• Finding Alaska: The Life and Art of Shannon Cartwright
    Finding Alaska: The Life and Art of Shannon Cartwright
    by Shannon Cartwright
  • Trapline Twins
    Trapline Twins
    by Julie Collins
  • Riding the Wild Side of Denali: Adventures with Horses and Huskies
    Riding the Wild Side of Denali: Adventures with Horses and Huskies
    by Miki Collins, Julie Collins
  • Dog Driver: A Guide for the Serious Musher
    Dog Driver: A Guide for the Serious Musher
    by Miki Collins, Julie Collins
  • Two in the Far North
    Two in the Far North
    by Margaret E. Murie
  • Alaska's Wolf Man: The 1915-55 Wilderness Adventures of Frank Glaser
    Alaska's Wolf Man: The 1915-55 Wilderness Adventures of Frank Glaser
    by Jim Rearden
  • Back Tuva Future
    Back Tuva Future
    by Kongar-ol Ondar
  • Cave of the Yellow Dog
    Cave of the Yellow Dog
    starring Batchuluun Urjindorj, Buyandulam Daramdadi, Nansal Batchuluun, Nansalmaa Batchuluun, Babbayar Batchuluun
  • Mongolian Ping Pong
    Mongolian Ping Pong
    starring Hurichabilike, Geliban, Badema, Yidexinnaribu, Dawa (II)
  • Making Great Cheese: 30 Simple Recipes from Cheddar to Chevre Plus 18 Special Cheese Dishes
    Making Great Cheese: 30 Simple Recipes from Cheddar to Chevre Plus 18 Special Cheese Dishes
    by Barbara J. Ciletti
  • Grain-free Gourmet Delicious Recipes for Healthy Living
    Grain-free Gourmet Delicious Recipes for Healthy Living
    by Jodi Bager, Jenny Lass
  • Cooking Alaskan
    Cooking Alaskan
    by Alaskans
  • Stocking Up: The Third Edition of America's Classic Preserving Guide
    Stocking Up: The Third Edition of America's Classic Preserving Guide
    by Carol Hupping
  • The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest: 150 Recipes for Freezing, Canning, Drying and Pickling Fruits and Vegetables
    The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest: 150 Recipes for Freezing, Canning, Drying and Pickling Fruits and Vegetables
    by Carol W. Costenbader
  • Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation
    Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation
    by The Gardeners and Farmers of Centre Terre Vivante
  • Dersu the Trapper (Recovered Classics)
    Dersu the Trapper (Recovered Classics)
    by V. K. Arseniev
  • In the Shadow of Eagles: From Barnstormer to Alaska Bush Pilot, a Pilots Story
    In the Shadow of Eagles: From Barnstormer to Alaska Bush Pilot, a Pilots Story
    by Rudy Billberg
  • Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun
    Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun
    by Velma Wallis
  • Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival
    Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival
    by Velma Wallis
  • Rock, Water, Wild: An Alaskan Life
    Rock, Water, Wild: An Alaskan Life
    by Nancy Lord
  • Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)
    Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)
    by Steve Solomon
  • Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables
    Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables
    by Mike Bubel, Nancy Bubel
  • Beluga Days: Tracking the Endangered White Whale
    Beluga Days: Tracking the Endangered White Whale
    by Nancy Lord
  • Fishcamp Life on an Alaskan Shore
    Fishcamp Life on an Alaskan Shore
    by Nancy Lord
  • The Snow Walker
    The Snow Walker
    starring Barry Pepper, Annabella Piugattuk, James Cromwell, Kiersten Warren, Jon Gries
  • The Fast Runner (Atanarjuat)
    The Fast Runner (Atanarjuat)
    starring Natar Ungalaaq, Sylvia Ivalu, Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Madeline Ivalu
  • Heartland [VHS]
    Heartland [VHS]
    starring Rip Torn, Conchata Ferrell, Barry Primus, Megan Folsom, Lilia Skala
This form does not yet contain any fields.
    « Friendly skies | Main | Snow days - Part II »
    Thursday
    Dec172009

    Hunkering down

    Another winter day, and yet more snow!  I've lost track of how much has fallen with this storm... but when it snows for days it kind of packs itself down as it goes.  So it looks like it's condensed into maybe 20 inches of fresh... which added to the base gives us about 32 inches on the ground.  Not bad, not bad at all.

    Ben and I have had a running joke for years that we might have to divorce to get it to snow again.  The last really great snow year was the year before we met... and 1999 is a long time ago now.  Luckily, we won't have to sign the divorce papers to be able to get out and about in this year's winter wonderland.

    Of course, we could still use some more snow to really cover up the brush, and make travel bombproof.  But we're off to a pretty good start.  I read that yesterday was the largest 24 hour snowfall on record in the month of December in Valdez... 38.7 inches.  Three plus feet is alot of snow in a day.

    Yesterday I had to make a trip down the mountain to post a package, and it was a bit of an adventure.  There was enough fresh snow on the trail that the snowmachine was pushing it up over the cowling, and the road out to the community was churned up by sleds... so much that my four wheel drive struggled a bit.

    Normally I would have just left my truck at the end of community road, but tromping through an extra 1/2 a mile of unset trail with our toddler wasn't appealing- especially since I had strained my mid-back by using a chainsaw overhead to cut trees off the trail.  So I managed make it up to our regular parking place and then used the snowmachine to pack down the road in case I needed to get out for an emergency.

    I think my back needs one more day to heal without heavy work.  If Ben hasn't made it out by tomorrow (he probably won't... there's just no flying in these conditions) then I'll shuttle the truck to the end of the road so we don't get snowed in- if we're not already, that is.

    Today we're just hunkering down... lots of stretching, plenty of tea, and much gazing out the windows at our growing snowpack.  I'm going to have to move a little snow, strategically, to keep things visible and passable, but otherwise- we're hanging around and resting up.  And we're so grateful to be able to do it.

    PrintView Printer Friendly Version

    EmailEmail Article to Friend

    Reader Comments (1)

    Thanks for the beautiful photo :) I'm glad you girls are doing well!

    December 17, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAriana

    PostPost a New Comment

    Enter your information below to add a new comment.
    Author Email (optional):
    Author URL (optional):
    Post:
     
    Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>