One time at Band camp.....

A Box of Puppies







Got the old HJS gang here. Spent a week backpacking with Doc, and just returned from a Denali trip with David Paula TJ Schaey Jacob and Terry W. aka the story lady. Weather was unbelievably nice. Clear and sunny with just a bit of chill in the air. Of course, being from Texas they all froze.

Will try to update this later with more pics and stories. Will take the time now to mention our visit to Husky Homestead, the kennel of four time iditarod champ Jeff King. Got to meet Jeff and his middle girl Tessa, as well as a number of the dogs. Lots of fun and educational too. Who would have thought he trains mushing dogs by having them swim pulling a paddleboat. Of course they wear doggie wetsuits.

Mooseghetti

That was for supper last night. Very much like lean hamburger only with a richer taste. Tomorrow we will see how Moose Tacos compare, and then Wednesday it'll have to be Moose Burgers.

Today the sun is out so I cut and split wood. Should have one cord split and stacked by days end. Way ahead of schedule compared to last year.

The Highlands contingent begins arriving Wednesday night. It'll be two funfilled weeks of backpacking, car camping and fair going whilst they are here. Hope the weather stays decent.

How about those French? Gonna crush the Americans. HaHa.

Bear With Me

Haven't posted any bear pics in awhile so here are a few. The incident of bear human encounters seems higher this summer than last. Lots of hollering about the need for the "gov't" to do something. Here's one vote for them doing nothing to the animals. Its mostly a people problem.

Summertime sum sum summertime

Company is gone and with him the good weather. It rained last night and the forecast calls for a weeks worth of rainy, overcast, cold weather. Lester finally returned after spending the last two days "outside." Must of been some kind of cat protest against the Russian sleeping in his bedroom. Anyway, when he heads inside and does a mini hibernation, you kind of expect crappy weather. The Texas contingent would do well to bring some nice weather with them when they visit later this month. Have some wood ready to split so if the rain stops that will be the day's project. Still pretty sore from Tuesday's hike. The only bad thing about hiking up a steep trail for 41/2 miles and 5200 feet is the trip down. Still fighting a head cold which would probably go away if I quit sleeping outside.

Well then...

Sergei and I had a great visit. After getting him cleaned up and fed Tuesday night, we dayhiked Pioneer Ridge yesterday. Weather was clear and warm as we started up the 4.5 mile climb to the ridge. In about 4 hours we reached the top, having climbed a distance of 5200 feet. A quick lunch was enjoyed as the wind picked up and the temperatures shot downward. Going down was lots quicker, but the knees felt the strain. Champ did his usual extra mileage and slept like a baby last night. Had lots of clouds as we got above treeline but still had a few glimpses of the Knik Glacier. Too bad I forgot the camera.

THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING

Well, actually its just one of them. And to be honest, Sergei has been here long enough that he's part American. That would be the part that likes pancakes. Anyway he's here in between hikes in the Wrangells while uber guide Carl trolls for more clients in Anchorage. Carl is a great guide, seems to always know the easiest way through the willow or alder, and trains his bears to be polite to a fault. I highly recommend him.

Hopefully the weather will allow us a decent day hike, in between resupplying Sergei and washing clothes etc... He's not much for TV but I'm thinking maybe we could rent Red Dawn, or the Rocky episode where he kicks Drago's butt.

POWERLINE PASS BACKPACK

Spent the weekend hiking and camping in Chugach State Park. Friday afternoon, Champ and I hiked Flattop Mountain with a couple of 7 yr olds, their moms and their dogs. Alaska 7 yr olds "boing" alot and stay on trail just slightly more than the dogs. They are crackerjack rock scramblers for sure.





Friday evening we met up with another group for a weekend trip to Green Lake and Powerline Pass. Weather was dry but windy, gusting 20 -30 mph pretty much all weekend. We camped in a beautiful setting just below the pass at Green Lake. Saturday we attempted Avalanche Peak but the wind and the clouds turned us around short of our goal. No worries. Its all good, as they say.



The Moose above actually blocked the trail on our return Sunday morning. His breakfast was more important than our getting home. The middle picture shows the pass. The final pic is Champ taking a midday snooze and making sure none of the other dogs get at his doggie treats.