October 19, 2005

Yesterday was Alaska Day. My last post incorrectly identified it as Seward’s Day. Seward’s Day is a different state holiday for which Kris will have a day off. I am not sure what Alaska Day is all about, but we celebrated by heading out into Alaska.

We forced ourselves to get up early. I am finding it difficult to feel awake when it is still dark outside, even if I know I have had enough sleep. I don’t know what causes that, but I am sure it is just a psychological problem that I need to overcome. I will be getting plenty of practice of the next few months, so if it can be overcome, I have a shot at it. Anyway, we packed up for a day hike and stopped for donuts and coffee before heading south along Turnagain Arm. Our plan was to hike up the Falls Creek trail, into the mountains, up about 2900 feet to a lake. It was a warm morning with temperatures already above 40 when we arrived at the trailhead. Along the arm, there were still some fall colors in the trees.

It was a mostly cloudy morning, with a few rays of sunshine hitting the tops of distant mountains here and there. Across the arm, heavy smoke rose from the controlled burns that were taking place near Hope. The Resurrection Creek valley had a veil of smoke that provided a soft contrast to the surrounding hard rock mountains topped with snow.

We headed up the steep trail, keeping a watch for bears. We didn’t expect to see any. It is getting pretty late, but bears this time of year really scare me since underfed bears become a little desperate for food. The trail was covered with damp leaves which made the steep slope a real slippery challenge. We walked and talked, like we always do, discussing life philosophy and such. We were moving at a casual pace, but the steepness still winded us on some stretches. We were passed by two other couples who seemed a little more intent on getting to the top.

As we climbed, the forest gave way to brush and the snow began to appear. Now we were faced with steep, snowy, and sometimes narrow trails. Having a couple of groups ahead of us gave us clues as to where not to put your feet, but mostly the traction was good. The snow kept getting deeper as the brush got shorter. One steep section proved exceptionally challenging. The handprints in the snow from the previous groups confirmed that we weren’t the only ones having difficulty with the stretch.

We emerged into the tundra. One of the couples ahead of us had continued up the ridgeline on an aggressive quest of summiting South Suicide Peak. The other couple headed across the tundra toward the lake. We decided to take our own route across the tundra, rather than following in their footprints. This proved quite challenging. The lumpy tundra was covered with a smooth coat of snow, maybe 6 inches deep on average. As I put my foot down, I never knew if it was going to tip to the left, right, land flat, or slide off the face of a rock. I stumbled my way forward. I fell a couple of times. The rocks proved to be the most problematic. We progressed across the tundra very slowly.

With the GPS, we could see that the lake was just around the corner from us, but a rock field blocked our way. Our choices were to head down to the creek and follow it up to the lake or to try and scout above and through the rock field. We didn’t want to take a direct route through because a rock field without any snow is a slow go as you avoid tipping rocks and deep holes. Adding snow just makes you blind in selecting your footholds.

Not wanting to give up elevation, I tried to find a route above. We climbed through some areas of scree, small loose rock. The snow and ice locked it in, but it still felt a little precarious. I looked for signs of vegetation poking through the snow and headed in those directions. We arrived at an elevation where the slope leveled off a little and I decided to try to navigate the rock field. It was a slow process. I was very careful, not wanting to risk stepping in a hole. I still stumbled several times. By this time, the temperature was cold enough that we had both put on gloves which took some of the sting out of having to put a hand down. As we stepped, we kicked up snowballs that rolled for long distances down the hill. It was a distracting amusement.

We were making progress, but it was very slow. I was getting hungry. Kris had wanted to wait until we got to the lake to have lunch. She seemed very intent on getting to the lake, but we stopped and discussed the situation. It was just a lake tucked into a snowy cirque. It had taken us a long time to get to this level and the return trip wasn’t going to be easy. It was already after 1:00 so we decided it wasn’t that important to make it to the destination. We decided to turn around and find a place to have lunch, even though we knew we were only a couple hundred yards from the lake.

We headed back across the rock field and found a rock that looked like a good place to have lunch. It was about 50 feet below us and the ground between us and it was covered smooth with snow. We started heading down. I was very concerned about my footsteps and for some reason sat down. I found that I could feel my way with my feet and began to crab walk and slide down the slope to the rock. This worked surprisingly well, making very short work of the slope. We put on our rain pants before eating both as an additional layer and because we thought we might need them to keep us dry if we were to fall on the descent. Kris added another layer on top to stay warm during lunch. It was cool eating lunch, but we were mostly out of the wind and the view was fantastic. The clouds had even given way to partly sunny skies.

After lunch, we began heading down. We decided to drop down to the creek and follow the other couple’s footsteps out. They were already returning and were quite a bit ahead of us since they were a few hundred feet below us. We crossed the remaining rocks and the scree field. I came to a very smooth looking section with crowberry bushes sticking up. The nice thing about cheap rain pants is that they are made of plastic and they are cheap. This means they are effectively a wearable sled that you aren’t too concerned with ruining. I am not sure why, but I sat down and slid down the smooth section of the slope. I kept my heels down and used my feet to probe for rocks. A few small ones snuck past and slapped me in the butt, but the snow piled up underneath me kept me reasonably protected. I covered a good stretch of slope in no time. It was the kind of slope that would be painfully slow to step down with a constant fear of falling. Kris made fun of me for being so childish, but the next thing I knew, she was sliding down behind me. I warned her that the second person was going to go faster in the track and she controlled her descent by digging in her heals.

This made for a new game. I began scouting for clear slopes and we found a few more long runs that took us quickly to the trail along the creek. We were suddenly not very far behind the other couple. A flat section of tundra kept the distance between us, but when we arrived at the steep stretch that we had struggled with on the way up, we found that sliding was much easier, safer, and more fun than walking. We tried to find areas just off the trail to slide since we really didn’t want to make an ice track for future hikers. There were plenty of opportunities. On one hundred plus foot stretch, we passed the other couple. They watched with amusement at our childishness. I don’t know if they later tried sliding, but they seemed content to try to walk, in spite of frequent falls on the steeper, more slippery sections. I suspect they didn’t have waterproof pants. When we would walk, the footing was slippery. I fell a few times. When the opportunity presented itself, I would slide. One slide ended with a steep drop that required digging in our heels to come to a stop before the creek. It was a really fun.

Soon the vegetation got taller and the snow got shallower. We were back to walking. The footing was slippery as much of the snow had melted in the sun. It was muddy in places. Being comfortable with sliding allowed us to continue to keep a good pace. It is a little like slow speed skiing when your feet slide down the trail. It does place a big strain on your knees and we were both starting to ache. We zipped through the trail going downhill. The return trip took less than half the time of the climb. It was a fun, but exhausting hike.

We were able to get to bed at a decent time last night because we were exhausted. Still, this morning was rough. I just felt like I was getting up way too early. I knew I wouldn’t get any sympathy, so I forced myself to get up and head downstairs to make the coffee. Of course, Kris got up way earlier than she needed to for her first day of work, but that’s just how she is. She left for work at 8:10 which probably got her there 10 minutes early for her 8:30 starting time. It will be interesting for her to have such a short commute.

Now I am back to the way life was last year. Kris goes to work and I try to stay busy waiting for something to happen. I guess I would rather be waiting to find a job in Alaska than sitting around Ohio waiting for someone to buy our house, but at this point, it feels about the same.