Happy New Year

Happy New Year 2008! Eric and I headed up to Hatcher's Pass for some snowshoeing. We decided to take along the dogs as well. It was around 20 degrees, and the sun was shining. The winters are so dark here, so it was nice so see some sunshine. Lots of people were out either cross country skiing, snowshoeing or just sledding down the hill. The snow was pretty deep, and the dogs were sinking down to their chest. It was pretty funny to watch.

It always feels good getting out of the house to do things. Lots of people just hunker down for the winter, but that's when you can experience another wonderful part of Alaska. The air is so crisp and clean.

On the way home, we watched the sun set. There is nothing quite like an Alaska sunrise or sunset. Since the air is so cold, the sun creates the most amazing colors. We stopped along the road so that I could snap some pictures of it. This was a great way to start the new year!

Here we go Aces!

We went to our first Alaska Aces hockey game. The Aces played the Utah Grizzlies, and unfortunately the Aces lost. It was a fun game. The Grizzlies tied it at the end, so it went to overtime. The score was 5 to 4 Grizzlies.

Cross country skiing

Last night, Eric and I went to Kincaid park after work. I love Anchorage in the fact that there are hundreds of miles of trails right in town. You don't have to travel up the mountain to get to skiing or mountain biking. It's all right here. Kincaid park like many Anchorage parks has lighted paths for night skiing. The parking lot was packed with people and families. It was around 10-15 degrees with a light wind. It's cold at first, but once you get going, you start to sweat. It's not at all like downhill skiing. This is a wonderful way to get some aerobic exercise.

It's easy to hunker down in Anchorage during the dark months, but now we have a fun activity. We just keep our skis and gear in the car at all times, so whenever we feel like it, we can go. It does not cost anything to use the parks in Anchorage ( I guess that's why property taxes are so high!). So, it's a cheap date night. I'm so glad Eric and I picked up some cheap skis at garage sales, because we are having a blast!

Christmas break

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!

Merry Christmas from Alaska

Alaska had not received much snow, but that all changed today. Anchorage received almost 1 foot of snow over Christmas. Everyone was getting pretty worried about it. What's Alaska without snow? We had a relaxing day at home opening presents, talking to family and eating good food. My dad sent the dogs a toy ball, and as you can see Jake loved it!

Ready, Aim, Fire!

We took a drive up north, and ended up in the Mat-su river valley. It looks much different in the winter. We need to work on some target practice, since we have bears! I have no idea what kind of gun that was, but it was fun. We did not stay out too long because it was freezing!

Our Anniversary

Today, we celebrated out 6th anniversary hiking in the Chugach Mountains. We stayed at The Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. That's Alaska's big ski resort. We are hiking around Hope, AK which is a tiny community on the Turnagain Arm. Not many people live in Hope, and I heard they are going to shut down the school since there are less than 10 students attending. The day was crisp and cool, but it was nice to be out enjoying the scenery.