Russian River

The mosquitos and the weather cooperated for the most part and our trip to Russian River was a success. Some confusion about the meetup place in Anchorage resulted in me and Champ making the drive down to the Kenai Peninsula and then hiking in to lower Russian Lake by ourselves. Trail was generally good but there were several spots still covered in snow&ice. Crampons would have been overkill but some grippers would have been nice. There were also two sections which had suffered avalanche damage making it necesary to climb over snow piles but nothing real drastic. Champ enjoyed the avalanche parts immensely taking the time to roll around in the snow while I slowly picked my way through. With his doggie four wheel drive he had me at a distinct disadvantage. I reminded him that without me driving the truck he'd still be in the Valley and that I had all the food so he might as well wait up.

We reached the lake about 1 pm and had the designated camping area to ourselves. We found the most level site and set up camp, then ate lunch and settled down for a nap. Before we could get comfortable, the rest of the group wandered into camp. Four other brave souls were all that made the trip despite almost 20 people committing to come. After introductions they explained that since they had seen a bear track, they were going to stay in the Forest Service cabin for protection. We then spent the afternoon hiking the lake shore and watching Champ (our lone canine) chase ducks. The lake was still 95% covered in ice with just a narrow section near the shoreline ice free. Champ had a blast splashing through the freezing water after the birds. On one occasion he got on top of the ice and ran just a bit above water. As he did so he had a look of utter joy on his face no doubt overly impressed with his ability to walk on water.

As the afternoon progressed we went to the cabin thinking we might get a fire started. The wind was gusting pretty hard and the temperature was in the upper 30's. No sooner had we reached the cabin than the folks who had properly reserved it showed up. The group scrambled to get their gear out and headed back to the tent area. Lucky for me, I was already set up.

The wind continued to blow hard as we ate dinner. Champ wolfed his food down and then crashed while the rest of us ate. We then hit the tents at the early hour of 7 pm, with ample daylight still showing. Just too much wind for sitting around visiting. Oh well, we had a book, an ipod, and had been up since 5 am after going to be at 1 the night before. Champ and I slept okay but by 6 am we were ready to and did get up. Oatmeal and kibble charged our batteries for the hike out. On the way we detoured to a scenic falls and got a

few nice shots. Made it to the truck about noon and then hit the road for Anchorage and the REI sale. Needed a new pair of boots and got a great deal on not one but two pairs. Hopefully, I'll wear em out this summer.

Made it home about 5. Lester was happy to see we were still alive and able to continue feeding and providing him periodic amusement. As I write this Champ is sacked out. As soon as these pictures load, I'll join him.