Snow and Flow

The adventure started early and in the dark as do most winter activities. Forecast looked just perfect and a long weekend in the snow with friends could not have been planned better. We met at my house in Palmer, loaded up mountains of gear into my car, strapped 3 bikes onto the rack and headed north. Sunshine and great roads made for a fast drive and we made it to Paxson in no time. We geared up the bikes and rolled out.

Snow was well packed and rode well which was great since the first three miles are a solid climb, some rollers then another big push to the six miles viewpoint and outhouse. We took our time, lots of snacks and enjoyed the amazing sunshine and fantastic views, naturally spacing out and regrouping. Cresting the first high point and gearing up for a long descent, I took the lead with Erin then Carlene following me down. Coasting and floating, gliding from one track line to the next, hopping my tires over wach of the ski tracks that threatened to catch and pull me off my chosen course. A little too much air in my tires and a few squirrely track hops and I brought myself to a pause to check on the group and refocus before continuing on.

Erin joined me moments after I stopped, she had been squirreling the same time as I was and we decided it would be a good idea to regroup before continuing along the long downward stretch. A few minutes went by and a snack down… Chatted a few minutes more… We decided she was cautious but not so much to warrant that long of a gap. Something must have happened. We turned our bikes around and climbed back up the hill. About a quarter mile back up and we caught sight of her with her bike off to the side of the trail. Erin made it to her first, off her bike and starting to examine the rear rack on Carlene’s bike. We found out that indeed she had crashed on the way down. Physically ok but when she slid, the snow caught her pannier and popped one of the rack connections loose resulting in the whole thing rubbing against the tire. We were able to get the rack reattached, tightened, popped her gear back on and back down the hill we went. Daylight was beginning to fade as we finished our descent.

What goes down must come up and the Denali Highway has no shortage of hills. As we bagan climbing up the next big hill, I noticed tracks in the snow. Flowing from ine side of the trail tothe other, making little valleys and intersecting pathways in the deep snow off the trail. I paused to get a better look and as I did, I noticed a whole herd of caribou up on the ridge next to us! What a treat! We watched them as the moved along the ridge, momentarily disappearing behind a knob and reappearing on the other side. They watched us.

We rode on as the daylight faded. Eventually I could see Erin’s bike light turn on ahead of me, Carlene’s behind me, always within eyesight but alone in our long struggle up hill. Swerving tire tracks, soft tire tracks and foot prints, then more swerving tire tracks as the trail told the story of the rider ahead. Eventually Erin disappeared from sight as she crested the last steep push to the top. We regrouped, snacked, added layers and commiserated in the struggle and success of the last big hill of the day.

We rolled on and made a decision that would put us about to Tangle Lakes for the night. We could feel the temps dropping as we dipped into creek valleys and warm slightly as we climbed out. As we neared the lake, we noticed a light on the horizon- not city lights, could it be Tangle Lakes Lodge? Like a beacon in the night, an oasis in the desert we gravitated towards it and a rush of excitement when the lights appeared!

The three of us regrouped at the steps to the deck of the lodge. Now what? The lodge was closed and wouldn’t open for another 2 weeks. We knew that before getting here. Three snowmachines were parked out front and a dim glow from inside. We debated but ultimately decided not to disturb anyone, didn’t feel right to squat on their property for the night and that we would make our way down the road some and camp for the night. Just as we were turning bikes to ride on, the door cracked open and a voice called out to us. Tawnia, one of the owners, noticed us outside and offered us a warm up- how could we say no?!

Dave joined us and we all chatted for a bit. They were out early, getting things ready for the upcomung season opener and enjoying some quiet time in the snow. Dave was attending an avalanche class the next day at Maclaren Lodge while Tawnia and Trek hung out at the lodge. They offered us water refills before we left and even a spot to camp with use of their outhouse! Unexpected kindness and a real treat! We made our way back, found spots out of the way to stomp out our bivy sites and set up for dinner. We talked about plan for the next day’s ride. As we were setting up camp, I realized I had an early “visitor” showing up, the one that women dread on long trips like this and I hadn’t really been prepared to deal with since it wasn’t even due for another week! (Sorry folks, but yes, we’re talking about my period..)

Carlene was worried about riding the next day and had somehow misplaced her phone, she talked about possibly staying back in the morning and catching up with us later since our plan was to do an out and back anyway. I knew that sometime in the next 12-24 hours my body was going to completely betray me and every ounce of strength I’d been training for months to gain would be reduced to a fragment. Perfect timing!

Temps dropped while we ate and prepped our morning routines, slowly working down below zero. A good time to snuggle into our bags with fresh toe warmers!

I was the first to wake and start in on breakfast. The jet engine that is the XGK stove was a clear wake up call to my nearby campers who soon emerged to start their own breakfasts.

Carlene searched high and low for her phone but just couldn’t find it. Finally decided to go see if our friends were up and if it somehow got left behind. Erin and I packed up for the day’s ride and Carlene opted to stay behind to collect gear and help shovel out doorways for a thank you for the camp spots. The morning was warm and trails were soft, temps registered 20F as we rolled out!

