A Very Wet and Windy Day

I'm starting to feel like Goldilocks going out, first it was too cold, but now its too warm, and I can't freaking wait till its just right.

 

Downtown Walk Around

First it was too cold, now its too warm. Lynn, Ry and I went downtown last night to check out the light/scultpture/craziness along the parkstrip and in front of the PAC. It was a good thing we did because sadly a lot of the art had already fallen down. Ice doesn't do well in these temps, the sculptures were dripping, but still beautiful. A very nice Wednesday night diversion!

Lynn, Ry and I

 

Bench Lake

It was ten below when we left our house early Saturday morning. I was a bit skeptical when Ry told me Bill had said that it was warmer at his house than in Palmer....Bill lives up north between Chickaloon and the Matanuska glacier, a pretty consistently colder than Palmer area. But it was supposed to cloud over and warm up, and we didn't really want to freeze in Anchorage, so we went anyway.

One word sums up the whole trip...BRRRRRRRR!!!! I think that it was at least twenty below when we got there, and then we rode on Bill's snowmachine to get to the yurt site and the cabin where he was staying. We drove by some amazing climbs, but it was twenty below, and we kept driving.

The next morning we awoke to cold temps again, and decided to do a little recon from Bill's house. I felt like a cartoon character named Puffy the waddling woman, I could barely move with all the clothes I had on.

The Fire

 

We hiked for over an hour till we got to a bluff above Gravel Creek, then we hastily built a fire, stopped and drank tea, looked around, and headed back.



I have to say visiting Bill made me feel like those times when you go camping, and come back and are so appreciative again of the little things like indoor heating and toilet paper. It'll be great when the yurt is finished.

Walking the Pack

Ryan and I fled Anchorage for the weekend seeking some warmer temperatures that were just not to be had. We stopped off at Victor Creek and rappelled down Great Beard. It was scary!!! The ice was detached, brittle, and super unfriendly.

The next day we woke up late, drank lots of coffee and then walked out to Tonsina Creek. The trail was hard packed, and although it followed the coast it stayed in the trees, which was wonderful because of the steady wind we could hear, but didn't feel the brunt of. It took us about an hour and a half to get to what looked like the end of the canyon. There is some fun looking ice out there! Unfortunately it was just too brutally cold to contemplate stopping long enough to belay, and touch cold metal gear....these temps are hard to stop moving in.

The Water