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2011/2012
by: Tim Kelley
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Late February 2012:
Beluga Slough |
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19 February 2012:
Finding Some Early Season
Crust Skiing |
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Mid February 2012:
Willow Area Trails ... Done. |
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Mid February 2012:
Now I Know Where Neil Lake
Is |
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Mid February 2012:
Checking Off The Last WTC
Trails ... Almost |
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05 February 2012:
Matanuska River Floodplain
Exploring |
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31 January 2012:
First Ski on a First-Ever
Groomed Trail |
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For the first
time ever the trail to Beluga, across a remote section of a gas
line right of way from
the West Channel of the Big Susitna River to the gas field houses
at the north end of the Beluga road system, is being groomed.
This grooming is being done by a guy who lives in Beluga and
does a lot of freight hauling out there. He recently
bought a trail groomer and now there is a buffed-out groomed
trail south of the base of Mount Susitna. I've been skiing
this trail for 20 years and never imagined that it would be
groomed one day.
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22 January 2012:
Checking Out The "New" Trail
Eleven |
The Big Lake
Trails (BLT) association has groomed snowmobile trails in the
Big Lake area for years. But as of this year Pat Daniels,
operating as Alpine General Services, has been grooming some
outlying old seismic line trails that BLT's big snowcats can't
easily navigate. Pat has been grooming with a snowmobile
and drag. Lots of people have been raving about how good
his grooming is so I had to go see for myself. I was
impressed. I skied Trail 11 that runs 11 miles from near
Crooked Lake to the Big Susitna River and it was just plain
gorgeous. I started
this ski at the Mat-Su parking lot at the end of Ayshire Road at
Point Mac. Skating out the Little Su Access Road I found
Trail 14, which I classic skied north and connected to
Trail 11. I then skate skied to the Big Su, then
skated across Flathorn Lake to the Gasline Trail and back to the
parking lot. If you want to give Trail 11 a try, or do
other loops on BLT trails, here is BLT's
trails web
page.
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GPS track: 44 miles. |
The start of BLT
Trail 14 on the Little Su Access Road. You have to pay
attention or you will miss it. |
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BLT Trail 14 heading
north. Nice classic skiing. |
BLT Trail 11, near
east end of the trail. |
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Trail 11 - buffed
out. |
There are some hills
on Trail 11. You can see the trail heading west towards
the Big Su. |
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Gorgeous trail. |
BLT Trail 11 is also
called the Cranford Trail. Don't make trail signs out of glulam, porcupines and bears like the taste of glue! |
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This shrew heard me
coming and curled up in a ball. Good thing I wasn't a
coyote, wolf or an owl. |
The Big Su where
Trail 11 meets the river. This is about a mile plus north
of Susitna Station. |
A trail marker,
blowing snow and sunset on Flathorn Lake. |
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Winter light is the
best. Get out and enjoy it. |
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Mid January 2012:
Recent Photos That Depict
Our Winter So Far ... |
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Cold. |
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Snow. |
Snow and wind. |
Snow. |
Wind and snow. |
This isn't the first
time we've had a harsh winter in Anchorage. |
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