First, Zoya executed a customary nose-pick.
The view is spectacular any time of year.
One of the trails was closed because of recent bear activity. Apparently, some salmon have been seen there recently in spite of the cold temperatures. We found plenty of bear tracks to prove it.
I love how the water in this picture forms a map of Alaska.
Finally, we made it to the cabin.
We roasted marshmallows over a fire (a first for the kids).
The cabin is quite comfy. Here are the kids on top of the "bunk," a long slab of wood along the wall. This tiny place can sleep 8.
Volunteers stock an ample supply of firewood for the wood-burning stove. I was surprised at how warm and cozy the cabin is and immediately upon entering thought 2 words: Writing retreat.
Me and the kidlet~~what a trooper! Not a peep out of her once, other than to sing occasionally to the wilderness around her.
In retrospect, this hike kicked our cold Alaskan butts, not because it was particularly long but because we're rather out of shape! The twins whined most of the way back. The trail was clearly marked but by 3 in the afternoon the sky already had grown darker and I felt anxious. We were alone at that point. I worried about getting lost, not in the rational way that should have been tempered by the clearly marked trails and signs, but by the irrational mothering self who imagines us huddling together on the cold icy ground for the night due to some flukish wrong turn. (I suppose this possibility would have to coincide with my cell phone happening to die at exactly that moment as well.)
I had to silence my mantra of "Keep walking!" and slow it down. We stopped to listen to the utter silence. We found a place to sit down for a few minutes and rest our legs. Then, we improvised a walking song to get us back to the lodge. I should more often take the advice we give to the kids everyday: "Stop. Breathe. Think."
Looks like it was a really fun time. I've only been out to the nature center a handful of times and never went hiking back there.othing
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