I left Flurry at 5pm and drove the back roads of NY, VT and MA to get to Gaelen’s house in Greenfield by 8 pm. We loaded up and drove Rt 2 into Boston arriving at John Farrington’s house at 10 pm where once again we parked the truck in the lot behind his house. It was deja vu as we walked to the Porter Square T station with our bags. The fare machine would not accept our credit card so we were allowed on the subway for free. It was quiet in the city and not at all crowded as we rode the Red Line to the Silver Line to Terminal A at Logan Airport. The Delta counters were unstaffed so we stacked our gear in a corner and I pulled out my sleeping bag and crashed on the floor while Gaelen took advantage of the wifi to do some homework

It was the quietest night I have ever spent at an airport; no announcements every 10 minutes, only the gentle vibrations of the floor buffer driving by. Activity awoke me at 3:45 am and the Delta counters were staffed and people where checking their bags so I awoke Gaelen who was sleeping upright on a bench and we got in line and checked our bags which were free because when I checked us in on the Delta App yesterday I applied and was approved for a Delta Skymiles American Express credit card which gave us one checked bag each and saved us $60 in baggage fees each way,

My combined ski and boot bag weighed 51 pounds so I took out a bag of granola from my boot bag and packed it in my carry on, We breezed through security. They did want to take a look at my yogurt container of breakfast but once again it passed inspection, We now had 2 hours until boarding so I napped on the floor at our gate while Gaelen watched You Tube videos about stock trading.

As the universe would have it a classmate of Gaelen’s, Anna was seated next to us on the plane. It was over 6 hours to Seattle and I passed the time watching Renee Zewellgers Oscar winning performance as Judy Garland in “Judy” which had me tearing up at the end when she sang
Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Gaelen passed the time playing games and chatting with Anna.

Coming into Seattle we had a good view out the window of the Cascades and the snow covered flanks of Mt Rainer looming above the clouds to the South. We had a 2 hours in Seattle before boarding our flight to Anchorage which took us up the coast over more mountains before heading out over the North Pacific. I watched the end of Charlie’s Angel which I had begun on the previous flight and caught up on my sleep.

As we approached Anchorage I eagerly looked out the window as we descended through 2 miles of cloud and when the mountains appeared I tried unsuccessfully to recognize what we were flying over. I did recognize the Cook Inlet when we headed over it and the Kenai Penisula spread out before us. We banked 180 degrees for our approach to the airport. Gusts of wind were coming off the mountains and down Turnagain Arm which rocked the plane several times. The plane abruptly cut off its descent and pulled up and made another 180 degree turn back out over the inlet making me nervous. The pilot came on and said we would have to make another approach. Descents into Anchorage have been scary before and this was no different. We came around for another try and the winds still rocked us. I stared out the window at the approaching ground and willed us to make it and not pull up again. We came in fast and hit the ground hard and the cabin burst into applause and we were safely on the ground in Anchorage. Back in AK!

The airport has had a major makeover in the 14 years since I was last here and is all fancy with stuffed game animals and stonework everywhere. We retrieved our bags and Spencer was waiting for us in his Gold Jeep Cherokee. It was good to see him. He drove us through downtown Anchorage which looks the same except for weed shops on every corner and then to his condo in downtown Anchorage where he lives with his 16 year old daughter Lauren and his adorable dog Iko.

We unloaded our bags and had abeer and caught up and met Lauren who has pink hair. The last time I saw her was 2. We then went to his favorite weed store which is near where Ben and I used to go downtown to score dime bags. Now it is legal to buy and an 1/8th costs $33 including tax.

We then headed to the Mooses Tooth for dinner, I was glad when Lauren decided to join us. The Mooses Tooth has under gone a renovation as well and is now 3X’s the size it was when last I was here. We got a table in back and then walked the space looking for Photon posters among all the 1st tap posters on the wall.

Hatton and his 8 year old son Dexter were the 1st to join us. Soon after came Molly Towner and her 18 year old son Zane. Hugs all around. We drank beer and ate pizza and got caught up through many cross table conversations. It was nice to pull 3 different threads of my AK lives together for a bit. We took a group photo out by the fire-pit and then dispersed into the night.

Back at Spencer’s me and him had a smoke in the basement and he pulled out his guitar and sang Neil Young and then it was off to bed for me on the couch. It felt like midnight but it was only 8 pm. I slept like a log on the the carpeted living room floor while outside the wind howled and the snow fell

It was still dark out when we woke up at Spencers at 8 am and it was dumping snow outside. Spencer had left for work at 6 am but soon after we awoke he returned and cooked potatoes for breakfast. We then loaded up and headed out. Visibility was nil and the roads were snow packed and we saw some cars off the road. We drove south on the Seward Highway to Huffman Rd and the Carrs Supermarket there. This was my go to food supply when I lived in Girdwood being an easy hitch in and out. It too has been remodeled and I spent $113 on food for the next week.

