It was still snowing on Thursday morning when we woke up. I made us breakfast then headed out on my cross country skis while Gaelen took his biard and went up to the mountain. I skied the streets of Girdwood; Davos, Cortina, Brighton and Aspen over to the Red Field where I crossed over into Moose Meadows.
The groomed track was under 8″ of snow and I followed in the footsteps of a snowshoer through the meadow. No mountains visible, just falling snow and the BOOM of the avalanche guns. Behind the resort I found a map of the nordic trails and skied the Blue Meadow Lop to the Arlburg Rd Extension and then followed a Cat Track back to the tram terminal and the hotel.
I did a walk trhu of the hotel and then skied the bike path back to the house. It wasn’t even 11:20 am when I got back and I took off my wet clothes and took a hot shower before eating breakfast. Gaelen came in for lunch at 1:30pm and while he was here Colleen and Ambiana and Jakobi called. They are going to Chicago for the weekend. Tami and Blaide stopped by to pick up his phone which he left last night and we made plans for chili dinner at her house on Saturday.
The snow cleared out and Gaelen headed back to the mountain while I walked Timberline to Vail to Alpine to Timberline to Virgin Creek where I crossed the deep snow over the creek to the shrine and hid a jar of special spice for Emma.
I then built a small cairn to re-christen the shrine. I also found one of the rocks I have left year over the past 30 years and pocketed it. I took a drink from the stream and then hiked above the falls but there is so much snow you can’t even see the creek.
The clouds had lifted and the mountains were out in all their glory so I decided to walk back and admire them. As I approache dAlpine a schoolbus unloaded and what must have been 20 kids made their way past me to their homes on the last strecth of Timberline. I don’t remember ever seeing so many kids living back here. There’s no way one could dwell in the woods back here anymore.
Back at the Alyeska Highway I decided to go take a look at the new library. There are some very funny book titles in the tiled bookcase art display in the foyer where a donation got the donor a book title on the wall. The library is huge with not 2 but 20 computers. It is very nice G’wood has definitely grown. big. Lots of families, less dirt bag hippies.
Back home I made dinner and Gaelen came home at 6:15 pm soaking wet and in awe of the mountainous view from the top of Alyeska revealed by the lifting of the storm.
Spencer drove down and bought me a stout at the brewery which is just a big open room that sells only beer and closes at 8 pm. I had envisioned a warmly lit cozy timber-framed log cabin style decor with food and drink but it was the complete opposite. And the stout wasn’t any good either.
various views of Alyeska from around town
