Eric and I enjoyed a nice 4 day Christmas weekend. I had to work at my part time gig, but other than that, we just relaxed. I've been dying to go cross country skiing for a few years now, so on Saturday we went to Kincaid park. Eric and I bought some cheap skis on Craig's list... So we were ready. We decided not to take our dogs, since we had no idea what we were doing. I am a good alpine skier, but this is different. Our snow has not been very good yet, so lots of rocks and tree roots were still showing. Kincaid park is an amazing place. There are lots of groomed trails for the skiing enthusiasts. They even have lighted trails for some night skiing.
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/skiing/cros_top11.htm
http://alaska.org/maps/kincaid-park-anchorage-map.htm
Alaskans are SERIOUS cross country skiers. It was obvious that we had no clue what we were doing. I guess that there are directions that skiers must travel, and we were headed in the wrong direction. We were getting some dirty looks from seasoned skiers. We were also dressed like alpine skiers, with our heavy coats and all.
Eric and I did pretty well for our first go. I fell really hard on my butt, and was sore for days! If you don't fall, you don't learn right? Eric read in the paper that the Parks and Rec department offers skiing lessons starting in January. I think I'll start those!
On Christmas Eve, we headed up to the Eagle River Nature Trail. It was starting to lightly snow, which made it very beautiful. Quite a few people were hiking to various public use cabins or to yurts that are along the trail. Our dogs had a great time playing in the snow. Living in Anchorage, we have learned that you must carry a gun at all times when traveling to the backcountry. There are bears, and wolves to watch out for.
The dogs were off their leashes and were doing well at following us along the trail. They went off into the woods for a bit, and we had went down a hill. I called for Katie, and saw her quickly run off into the opposite direction. I panicked as ran after her. It took us almost 10 minutes to find her. Thankfully she was smart enough to sit down on the trail and wait for us to catch up to her. I think she got scared too. Anchorage does not have much snow, which is causing a problem with the wolves. With no snow, the moose can get away faster, and the wolves are running out of food. The wolves are now heading into the city limits and stalking people walking their dogs. About 10-20 dogs have been killed this winter by these wolves. So, that was another reason why I was so worried about losing Katie.
We hiked to Echo Bend, which is 4 or so miles up the trail. It was so quiet and peaceful out there. By the end of the hike we were all exhausted!
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/skiing/cros_top11.htm
http://alaska.org/maps/kincaid-park-anchorage-map.htm
Alaskans are SERIOUS cross country skiers. It was obvious that we had no clue what we were doing. I guess that there are directions that skiers must travel, and we were headed in the wrong direction. We were getting some dirty looks from seasoned skiers. We were also dressed like alpine skiers, with our heavy coats and all.
Eric and I did pretty well for our first go. I fell really hard on my butt, and was sore for days! If you don't fall, you don't learn right? Eric read in the paper that the Parks and Rec department offers skiing lessons starting in January. I think I'll start those!
On Christmas Eve, we headed up to the Eagle River Nature Trail. It was starting to lightly snow, which made it very beautiful. Quite a few people were hiking to various public use cabins or to yurts that are along the trail. Our dogs had a great time playing in the snow. Living in Anchorage, we have learned that you must carry a gun at all times when traveling to the backcountry. There are bears, and wolves to watch out for.
The dogs were off their leashes and were doing well at following us along the trail. They went off into the woods for a bit, and we had went down a hill. I called for Katie, and saw her quickly run off into the opposite direction. I panicked as ran after her. It took us almost 10 minutes to find her. Thankfully she was smart enough to sit down on the trail and wait for us to catch up to her. I think she got scared too. Anchorage does not have much snow, which is causing a problem with the wolves. With no snow, the moose can get away faster, and the wolves are running out of food. The wolves are now heading into the city limits and stalking people walking their dogs. About 10-20 dogs have been killed this winter by these wolves. So, that was another reason why I was so worried about losing Katie.
We hiked to Echo Bend, which is 4 or so miles up the trail. It was so quiet and peaceful out there. By the end of the hike we were all exhausted!
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