Rock Dog

Valley is my Rock Dog. She's my choice to lead me through boulder and rock fields, which is not an easy task. If she pulls too hard I lose balance and fall, possibly resulting in injury. If I don't move fast enough, she can't maneuver and loses her way. Keep in mind, she is leading through all this. She picks the route and sets the pace. I follow.

Those boulders are bigger than she is.


even the small ones are a challenge, they get really slippery when wet.


After the boulder field taking a well earned break.


Valley, best rock dog I ever had.

Three Ridges Two Valleys

The low snow year has made the high country accessible earlier than in past years. Its a full month ahead of last year when late March and Early April snowstorms left alot of snow on the ground.

Sunburst Ridge on the left, Sunnyside on the left and way back there covered in snow is Silvertip . Below her is Turnagain Pass and of course in the foreground is Valley. Three Ridges and two Valleys :)


Oh boy does she love to run!


Valley always happy to be out!

The Big One One

Memorial Day Weekend it was Jago's 11th Birthday, the Big One One. We celebrated the best way I know how with a malamute and that's to go outdoors and enjoy it. So it was, three days of fun.

We started out the weekend, hiking towards Williwaw Lake.


Looking good for a girl of 11


Memorial Day weekend is considered the first day of summer around here and you can see why, the snow is still around, and its not even green up high.



Sunday we decided to hike up from McHugh Creek along the Seward Highway, boy was it hot!

Overlooking Turnagain Arm and Hope Point.


We took a half hour nap here and you can see where Jago parked, right on the snow bank with her head on the tundra. Pretty good spot if you ask me.


Sharing the trail with Valley. There is so little snow this year we could have hiked through this valley back towards the house. That usually opens up several weeks later in the season.


Monday we hiked out to Rabbit Lake. This hike normally takes 4 hours round trip, today in the heat, stopping to take breaks at every snow bank, it took 7 hours.



We ran into our past-governor Tony Knowles and his wife Susan. They saw us stopped on a snow bank resting. After hiking 4 miles, out to the lake and returning they found us about a quarter mile down the trail from where they originally spotted us. we were moving that slow. You've seen the bumper sticker, "We stop at River Crossings", ours would have been "We stop at snow banks".