Fresh Tracks

Well not the fresh tracks that first come to mind, but tracks none the less. Earlier in the week we had our first decent snowfall and on the first clear day we went for a hike down in Portage. Portage is about 15-20 minutes east of here just before Whittier and it's just a collection of camp grounds and a trail that runs next to the road for a few miles.

Along the way we came across all sorts of tracks all pretty much within a quarter mile of each other. They all looked pretty fresh, but the only animals we actually saw were a bunch of different eagles. The tracks range from bear, moose, rabbit, eagle and a critter's tracks that end with a swoop of an eagle. Oh, and of course, Mako tracks.

AK Cribs

Here's our version of MTV Cribs:

It's been a little while since we've set the house up and we're feeling pretty comfortable in it now. The layout is a one bedroom/one bathroom with a loft.

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It's a quirky little place that's about 6 or 7 years old now.

The landlord lives in Washington and would come up over weekends and time off to build it. The place was supposed to be his Alaskan getaway, but it never really happened. We're actually the first people to live in it. When we first moved in some of our neighbors would drive by pretty slow to check us out, since they were surprised to see anyone in the place.

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Here are some interior shots. The only big additions we made since moving here were a couch and a TV. Everything else we brought up from the "Lower 48." We updated the TV in order to save space and opted for a smaller couch. It seems to work so far. We set the master bedroom in the loft since the views are ten times better than the bedroom. That means the spare bedroom is set up for anyone who wants to visit; I guess that means we're now open for reservations!

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Probably the best part of the cabin is the view. You can't put up pictures without including one, so here a shot from the deck. You can kinda see the same glacier through the upper left window from the loft picture.
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Long story short, it's a great little place and we'd love to have everyone over. If you're not really a skier we'll forgive you, but come on up next summer. There's lots to do!

Beautiful Day

The sun came out today; the temperature was about 50 degrees and I had the afternoon off. These are the ingredients for a hike in the making. Ok, so I have a lot of afternoons off these days, but the sun was out.

Here are some pictures of the Bird Point trail next to Seward Highway on the Turnagain Arm along with pictures of the Beaver Pond Trail. There are also a few shots of Mt. Alyeska.