The Ski, as I will hereafter refer to it, began at 8:15 am on March 18th, 2014. Snow conditions were icy and patchy, but the thin layer of snow over the ice made it doable, thanks to a dumping of 12-24 inches of snow earlier this week (where all the snow went I have no idea).
The first 3.5 miles I did skijoring with Sadie, my husky, and we got off to a rocky start. For those who don't know, this is where you are skiing behind your dog, and they are attached to you with a harness, and can pull you (See pic)
Although Sadie was intent on continuing in that direction, I made an executive decision not to, and we double-backed to go the other way.
Sadie and I have been chased by moose while jogging, but she has a short-term memory. On the occasion we were chased, we were lucky enough to get rescued by a mom in a minivan. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride in the interest of self-preservation.
In addition to working with turtles as a field biologist, I also work with captive wolves as a zookeeper and educator at The Alaska Zoo. As a side note, and because most people love dogs and wolves, I have decided to include a couple pics of Sadie and a few pics of her closely-related ancestral brethren, the wolf, for comparison.
Sadie
Denali (Alpha Male Wolf)
Lucky (Omega Female Wolf)
Aside from the obvious differences in the eye color, the two canid subspecies are quite similar morphologically. What does not come across from the pics are that both Denali and Lucky are around 100 pounds, and easily over twice the size of Sadie, who is 45 pounds. The wolves' features are much more exaggerated, too. Longer snout, much longer, lankier limbs, and huge paws. Not to mention their teeth. Behaviorally, there are similarities, as well. Those who own huskies are likely aware of the very vocal growling during playing typical of the breed. It can sound like they're killing each other, but if you watch closely tails are usually in the air, and they are not actually biting. Wolves exhibit this behavior, as well. Wolf play, as with dogs, can escalate to a fight.
Luckily, wolves are not common in the Anchorage area (Although they do inhabit nearby areas including Elmendorf Air Force Base). More often than not, they choose to avoid people. Bears are not really a concern at this time of year either, because they are still hibernating. So Sadie and I are content to be concerned only with moose, and other people sharing the trail. But back to the skiing...
After 3.5 miles, I dropped Sadie off, and continued alone on the Coastal Trail. This is an 11 mile trail that continues along Cook Inlet, and offers some spectacular views along the way. It then runs into Kincaid Park, which has even more trails, some of them quite challenging (as I would soon find out). And to add to the drama, Kincaid is infamous for it's ill-tempered moose, which occasionally charge hikers and skiers. Many people are very fearful of Alaskan bears, which should be respected, and we always carry bear spray, but moose can be just as dangerous (This is especially true during calving season, which is around May when Sadie and I were chased by a female).
Above is a trail map of Kincaid Park. There's no way I could get lost right? OK, so I got lost briefly, but, it didn't matter, bc I needed to rack up some miles skiing anyway. Man, there were some steep inclines here. See the red trails, that means advanced, that's also where I got lost. Good workout anyway.
Once I finally got to the top of a steep rise, I could see the way back to the Coastal Trail, and the ski back down was worth the climbing. On a clear day you can see Denali from the Coastal trail. But this is what it looked like yesterday.
Clouds are usually the reality of what you see when viewing Denali. But here is what the mountain looks like on a mostly clear day from Wonder Lake, North of the mountain. I definitely encourage anyone visiting Alaska to camp at Wonder Lake inside Denali National Park, it has arguably the best view of Denali in the state. At just over 20,000 ft. in elevation, Denali is the tallest peak in North America. I will not be skiing this anytime soon.
At Mile 13.1 (halfway), I took a pic of myself. In the words of the immortal Jimmy Connors, don't worry, I don't feel as bad as I look.
Then it was smooth skiing along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet. Cook Inlet is named for Captain James Cook (yes, he came here too). Apparently he was trying to find the opening to the Northwest Passage route sailing up the Turnagain Arm, and he kept saying "turn again" giving rise to the name. Captain William Bligh of HMS Bounty fame, and a sailing master aboard Cook's vessel, gave Turnagain the name.
Below is Sleeping Lady, a landform that looks like a sleeping lady from some angles, near the Susitna River as seen from Mile 19 on the Ski. There is also a Sleeping Lady brewery in Anchorage. I recommend the Braveheart Scottish Ale. An ale sounded pretty good at this point.
Sleeping Lady is also known as Mount Susitna, and while I have never climbed it, a friend of mine from Fish and Game attempted it with some coworkers. He did not reach the summit, and told me it was wild and overgrown with few if any trails leading to the top. I plan to give it a go someday anyway, cause that's how I roll.
After mile 19, I continued back along the Coastal trail which leads back toward Anchorage, and my original point of departure, Earthquake Park. This park is named after the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, which destroyed a good part of Anchorage, and measured a staggering 9.2. The second largest ever recorded on a seismograph. Houses on the land in Earthquake Park slid into Cook Inlet, and were destroyed. 139 people were estimated to have lost their lives, many in Tsunamis that rocked Kodiak,Seward, Whittier, and other coastal areas of Alaska. Some waves were gigantic, and left large ships stranded inland when the water receded. Alaska is a beautiful place, but the geology that shapes it can be explosive and violent.
From Earthquake Park, I was scheduled to rendezvous with my wife, Rachel, who kindly brought me a resupply of water, and another round of Sadie-assisted skiing. I thought it would only take me 30 min to reach her, but at mile 22, I began to hit a bit of a wall, and the icy conditions of the snow melting in the afternoon sun were not helping. During this stretch I was passed by a jogger, who looked to be in his seventies. I had to restrain myself from yelling after him "how are you doing, sir? I am on mile 22, just so you know." Seriously, though, that is impressive, and I hope I can be doing that when I'm his age.
It took me 45 min to reach her at Westchester Lagoon, by which time, I was in great need of the husky. Thankfully, she was ready to go again. I have found that the recovery time of Siberian huskies is very quick, and as I write this, I am quite envious.
This is actually a pic of her from last winter, but it demonstrates her fondness for the snow. We still had about 3.5 miles to go once we met up at the lagoon, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. It is interesting how differently cross-country skiing works out your muscles compared with running. Your hips, and upper quads are greatly stressed, as well as your shoulders and back. However when I run, my calves and lower quads bear the brunt of the burden (Some of you may have different experiences). While cross-country skiing is excellent exercise, It does not have the impact and pounding on the joints that running causes. Although I enjoy both forms of exercise, I find running to be slightly more difficult, particularly because you can glide on skies.
Sadie is preparing for battle by consuming some snow. She does this during the skiing, as well. Well, off we went on the home stretch, and she was on her A-game. It worked out just how I planned, with her giving me the extra boost I needed at this point. To be honest, she turned around to look back at me a couple times as if to say, "Why are you so slow right now?" But the dog is bred to pull, and she got her fill of that over the last couple miles, with me helping as best I could. We finally crossed the finish line, completing a little over a marathon to get back to Rachel.
Rachel and I then took Sadie home, gave her some well-earned treats, and then Rachel treated me to some Moose's Tooth pizza, which also must be tried by any Alaska tourists.
If you have not yet had the opportunity, and would like to support the Turtle Survival Alliance, you may still make a donation at http://www.crowdrise.com/SkiingForTurtles/fundraiser/timothylescher
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this blog, and a very special thank you to all of the Skiing For Turtles donors. Your generosity will make a difference in our combined efforts with the Turtle Survival Alliance to study and conserve the Javanese Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle, and other endangered species of turtles in Indonesia.
Terima kasih banyak,
Tim Lescher
