Springtime Hiking in Alaska

The weather is changing! The changes are tiny…and maybe imagined on my part.  But, the sun seems to be carrying a little bit more heat and the wind isn't quite so bitter.  Yes, the temps are still in the 30's but they are steadily inching towards that beautiful springtime range.

We took advantage of this tiny change and took our first "big" hike of the warm season.  We did an (almost) six hour adventure out at the end of Thane Road in Juneau. The road ends in Juneau in many all places.  Thane is no exception.  It is basically just another place in our beautiful town where civilization ends and the true wilderness begins.  Such a contrast to downtown Juneau that lies only a few miles away!

Anyways, we took off on a trail head and made the 3(ish) mile hike down to an isolated beach area. We went with five people and three dogs…quite the crew! And, we all packed in firewood (it's been very rainy so we were concerned about wet wood). When we reached the beach we unpacked our wonderfully dry wood and set a fire on the beach.  The dogs played, seals teased us (and the pups) by swimming lazily by the shore, and the sun made my cheeks just a little bit pink.  Ahhhh…

We packed up our stuff and played around/ hiked up some giant boulders and then took off exploring some more.  We finally headed back in the direction of home after a little over five hours.  It was such a great way to kick off the warm weather seasons.

Back at home the three of us (Cody, me, and the doggy) promptly passed out and only woke up to eat a tiny dinner before drifting back off into a semi-delirious but oh-so-happy sleep.

Questions:
Any sign of warm weather in your part of the world?
What is your favorite warm weather activity?

Mendenhall Glacier Ice Caves

Sometimes you get to experience something so spectacular that you know it will happen only once in your lifetime.  I experienced something like this while on a hike this week.  I took off hiking across a lake in Juneau and ended up inside of Mendenhall Glacier.

Standing on Mendenhall Lake.  Look closely and you'll notice that we are wearing ice cleats! 

Mendenhall Lake, which the glacier sits on, is completely frozen right now.  This makes getting to the caverns underneath Mendenhall Glacier not only possible, but downright easy! The Glacier is accessible to hike to/in all year by hiking West Glacier Trail.  However, this trail isn't for the faint of heart, especially if you are not the most skilled hiker. The trail includes some steep climbs, slippery rocks, and it requires that you go off-trail to get to the ice caves.  It can also be quite dangerous to go inside the caves under the glacier due to the constantly melting ice.  Enter at your own risk!

View from West Glacier Trail,  August 2013. 

With Mendenhall Lake frozen though, the glacier is accessible by hiking a mile across the lake, up the base of some rather large hills/cliffs, and sliding on your bum (literally) down a slippery slope to the opening of the ice caves. It was a wonderful hike and the views the entire way were spectacular.  Nothing can compare to the feeling of standing INSIDE of a glacier though.

Cliffs near the glacier.

Touching a glacier for the first time!

Inside Mendenhall Glacier, frozen ice columns. 

Inside the largest cavern in Mendenhall Glacier. 

Look up! Massive hole inside of the ice caves that looked skyward. 

The glacier was completely amazing.  Everything emitted a soft, blue glow.  The ice was the smoothest thing that I have ever touched.  It appeared bumpy, but the bumps were actually many inches underneath the actual top layer of ice.  The top layer of ice was so clear that it was almost invisible.  It was cold inside of the caves, but warm enough that I was comfortable without my gloves and hat on.  This was, without a doubt, a once in a lifetime experience because of the melting ice.  I am so thankful that I got to experience this incredible, natural wonder.

Questions:
What is the top item on your bucket list?
What is something that you've done that is "once in a lifetime?" 

Things To Do In Juneau: Skaters Cabin

Skaters Cabin is a beautiful recreational area on Mendenhall Lake, located in the northern part of Juneau.  It is a beautiful picnic area with beach access, a picnic shelter, fire pits, hiking/skiing trails, and easy accessibility to the Ice Cave Trail (takes you underneath Mendenhall Glacier).  Cody and I have spent time here on a few occasions, and with the warm weather this weekend we just couldn't resist taking our grill out here for a fun cookout with friends.

The weather was PERFECT.  It was sunny and in the low 40's for the whole afternoon.  We spent about three hours outside there and had a blast.  Specks came too and had a fun time tearing around with the other dogs that hiked by with their owners.  We had the beach to ourselves for the most part.  Hikers and skiers occasionally wandered by (trails pass right behind the shelter).  But, most of them had dogs with them so Specks was in doggy play-date heaven.

Skaters Cabin is a fun place to visit for any of these activities.  It also offers some stunning views of Mendenhall Glacier.  You can view the glacier from the much closer Nugget Falls trail, but the NF trail is always packed with people (during the summer entire tour buses drop off there).  Skaters Cabin may not offer as up close and personal views, but there are seldom other people there and the views can be enjoyed while cooking, hiking, or swimming during the summer.  It's a pretty perfect spot :)

Questions:
Do you take your doggy hiking/skiing with you?
Where is your favorite outdoor cooking location?

Alaskan Snow Day!

Juneau was blanketed with 13inches of snow on Thursday.  I looked out my front door and immediately thought, "uh-oh."  The snow was DEEP and very wet.  Me, being a midwesterner, figured this would mean the closure of JSD (Juneau School District) but I was sadly mistaken.  Schools in Alaska don't close unless they absolutely have to.  Their answer to the snow…chain-up your tires, slap some spikes on your boots, and enjoy the weather!

