North Pole, Alaska

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Snowing.  Heavy cloud cover today. 2:30 PM.  Chilly.

Chena Hot Springs. Fairbanks, Alaska

En route.  Sunrise, 10:30 AM.  Mile 50 on Chena Hot Springs highway.  -23 degrees fahrenheit! - see the frost on my hair in the picture below.

In the outdoor geothermal natural rock bed.  Scent of sulphur, exposed hairs quickly frozen.

Miscellaneous shots from the resort grounds.

Granite Mountain

Kirsten and I headed out early this morning for a hike up Granite (exit 47 off I-90).  We turned back at about 4,400 feet because of low visibility and wind/ice.  Plus, we weren't exactly sure where we were going and didn't have enough warm gear with us to feel comfortable navigating the unknown.   Winter has arrived in the mountains!

Nome, Alaska

Pictures taken September 22-25, 2011.

test hike #2

Mt. Si, North Bend, WA.  Today.  Total hike time was 2:15 minutes.  The trip up (4 miles) took me 1 hour and 27 minutes.   Rainy morning.  I left Seattle in the dark, around 6 AM.   Returned home shortly after 10 AM.    

My body surprised me; I was not expecting to move as quickly as I did.  A weakness I identified last summer during climbing is my speed.  The type of training I did led me to develop reliable endurance.  I would like to be a rope leader next season.  If I am to share responsibility for the safety of inexperienced climbers, I want to be able to move faster than I currently do while carrying more weight than I did last season (in the event I need to carry someone else's weight, participate in a rescue, etc.).

Test hike

I hiked/ran the Mailbox Peak trail on Sunday to time how long it would take me, in preparation for a 'Three Peak Challenge.'  My cousin Kaylee told me that she and some friends did a climb of each Mailbox Peak, Mt. Si, and Rattlesnake Ledge in one day last year.

   I left the trailhead at 6:36 AM, and returned at 9:56 AM.

Fall colors near the summit.