There were watermelon berries aplenty:
This is P, on the initial ascent that got us to the above group photo spot:
And me, having passed my camera to P:
The scenery was stormy and green and very beautiful:
This rocky traversal is my least favorite part of the trail:
Lunchtime!
Across the valley, we could see the glacier that flows down from Denali:
Denali briefly showed itself above the clouds, but I didn't take a photo.
Walking, walking:
Linden stopped to rest:
And Autumn:
A light drizzle followed us all evening. As we arrived at a good camping spot, a wind started to build up as well. We pitched and staked our tents in a hurry, then cooked and ate in the rain. Then, not having any other shelter, we retreated to our tents at about 8 p.m. I listened to the rain and hoped it would be gone by morning, even as it continued to worsen. Autumn and Linden snuggled up against me, putting me promptly to sleep, until a gust of wind whanged one side of the tent, pressing the wall against my face. I was quite unhappy with the weather gods, but the tent popped right back up, and remained dry on the inside, so I figured Marmot was better than the weather gods for the time being. This event repeated itself several times through the night, but all in all, we were warm and dry and comfy inside.
I awoke in the morning to the storm still storming, and I had never in my life been so disinclined to get up. Even the dogs, who normally pop out of the tent as soon as I open the zipper, remained snuggled against me for the eleventh hour of rest:
Finally, I unzipped the tent, reached outside for my toothbrush, and brushed my teeth from my bag, spitting carefully into the edge of the vestibule. Then I rebraided my hair, put in my contacts, and pondered. You see the dilemma--if I wanted to get up, I'd have to put on my rain pants, jacket, and boots, which would promptly get all wet, and I wouldn't be able to go back into my little orange sanctum without stripping them all off again. So getting up would be a commitment, and did I want to be the first to do it? I looked at my watch. It was 6:45. I decided I'd wait until 7. I knew for certain that M would be up by then, and her company was a gracious plenty for breakfast for me. So we emerged:
Soon the whole camp was up:
It was drizzly all through lunch the next day:
The muddy sections were quite so, and I sloshed mud everywhere:
It was still beautiful, even though our view of Denali was blocked by clouds:
This is the ominously named Giardia Creek. Worse, I think, than Bitch Creek:
I probably wouldn't drink from it, even with my filter!
And a lovely waterfall:
When we returned to town, I was duly informed that while we were being rained upon, wondering why we had left gorgeous sunshine in Fairbanks for this, a fire had been pouring smoke into said sunshine. So then I felt less bad. Schadenfreude! I haz it.
Observations I Made During This Trip:
1) My dogs are, sadly, starting to show their age (13). They no longer dart around exploring with the younger dogs, preferring instead to walk sedately down the trail with me.
2) I should do product testing and/or endorsement for Marmot. I am ever so impressed with my sleeping bag, my tent, my rain pants, and everything I have ever owned that they make. To sleep--warm, dry, and comfortable--through that storm is an amazing thing indeed. I think I'd be an ideal endorser, because I am:
* Alaskan ("Marmot tents can handle Alaskan weather!")
* A woman ("Even widdle ol' I can lug around Marmot's ultra-light bags and tents!")
* Not particularly bright ("I struggle to lace my boots correctly, but my Marmot tent is so simple that I can set it up in five minutes flat!")
Marmot!! Are you listening? Send me your new products! I will test and endorse them!
3) Backpacking in large groups, pros: It's like a mobile cocktail party. You get to circulate around and chat with different people. You also get to hike with your own mouth shut while eavesdropping on multiple interesting conversations at once. Also--more shared food!
4) Backpacking in large groups, cons: It can take a long time to do anything. For example, after I was packed and ready to leave camp Sunday morning, after I had breakfasted and packed up, I then proceeded to stand and wait in the cold drizzle for forty-five minutes for the last stragglers to break camp. Ayiii! I was cold!
6 comments:
What an adventure! This means, however, that we must never ever go camping with you because we are slow, ungainly, and awkward campers. It is an Olympic feat for us to set up a tent in 5 minutes!
Those are some great photos, and interesting to hear about the doggies aging and getting less curious. Despite their old age, they are doing pretty well! Any signs of rheumatism or aches/pains? How are their teeth?
Was this last weekend? Where was Mudder? And practical question: did you hold your pee for 12 hours + in the tent? Or did you pee in a tupperware?
Never mind. I forgot M was back last weekend! But I still have the 2nd question.
I am also deeply grateful to Marmoth and your wise choice of purchasing it. Please be wise with your health too.
B worried about your kidney and bladder because health always should come before fun.
@b: For some reason, I just didn't have to pee. I did worry about it (had I been drinking enough water? was I dehydrated?), so the following morning, I made sure to drink an entire liter of water. I then peed three times in the following hour, so apparently I wasn't all that dehydrated! I think my body must just have shut down from being tired; I had gotten up at 5:30 the previous morning!
@Rena: The only signs of aging they show (besides a general slowing down) is that they sometimes make moany-groany old lady noises, and sometimes, when they are standing around, their legs tremble. But my vet says that they are still good for as much running and hiking as they want, and to let them be the judges of their own abilities.
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