Snow falling on the driveway. 

Sadly, the following day it warmed up to a toasty 40° and most of the snow melted (yuck).  This also meant that I didn't manage to get a single picture of our deep, wet snowfall.  The temperatures cooled back off over the weekend though and we found ourselves with a couple fresh inches of powder.  I did manage to take a few pictures of our lesser snowfall, which is much less impressive but still pretty.

Slippery roads outside of the school. 

Frozen waters in "the valley." 

On another snowy note, Juneau's own Eaglecrest Ski Area is competing for a top spot in Powder Magazine's Ski Town Throwdown.  If you're interested in learning more about Eaglecrest you can read this post or this post, both written by me.  You can also check out their website.  I've been voting for them to help support my local ski town/business.  If you have a second, stop over and do the same! You can vote by following this link and liking Powder Magazine on Facebook.  

Questions:

Do you ski or snowboard?

What's your favorite winter activity?

Things To Do In Juneau: Eaglecrest Ski Area

One of Cody and I's favorite things to in Juneau is drive up to Eaglecrest Ski Area.  It's only a 7-10minute drive from our house, which is incredibly convenient.  Once the snow hits, this area is open for skiing (my preference) and snowboarding (Cody's preference).  There are tons of "alpine trails" for your winter sport enjoyment during the cold season.  Prices are expensive but that's pretty typical for skiing and snowboarding.  During the summer, Eaglecrest is a popular hiking spot and when the berries start coming in it is the best place to go picking (seriously-DELICIOUS blueberries).  I'd highly recommend a trip up to this beautiful place at any time of the year.  You can check out more about it here.

Cody and I headed up to Eaglecrest this weekend for a hike and we snapped some pictures.  The views were spectacular! The temperature kept us from hiking/exploring for too long though.  It was in the upper 20's and neither of us had busted out our winter gear yet (wishful thinking that it might be warm a bit longer).

The weather at Eaglecrest varies, much as it does in the rest of SE Alaska.  It will finally open (officially) for the year after the snows get deep enough for winter sports.  The opening date changes from year to year.  To show the extremes, I've included a picture from last year at Eaglecrest in November (knee-deep snow drifts) to compare to this year in November (no snow and sunshine).

Only in Alaska ;)

Questions:
What kind of weather are you experiencing?
Do you enjoy winter sports? 

Things To Do In Juneau: Hangar On The Wharf

Hangar on the Wharf is a local eatery in Juneau.  However, the building known as the "wharf" also houses tour companies, fishing adventures, and is the location of both the sea-plane and cruise ship docks.  This can be a beautiful area to stroll in on a pleasant day…

As you can see, when went there this weekend it was not-so-plesant.  That's Juneau for you... it is a rainforest so the rainy weather is pretty typical.  Personally, I don't mind the rain and find it to be just as beautiful in the fog and drizzle.

Back to the Hangar.  We enjoy eating here occasionally.  The prices are a little spend-y compared to other Juneau restaurants. As a vegetarian they do have a few (3-4) good options but they definitely don't cater specifically to "our crowd."

At the Hangar you will definitely be paying for the atmosphere and location.  The restaurant is right on the water and has incredible views.  During the summer you are up-close and personal with the cruise ships and throughout the year you can watch the sea planes dip into the water while you dine.  I recommend trying this place out if you are in town.  It's quite beautiful and has that Alaskan-vibe.  Plus, when you finish eating you can walk down the hall and book a flight to the glacier! Woo!

Questions:
Do you enjoy going out to eat on vacation? 
What is your favorite restaurant? 

Things To Do In Juneau: Sandy Beach

Well, I have not been blogging much lately…whoops!! In an effort to re-immerse myself in blogging and the blog-community I am hoping to tackle this weekly (or bi-weekly) series.  I want to take some time over the next few months to give a little insight into some of Juneau's best places to visit/things to do in the community.  To start off I want to introduce all of you to…

Sandy Beach! This lovely beach is also known as Savikko Park.  It is located on Douglas Island and is owned by the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ).  You can look at more of the "technical" stuff about the beach/park on the CBJ website.

We love Sandy Beach for a variety of reasons.  It is a huge, lovely, all-sand beach for starters (perfection in my book).  But, the beach is also incredibly dog-friendly.  In fact, it is the closest thing to a dog park that Juneau has to offer.  Saturdays and Sundays the beach is filled with dog-owners strolling along the sandy shores while all the pups play together in the Gastineau Channel.  Our pup, Specks, is quite the fan :)

We also love to visit the historic trails located at the beach. The trails are very easy to hike and you will get the opportunity to traverse through the ruins of Treadwell Mine (a once successful mining operation in Juneau).  Signs can be found on portions of the trail describing different aspects of the mine. There is an incredible amount of history to be found on the trails (as well as the beach).

This site is accessible during all seasons! We have definitely enjoyed it at all points of the year, we even swam in the channel here during the summer!  However, when the Taku Winds blow through town, I'd steer clear.  Gusts can be pretty steady at 60mph, and on a chilly winter day…well, it isn't super pleasant.  All in all, this is a great place to go for a leisurely stroll or hike.  If you are new to town (or just visiting) you can come to Sandy Beach for free (just ask a cabbie to drop you off if you aren't sure of the locale).  Hope to see you there :)

Questions:
Are you interested in any of Juneau's attractions?
Where do you take your doggy to play?