Byron Glacier hike

Today Scott, Jilene and I hiked to the Byron Glacier. Byron Glacier is about an hour away from Anchorage, to the south, just before Whittier. It was a very easy trail which followed Byron Creek.

We saw a bunch of moose poop along the way, and I noticed some animal tracks near the creek bed, but other than one bird, we didn't see any wildlife.

It got cooler as we approached the glacier, especially when the wind picked up. We couldn't get as close as I was hoping, as there is an avalanche snowfield there that cuts the way. You can proceed through the snowfield, but Byron Creek runs underneath it, and you need to be really careful where you step, as you don't want to end up in the creek.

According to my hiking book: "Byron Glacier, visible in the twisting canyon upstream, is a hanging glacier... Ahead , the creek pours out of a massive snowfield, a permanent feature built up of the hardened avalanche snow of many previous winters. If you want to wander out onto the snowfield, do so with cation, staying well clear of fissures and the ceiling of the stream-cut cavern; they're potentially very dangerous, as are occasional avalanches into the Byron valley as late as early June".

---

Next weekend's trip is an overnight trip to check out the Matanuska Glacier. From what I understand, we can actually hike on it!!

This is what happens in my spare time

Another tear is another memory wiped away.

I'm spending some time alone this weekend.

And I'm alone this Saturday evening enjoying a glass of wine, watching my little friend Louie walk about, and from time to time craving my attention.

I was watching a movie - "Mystic River". Before that it was "Mystery Science Theater 3000" that someone at work let me borrow.

I was better off watching MST3K - hilarious shit - totally my sense of humor.

Now I'm bummed from watching about a half of "Mystic River". It's a depressing movie to begin with, but add onto that that it's based in Massachusetts and I get all sentimental 'n shit.

So now I'm sad again.

Add the white wine into that earlier equation and of course I pull out my high school senior yearbook.

That was a mistake.

Now I'm even more bummed that I'm not back home.

I feel so conflicted. I LOVE living here in Alaska.

But shit, it's not home.

And the longer I live here, the more I like it. But there are still so many things about home that I crave.

The people, as hardened and as guarded and as jerky as they can be; the neighborhoods (they don't have New England-type neighborhoods here - who'da guessed); friends of course; and family - as if I have to say that.

Not to mention my memories and the history.

The pace of life here I adore. The scenery. Being away from "reality"?

Things are so different here. Much so from the "Outside".

As I delve deeper into my yearbook, the memories flood.

Good and bad.

Classmates here; classmates gone.

Classmates I still consider friends; classmates I consider acquaintances.

---

That is what first prompted me to write.

From what I understand some people have been asking my Mother where I've been, why I haven't been writing.

Maybe this is why? Because if it's outta sight, outta mind.

I'm glad to be writing right now. Therapy?

I wish I was writing more. I haven't been devoting the time. The spare time I do have I've been reading - I have some great books to recommend if anyone is interested - working - working some more - and trying to keep things stable in my private life.

I've also been awaiting my sisters and brother-in-law's arrival. Just about five weeks away!! I cannot wait for them to come!!! To share with them my enthusiasm for this place and to have the benefits of their love, companionship and physical persons here at the same time?!?!?!!? Gosh!! I wish they were here for a month!! Never thought you'd believe that, huh Squirty?!?!

Tomorrow, Scott, Jilene and I hike to Byron Glacier. It should be a nice and easy one mile hike. It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow, so who knows how far we'll get. Hopefully an enjoyable day away from Anchorage, and from work.

With time like this alone it's nice to write my thoughts here. I hope it's not too much; but at the same time I hope it happens more often. It stinks because I feel like I have to be mildly conflicted in order to write, with time on my hands....lately I've been conflicted, but without the time.

I don't know what kind of future the blog will have. I hope many of you return for continuous posts, but I cannot guarantee that. I guess it depends on my mental state...or perhaps how I prioritze my time. If I have more alone time, in theory, I will have more blogging time.

---

Let's hope tomorrow's weather holds and there'll be some new pictures on here of a "new to you" Alaska.

a rarity

A rare sight to see in Anchorage:




---

These pictures were taken on my way to Scott's house one day. This reminded me of home and of the thunderstorms we get. Very rarely does it thunder or lighting here. I don't believe there was any of that during this particular weather system, but we did just have a thunderstorm roll through here last week.

---

Weather update: 74 degrees and fair in Whitman, 56 degrees and mostly cloudy in Midtown, Anchorage.

Sunrise/set update: 5:11a/8:12p in Whitman, 4:39a/11:17p in Anchorage

Thunderbird Falls

A nice little hike to Thunderbird Falls, and camping at the Eagle River Campground with Scott and Jilene.

Thunderbird Falls was an easy one mile hike, one way, to an overlook of the falls. We couldn't see as much of the falls as I thought we would, but it was really nice nonetheless. We took a bunch of pictures at the overlook, as well as down at the river where they emptied out (couldn't really see the falls much from there, though).