We then drove out of Anchorage on the highway along the Turnagain Arm. The mountains were all shrouded in cloud, the snow turned to rain and all before us was a palate of grays and browns and blacks with silty chunks of ice floating in the arm. We stopped at Beluga Point for the view and so I could make and eat my breakfast before continuing on. There are lots of new buildings in Indian and Bird including a huge Turnagain Arts Center. We stopped at Bird Point where I was hoping to run out to Spyder Island but the pull off was closed and it was all ice and wet, slippery and deep snow so we just headed into Girdwood. COAST Pizza, the Ice Cream Shop and the Alpine Diner are all still at the mini mall at the head of the Alyeska Highway.

Up the Alyeska Highway we drove, back in Girdwood am I, sharing it with Gaelen who was conceived here 20 years ago. Spencer drove us around the new Girdwood townsite; new Post Office, New library and fire station, lots of new condos next to the trailer park on what was the field Ben and I camped in when we first arrived in 1992. The school now has a second story and the Merc has been landscaped so there is no more big puddle for Colleen to wipe out in anymore.

Spencer drove us up Crow Creek Road, past the empty hulk of Max’s, looking for the spot where I spent the winter of 1997. I think I recognized the tree that marked the spot but with all the snow nothing looked familiar.

Out rental would not be ready til 3 pm but we were allowed to drop our stuff in the laundry room so Spencer dropped us there and then headed back to Anchorage to pick is kids up from school. Gaelen and I then walked the icy streets to the day lodge where we signed up for the Choice Pass which is a RFID card which charges my credit card when we board the lift thus bypassing the ticket office and saving us 20% off the ticket price.

The trail map has so many new double black diamonds on the North Face since last I was here it plus some the Headwall and in Glacier Bowl. There is even a summer map with all the mountain bike routes. We then walked Alpine to Timberline dodging the big earthmovers which were pushing the snow off the streets. It looks like there was a big snowfall recently has there is about 3′ of snow on all the roofs and the trees are all snow covered as well. Up Timberline we went past many new big ass fancy ski chalets and a few familiar homes to Virgin Creek Drive which has only 3 houses on it one blocking the access point to the creek that we used 30 years ago when Ben and I camped back here.

We then walked to the end of Timberline to the Virgin Creek Trail and up through the mossy woods to Virgin Creek Falls. Ahhh to finally be back to this most sacred spot in my personal mythology and to share it with Gaelen.

I brought him here in 2002 when Molly and he were visiting and now we are back in winter. The Falls are all frozen and covered in a deep blanket of snow, The shrine grotto on the opposite bank is empty having lost its caretaker when Walt and Tammy moved and being deemed and eyesore by the community cleared.

Gaelen and I held ceremony and talked and talked and talked then headed out of the woods and back down Vail and Timberline where we stopped briefly so I could check out the fancy new Girdwood Chapel. We were soaked by the time we reached Jim Jensen’s former house on the corner of Davos and Donner, the Animal House so called because of the mural of moose and bear that adorn the outside of the lower level. This iconic house which I remember well from my years in Girdwood is to be our home for the next week.

We let ourselves in and were very happy with what we found. Two bedrooms, a full kitchen with utensils, a bathroom and a living room with comfy couch and a big screen TV. We hung our wet clothes on a lamp over the Rennai heater filled the fridge and cupboards with our food and took long hot showers before I cooked us a pasta dinner with red veggie sauce and garlic bread. DRB is just around the corner and I connected with him via FB and he stopped by after dinner for a visit.

I’ve known DRB since I arrived in G’wood in 1992 so he knows all the skinny on everyone. Lots of people have passed; Harvey from the Denali Cooks, Matt Gay, Ben’s friend from Toledo, Dano of the Bake Shop, Photonz manager Danny. Lots of people are elsewhere in AK and a few are still here. He gave us each a DRB treat and we fired up an apple. It was good to see him. G’wood is different but it feels familiar, like Hawai’i it feels “normal” to be here as I spent the better part of 13 years here. I does not feel like ‘boy I wished I still lived here’ though VT is definitely my home now,

G listened to our conversation and answered the few questions lobbed his way He told me earlier he had been practicing the answers to the “What ar you going to do when you graduate H.S? question he knew he would be asked. After DRB left we vegged to a hyper tamped Netflix action flick and by 11 pm were ready for bed