John and Petra's Alaskan Diary
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8th March, 2002
Lee's Cabin, White Mountains recreational area.
Early in March, with the returning daylight, many people plan a 'Spring Trip' to get out and enjoy some snow touring, timing it to be after the deep cold of winter, and before the thaws of late Spring. While some head to the bush for several weeks at a time, our spring trip was a much more modest weekend away, in a (pre-booked) cabin in the White Mountains recreational area, about 30 miles north-east of Fairbanks.
The trip was planned by Jay and Nancy, two of our Hidden Hill co-residents (see 'Biking the Chena Hot Springs Road' too). Jay and Nancy are 'outdoors' people, and are out as often as they can afford the time. We tagged along after an invitation we couldn't refuse! Also attending were Togiak and Polar, Jay and Nancy's two dogs, who have featured on these diary pages before.
We left Fairbanks about mid-morning Saturday, and drove the first part of the Elliot highway to the White Mountains access. The car park was surprisingly windy, and it was chilly putting on boots etc. as we got ready. Jay and Nancy were quick to gear up, complete with a sled to be pulled by Togiak and Polar, and skied off. We followed a few minutes later. One of us (Petra) being German and used to skis slid along the well formed track with ease, towing a small sled behind. The other (John), being Australian (and perhaps of the 'Captain Scott School of Doing-Things-The- Hard-Way') pulled on his Sorel boots and stomped along beside Petra.
Jay on skis, with Togiak and Polar pulling the sled
Petra skiing and pulling a sledThe tracks are well groomed and maintained by a US government service, and are `multi-use', being open to skiers, walkers, dog-mushers, and snowmobiles. We had a few snowmobiles pass as as we travelled. We always found the mix of two-stroke exhaust and noise as they passed a bit out of place with the otherwise wilderness feel of the area, but at least the snowmobilers were very careful to slow down and pass us slowly when we met.
The trail in was about 7 miles from the car park to the cabin. We had a little bit of overcast weather and snow as we went, but it soon cleared to a mostly sunny Saturday afternoon. The route was fairly flat, only a few gentle hills. John took the sled on a few of the hills, but mostly he wasn't able to take it off me!
As we were en route for the cabin, we were passed by two dog teams. The drivers were Jen, a friend of ours from Fairbanks, and her father. We didn't know they were to be on the trail. Fairbanks is a small place. It's a bit like bushwalking in Tasmania (Australia), you often bump into people you know. We got to the cabin after about 3 pleasant hours of ridge travel. Jay and Nancy were already there. They had tended the wood fire (lit the night before by Dave, Jen's husband, who had had the cabin on Friday night), and had gone off to collect more (dead) timber to keep the fire going for our stay. They arrived back with the wood, proudly pulled by Togiak and Polar, soon after we arrived.
Petra and Jay
Dog teamLee's cabin was very spacious, probably 50% bigger than our cabin at Hidden Hill! Apart from the wood fire, also provided were a Coleman stove and lamp. We felt it was almost like being out from Davis station in an Antarctic field hut again.
We brewed tea and coffee, and talked for a while. Soon we settled down to a concerted effort to devour all the food we brought with us, failing miserably on the second packet of sweet biscuits after the tortellini with peanut sauce, bean chilli, and copious amounts of chocolate.
We played cards, talked, Nancy gave some readings from the (science essay) book 'Life as a Cell', and the night passed peacefully and in a relaxed way. Togiak and Polar appeared to be comfortable just sitting on their rug in the corner of the cabin.
Lee's cabin
Inside - Togiak & Polar on their rugWe elected to sleep on the top-most sleeping platform. This however proved to be uncomfortably warm - so much so that we slept on top of our sleeping bags, in just the cotton liners, despite the -10C temperatures outside.
Sunday morning we awoke to find a fresh sprinkle of snow outside. We slowly got up, breakfasted, talked, and got ready. After a cleanup of the hut, we prepared to move off. Nancy went outside with the dog harnesses. Togiak, knowing what was coming, pretended to notice something in the other direction and slinked off. However, Nancy soon coaxed her back, and all was well.
We set off on the path home. Jay and Nancy, and Togiak and Polar, soon left us behind ("John, you must learn to ski!"). We enjoyed the return trip, in bright sunshine, back to the car and home to Fairbanks.
Preparing to leave - Petra, Jay, Nancy and the dogs
Petra and John enjoying the sun