We took this hike as an opportunity to teach Jilene about Devil's Club. A prickly sonavagun that grows up to 6ft tall and is abundant across Southcentral Alaska. You'll see a picture of Scott pretending to hug the bush in the slideshow...

We're trying to get outdoors with Jilene as much as possible this summer so that we can show her the world out there. There is so much to see and experience!! We're looking forward to a hike to Byron Glacier here soon, too.

with a little explanation this time

The pictures from the albums of last post. This time in a slideshow format.

Gull Rock:

Scott and I went on our first backpacking trip of the season to Gull Rock (April 25-26). We set out from the trailhead in Hope, and hiked the 5.1 miles out to the windy peninsula.

Some of my notes of my trip are as follows: "LOTS of downed trees and LOTS of WIND at Gull Rock. Overcast and cloudy".

The hike itself was more arduous than we expected, as there were many downed trees across the trail, making it difficult to continue on. Because of the wind and the epidemic of the Spruce Bark Beetle, many of the trees are easy to come down. When we finally made it out to Gull Rock there was a constant wind. At least there were no mosquitoes!! We made camp, carefully selecting where to pitch, because of the wind and the trees. We were exhausted and a little fearful of bears, especially with this being the first hike of the season. Finally we were able to relax after some good food, and with a little help from our friend "Jim".

We went exploring on the peninsula after supper and took in what view we had. It was a bit cloudy, so there were "spectacular" views, but views along Turnagain Arm are pretty much beautiful every time.

Once done exploring, we turned in for the evening. I think the temperatures got down to the low 30's, but nothing intolerable. When we awoke the next morning we took our time with breakfast and then broke camp to begin the trek back. The going was much easier this time, most likely because we knew what to expect. It felt like it didn't take as long, either. We stopped for lunch at an overlook of Halfway Island. That was really nice. Scott is so good with preparing all of the food and taking care of much of that. I just take the pictures...




---

Bird Creek:

Scott, Jilene and I went overnight to Bird Creek. Bird is along Turnagain Arm. It has nice campsites, not too crowded. We had some fish for supper and eggs for breakfast.

We tried to explain to Jilene how to take care of one's self when nature calls....wow... Then we also taught her how to blow snot rockets...cuz how many times when you're in the outdoors do you have to blow your nose, but there's no tissue?? Happens to me all the time...

All in all it was a fun experience. Jilene got to ride her bike some along a trail. We'll get her off those training wheels soon enough.






---

Flattop:

My first hike up this trail. Flattop is the most climbed mountain in the state of Alaska...and it should not have taken me over a year to do it. But I suppose that's just a part of my goal this summer: to get outdoors as much as possible and to do as much hiking/backpacking/camping as possible. I'm sure I'll do Flattop again this summer, too. I went up there with my friends Zac and Joshua. I hadn't hiked with either of them before, but I would certainly do it again! They both really relish the outdoors and are a lot of fun to hang out with.

Zac was like a bullet up the mountain, while Joshua and I took our time. For me, being out of shape, I was going to be the slowest one up there. But for Joshua, who has done a TON of hiking in his day, was taking it slow to take in the scenery.

When we made it to the top, we all just hung out for about an hour and a half or so, just laying around, taking in the scenery. Finally we decided to walk around, explore a little bit and then head down the mountain. We took a different route on the way down, which was a good way to take in another view of the Chugach. On the way up our view was of Turnagain Arm and of Anchorage.

All in all, it was a really lovely hike and one that I look forward to again in the future.

in the meantime

I haven't devoted ANY time at all to my blog, other than in thought.

With that being said, things here are well. I've got LOTS to write about, but no time as of late in which to do so.

Because I am reminded more frequently than I would have thought a little more than a year ago, to write more on here, I have some pictures to tide some readers over until I prescribe more of my time to actually write.

I have lots planned for the summer (yes, summer has finally arrived here in Anchorage), and most of my posts will be pictures of the trips and hikes I'll be exploring.

For the time being:

Pictures from a trip to Gull Rock that Scott and I hiked in late April:

Gull Rock 04/25-26/09

Pictures from my first hike up Flattop with friends Zac and Joshua:

Flattop May 2009

And a my first ever trip to Seattle. Scott and I went to visit his family there in early April.

Trip to Seattle with Scott

Eventually I'll get around to describing these adventures in some detail. But until then, I hope you all enjoy. There will be plenty more to come.

Oh, and to answer Aunt Susan's question, yes, I have been out of town a fair bit lately, mostly for work.

Hope everything is well with you all.

Temperature update: Anchorage, 45 degrees and mostly cloudy. Whitman, 55 degrees with dense fog.
Sunrise/set update: Anchorage, 5:10a/10:42p. Whitman, 5:22a/7:59p.