last ski

I went back to Hutlinana hot springs with Kristen and Ned - it's such a cool spot it was fun to go back even though i was just there 2 weeks ago. Caz's first camping trip - she did great!


 

rosie

Most days you pass caribou or moose on the remote roads in alaska, not woman running around the world! yesterday we passed this woman - rosie - on our way back to Fairbanks. Totally amazing, check out her story - http://www.rosiearoundtheworld.co.uk. She is a spitball of energy, in great spirits despite having a frostbitten toe and broken rib. She's been travelling in Alaska for months - 800+ miles, but this was the first road she had hit. Totally amazing story.... very inspiring woman... 

ouch!!

 

caz and turtle

this angle is deceptive, makes caz look much bigger than she really is. but yup the photo demonstrates she's got a perfect sit-stay already at 6 weeks old - that's my dog :) . martin and i went for a run at this trailhead today, lots of snow here still but things are melting fast this week...

Happy Easter!

Dea made us this awesome amazing Polish meal for Easter. Dea provided the amazing food and Caz provided endless entertainment - a great easter. Check out the adorable photos and the cool story about the wolves on Dea's blog. Stac, Dea, and Matias

 

Caz's first ski trip

We went to ellie and jeff's farm in Delta this weekend, and the pup didn't get eaten by any of the big dogs nor the goats - so it was a good weekend. It was a beautiful ski, near the CASTNER glacier - hence her name officially became CAZ. not pipit, frida, tazlina...

1st measurements - she's 12 inches tall when sitting up, only 5 lbs, and I think 6 weeks old now.
her first best friend - tecate. note tecate is a SMALL dog... 

big news!!!

 

Hutlinana hot springs

we went to hutlinana this weekend - definitely one of the better kept secrets of fairbanks. a bit of a drive from fairbanks but an easy ski in to a totally undeveloped natural hot springs. we camped out just one night there, it was pretty cold (super windy) so we spent most of the time in this little pool of hot water - it was really wonderful!

nick made a super yummy castillene pasta dish over the open fire.
trish on the ski in. 

spring in the white mtns

absolute best thing about living in Fairbanks - is having the white mountains so close in the spring. the trails are great for skate skiing, there's an awesome cabin network, and once you get a few miles out you're just lost in this immense landscape. just spent 3 days out there, a few days just me and nobel (stac's dog) and then my friend Kristen met me for last night. Kristen was staying out for another 3 nights, meeting up with her hubby Ned, and going out to a cabin 30 miles in (and she's 5 months pregnant - super impressive!) here's a few pics, but it's hard to take good pictures out there, the views are just too much for my little camera. just got back today, showered and got a beer, and now heading out on another ski trip to Hutlinana hot springs with my friends nick and trish tomorrow. loving this unemployment thing (but can somebody please send money??)
and just got some more good news - the first chapter of my thesis will be published in the journal The Condor in August! Finally!!
early morning fog in the valleys.


Eleazar's cabin, stayed there the second night. great northern lights that night. you can see the trail going a long ways out - i skied this trail 20 miles out to borealis cabin the first night. 

ski to nenana

martin and i skied the river from fairbanks to nenana on saturday. i'm not sure the exact mileage, if you drive the road it's 55 miles, i think it's a bit less direct to take the river. it took us 7 hours, a long ass day even if it was a totally gorgeous day. i was loving it the first few hours - haven't felt this happy in a long time - skiing in a tank top and feeling strong. but then the legs got tired, the headwind picked up, and i started to think we had gotten off on a wrong slough and must be in Canada by now! but we made it... martin was extremely patient with my whining, our friend tawna meet us there with food (thanks!!), and i guess it didn't hurt too bad cause now i'm leaving again tomorrow on another ski trip. spending a few days in the white mountains just north of fairbanks. it's my absolute favorite time of year here, for obvious reasons....