Today the temperature was still only about 0-3 degrees. I experimented with using a turtle fur this time. I don't think that is the official name for it, but it is basically a piece of fleece sewn like a very wide collar that goes around your neck, but wide enough to pull up over your mouth and nose if you need to. I still wore my scarf, also, which kept my chest area warm. I probably won't use the turtle fur again because it kept me almost too warm, and when I pulled it up over my mouth, it created enough moisture that when I took them off after the hike, the turtle fur and scarf were both pretty wet. They also caused moisture build-up on my ruff, which turned to frost, as you will see in one of the pictures below.
As noted in it's name, this loop goes around Johnson Lake. Here is a map of the areas trails. I tried to find a map that tells the distance of the trail, but to no avail. Using the legend in this map, it looks like it's about a 3 mile hike. The snow wasn't too deep, and there had been a few people out hiking and skiing on the trail, so we didn't have to blaze the trail in the snow. But snow walking is always a bit more laborious than without snow. From the parking lot, you have to hike through the farm buildings of the Matanuska Experiment Farm. We started out the loop going to the right, and that side of the lake was pretty level, not much variation in terrain. Then you come to a hill at the far end of the lake, and it opens up to beautiful views of the mountains. Turning to the other side of the lake, it was a bit more hilly. Both sides were lightly wooded, opening up at the end of the lake.
Things we saw - another woodpecker, frozen lake, sunrise, lots of farm equipment and farm buildings. The hike took us about 2 hours. It was a little more difficult because we kept Baxter on the leash the whole time. In the Farm area, a leash is required, but by the time we hiked past the farm area, the latch for the leash was frozen closed, so we couldn't let him off the leash. Baxter likes to round us up. He likes to run up ahead, then come back and circle behind us to hurry us along. He was not as happy to be stuck right next to us. The leash we have him on clips onto a belt around Kristina's waist, so it is somewhat easier than if he was on a handheld leash.
Here are pictures:
This was at the far end of the lake, at the top of a hill. You can see the mountains in the distance with the sun just rising up above the mountaintops.
Things we saw - another woodpecker, frozen lake, sunrise, lots of farm equipment and farm buildings. The hike took us about 2 hours. It was a little more difficult because we kept Baxter on the leash the whole time. In the Farm area, a leash is required, but by the time we hiked past the farm area, the latch for the leash was frozen closed, so we couldn't let him off the leash. Baxter likes to round us up. He likes to run up ahead, then come back and circle behind us to hurry us along. He was not as happy to be stuck right next to us. The leash we have him on clips onto a belt around Kristina's waist, so it is somewhat easier than if he was on a handheld leash.
Here are pictures:
This was at the far end of the lake, at the top of a hill. You can see the mountains in the distance with the sun just rising up above the mountaintops.
Kristina, Baby, and Baxter. Baxter has a frosty beard!
After the hike, my ruff was pretty frosted, too. The turtle fur I was talking about is the blue thing that is over my chin. Also, I am liking my transition lenses! This is my first time having transitions.
