.  Options include Hatcher or the typical rock skiing in the front range.  There is barely enough packed snow in select locations around town for cross-country skiing but still enough.
     I visited Hatcher one fine sunny Saturday recently and it was colder than I remember being in some time.  I hope my wussy-whiskers aren't growing too much.  The snow was the best this year despite the rain crust.  If I picked the right aspect I found it could be powered through and yield good turns, or at least relatively speaking.  I hope to get one more day.  Given the clear and cold stretch it should be do-able.  Maybe it will be full-on snow by my next stretch off. 


This is how cold it is, just beyond nose-running cold.

     It was also time to get after my list again, one item being a full-moon ski.  This was challenging given the snow conditions because we attempted it up at Arctic Valley.  The views of Anchorage on a winter night are amazing, especially when you can look the other way and see all the snowy moonlit slopes of the Chugach.  No headlamps needed, we skinned up and skied two evening laps on what decent snow we could find in low-light.  The first lap was respectable but we got greedy for steeper and higher, paying for it with less than pleasant conditions but still, check.  I will attempt this again this season if life allows.


phone-photo but, you get the idea. 

     Cross country skiing is just barely do-able, but at this point most trails are skate-able: coastal trail, hillside, northern bicentennial.  Just hints of small rocks if you are spacing out can snag a ski.  Bring your rock-poles if you are doing the coastal trail, but in my opinion it's a good chance to practice pole-less skating and dust off the cobwebs.  I'm still amazed by the incredible views from this trail right in the middle of town. 

One thing I love about Bicentennial is the picturesque
trail winding through the birch groves: nothing like it.

    





well, since nowhere else has snow......

     So a sunshiney day in November means I better be skiing.  Hatcher again.  This time I was on the road before sun-up, a miracle on a day off for me but I better get use to it given the shortening days.  I was to the parking lot in 1 hour, shorter than I thought.  It was evident last night was cool because the ice was starting its inevitable takeover of the river, and a quick/choppy river at that. 
     No one was there except the nordies, all scrambling around, too intense for me.  Initially I thought I might skin up that way and look around at some new terrain but that busy vibe and all the people would have killed it for me.  All their patches on their parkas reminds me of high school athletic jackets, the more patches the better? I'm pretty sure they were APU. 
     Anyway, I headed up the road again, not enjoying the repetition but decided to get a sunny lap in on the South face of skyscraper.  I love skiing sun and untracked snow.  The snow was alright: about 3-4 inches of super-light sitting on a mildly icy and really firm crust.  The wider boards weren't a fan and neither was I. 
     Then I headed out to April bowl thinking it might be reliable but noticed a line called Lake Run that looked promising for more vertical and had not been thrashed by anyone yet.  I could see from Skyscraper it would spit me out with negligible climbing back to the pass and offered about 1/3 more vert than April. 
     I had lunch at the top of Hatch peak, some delicious soup in a can, but in my haste I forgot how annoying empty cans are to deal with.  I had no bags and no place to lash it to the outside of my pack.  I thought the contents were frozen enough to stay in place but apparently I have a heater in my backpack so it leaked all over.  Lake Run was good for the day, slightly variable but still carve-able and on the softer side. 
     We need some snow here.  I'm not complaining because a sunny day two-planking in the hills is fabulous, but for the bears, they need a place to dig their dens and hibernate because I'm pretty sure salmon and berries are done. Then we can ski too.

Hatchers' half-hand-size hoar

Middle fork and Williwaw Lake

     So another sunny day with no snow left me wondering what to do.  With noticeably cooler temps I figured water in the mountains must be frozen enough to walk on by now.  I decided to give wilder-skating a try with a back-up plan of moose antler hunting if there was no ice given the mild fall so far.
     I went out of Glen Alps, cut up O'Malley Gully and over the ballfield, dropping down to Black Lake.  This was my goal skate destination but upon investigating the ice was uncomfortably thin for me being alone.  It was about a 1.5-2 inches thick and I was able to send out some cracks just by walking on it. On to Williwaw Lake which looked like it might be thicker, though lower in elevation.  Travel at this point is still most efficient on foot, I saw no need for gators or foot gripping devices.  Maybe so if you were attempting a peak but even then one could easily argue against it.


The martian-like landscape of the ballfield.

     Once I got to Williwaw Lake I strapped on the skates and checked the ice which was satisfactorily thick on the west 2/3 of it.  I skated around for awhile and got a kick out of Lucy-dog's lack of traction.  The weather couldn't have been better, neither could the backdrop of Mt Williwaw.  It looked like early fall back there with just a hint of ice on the fringes of the streams and most mud-holes frozen enough to not sink in but not all of them.
     On the way back I took the Middle Fork trail around.  I saw ~12 bull moose in the valley closer to Williwaw Lake but not a cow in sight.  The usual goats were hanging out on the south side of Rusty.  The lower slopes of Denali were glazed with a hint of pink alpenglow and the sun was popping out over south Anchorage and the arm. 
     I'm still waiting to ski, and I might be desperate enough to drive out to Hatcher Pass tomorrow again.  I tried to see this "lightning bolt" couloir mentioned on the Harder Blog but couldn't see it, maybe there isn't enough snow yet.  I still scoped out a few goals for the coming season.


My ice skating backdrop



Black Lake, one of my favorite views.