Some Wisconsin stoke

So the picture quality is a bit rough, but it's good enough to tell that Tom is ripping lip out of the great lakes and I'm not.

This might be just the inspiration I need to put the skis away for a couple days, grab the pooch, and flog the water.  Stay tuned; a trip report will follow.

Sheep!

When I tell people I live in Anchorage, they often make the mistake of thinking I live in Alaska.  Sadly, I do not.  I live 20 minutes from Alaska.  However, now that the days are getting longer 20 minutes isn't so bad.  Here's what went on after work yesterday:

Karta, showing Evan and I the way up:

Go go gadget zoom (there actually were three):

Self-shot by The Wife looking out over Turnagain Arm:

Doug getting after it:

Evan, not afraid of refreezing sun-baked mush:

Karta and I pushed on past the rest of the crew to the saddle, eventually getting an up-close-and-personal view of the sheep from above and milking about 2,200 vertical feet out of the day:

It's been snowing off-and-on for the past week, and temperatures have been warming.  We were skiing on 6-8 inches of fresh that had warmed up during the day and was started to refreeze as the evening wore on.  Not bad, all and all.  Of course, the sheep were a great bonus.

Out of the office

I've been traveling a ton over the past few weeks--Juneau three weeks ago, Seattle last week, and now back to southeast.  Of course, not all work travel is bad:

The Wife is coming around

The Wife has always tolerated my fly fishing and skiing addictions, but I never really believed she would fall victim to my same afflictions.  Then, over the past year, she's started to show many of the very same symptoms I've exhibited for most of my life. 

It all started a couple years ago when not long after moving to Alaska she couldn't stop rubbing in the fact that she got out on the water before me.  Things got even more serious this past summer when work kept her on the river and she started showing up on other's fishing blogs. 

Skiing has followed a similar trend, culminating with The Wife ditching me for a day on the slopes after a fresh eight-inch dump a couple months ago.  Things were getting dire.

Then her ailments went to new heights when, after making a low-ball offer on a drift boat on something of a whim, The Wife was legitimately disappointed we drove home without the boat.  If my concern for her well being wasn't so overshadowed by my own desires for a boat I'd have sought serious help for her.

And now, this happened:

Skication

Since I spend most Mondays through Fridays behind a desk, it's important that I make the most of any mid-week day off work.  They are all too rare, and not to be taken lightly.  Here's how I spent my last two. . .

With reports of recent high winds and no new snow in the past several days, Evan and I set out Thursday looking more to explore a new area than get powder turns. 

Here's Evan near the start of our (fortunately windless) tour:

Looking North after a few-hundred-foot climb:

The snow was old and firm anywhere exposed, but was soft and smooth where protected.  This picture, taken on a ridge about 1,900 feet up, shows the old skin track and pole plants left behind after wind blew the surrounding uncompacted snow away--pretty cool to look at, not the best for skiing: 

We stopped just shy of the peak, deciding not to make the final push to the summit since it was wind loaded and crusty.  With hardly a cloud in the sky and almost imperceptible wind, we took our time on the transition.  

Evan, looking East (it's about 2,000 vertical down to the valley):

It was one of those rare times at elevation where everything was calm and comfortable.  I found myself wishing we had lugged up lawn chairs, beers, a grill and some brats.

Me, looking North:

Evan starting the down:

The top was firm, but the mid-mountain snow was awesome and far exceeded expectations:

Looking back at our route, we skied from the ridge on the right of the far center peak, through the shaded trees to looker's left, then toured back through the forest where this picture was taken:

As nice and clear as Thursday was, things took a turn for the worse on Friday.  Not that you can see it, but here's pointing toward the day's line. . .

. . . of course, I could have spent the day sitting behind a desk.