The trail heads gradually up from Tangle Lakes to Maclaren Summit, over about 15 miles then a steep descent to Maclaren Lodge. We had been dreaming of pie at Maclaren Lodge since consception of the trip but it was quickly apparent that reaching the lodge and returning enough for a comfortable ride out the next day, would be out of the question. Pie dreams dashed, we determined we would plan an out and back, target for roughly three and a half hours to meet my ride goal of 7ish.

The soft trails and steep hills reduced us to walking and letting out air. Ride, walk, let out air. I hate putting air back in my tires so I was being very conservative in my pressure release. Ride, walk.. air release… walk some more. As I was pushing my bike, wishing I had pie, I realized.. The trail isn’t THAT soft. Leaving prints and soft in the snowmachine tracks sure but there was no reason I wasn’t riding other than my own stubbornness. Let the damn air out. Pssssssst! A 20 second release and, like magic, I was biking a bike again! First time, every time. You would think I would learn!

Dense fog had been obscuring our view all day and the terrain was a continuous shade of white-grey. No mountains, no creeks. Black shapes of trees and shrubs that extended beyond the snow were the only changes to the omnishade landscape. As we climbed, so did the temps.

We neared our turn around time. Suddenly I see the black shape ahead of me that I knew to be Erin moving faster. Maybe it was a descent? But that was far faster than the small grade and snow conditions could possibly be. Was it a snowmachine? I climbed to the top point of the hill where I had seen her picking up speed and realized, the trail was good! Actually good and firm and fast! I picked up speed and flew along the trail, enjoying the movement and reduced effort. We make it to the “32” mile marker post and snack. It had taken us the full three and a half hours to ride ten miles and the last 3-4 were the most easily accomplished in the last 30-40 minutes. With the warm temps, we turned back and made a decision that riding back past the lodge could be a good idea since the forecast for Sunday looked warmer.

As we descended, the sky in the distance betrayed the fog that had insulated us all morning and revealed blue skies and snippets of sunshine breaking through. Then there was definition to the mountains next to us. The temps dropped as we did and the sky lifted. The grey gave way to sunshine in the clouds and the trail with the downward grade felt like it shaped into pavement since we rolled it hours earlier.

We made it back to Tangle Lakes Lodge in a little over an hour and a half.

Carlene had a fabulous rest day, chatting with Tawnia and Trek and, had found her phone! She loaded up her bike, we wished our friend well and headed out for a few more miles to camp and hopes of a fire in the snow.

We found a great spot off the road but quickly realized wind swept snow would not make for easy firewood gathering and abandoned the idea. I had already sank to my hip in snow in the nearby tree grove and Erin had no better luck from a different angle. Dinner and evening walks until it was a proper time to crawl into bed and sleep. We started with a gorgeous view of the mountains but quickly a dense ice fog settled in and instantly began coating everything in thick frost.

We discovered wolf tracks up the trail- huge paw prints in singles and in large groups, covering the bike tracks we had laid down not even 24 hours prior.

I awoke only a few hours after crawling into my sleeping bag to discover the near full moon had come out and was so bright it was like daylight! The dense fog had lifted some, still obscuring the mountains and much of the sky but was no match for the moon! Wolf howling kept us company, in the distance, as the pack moved around the hills near by.

Sunday morning was a very frosty -10F and all the trees had grown fat overnight with the layers of frost. We had breakfast, coffee and packed up for the days ride back out to the car.

Remember how I hate putting air back in my tires? My first couple pedal strokes were an immediate reminder of how soft the trails were the day before and how little air I had in them. Pumping and pumping and pumping. Bike the next hill and pump and pump and pump some more. Eventually I found a good pressure but my energy level was in the gutter, my legs felt good but the power was gone. Aunt Flow was in full swing and there was nothing to do but accept it. The sun was shining, I was on a bike and the temperature was hovering just below zero. My spirits were high as I slowly rolled along the frozen tundra.

All that stopping and pumping, paired with a slow pace caused concern for Erin who hadn’t seen me in a while and ended up coming back to check on me. I explained- ok, just slow and was the name of the game today, no cause for worry! We snacked together and she headed on. Big climbs to start so I would see her again periodically or in the distance as the morning went on. Carlene was worried about slowing us down and had taken off a little before Erin and I from camp assuming we would catch up and eventually Erin did!

I topped the first of iur two big climbs, had a snack and took in the amazing view. What a place to be! What an amazing last big training ride before the ITI. Crummy trails and bomber snow, warm daytime temps and low overnight lows. Snow, frost, sunshine and blueskies. I hadn’t felt more ready for the ITI than I did in that moment, even with the strength sucked out of me- mentally, I was there.

Adding layers and synching up the pogies for the long descent I was ready for some fun! Softer tires still meant the ski ruts weren’t even noticable and I flew down. Swooping and flowing over the bumps, gliding side to side to keep the perfect line! Pure joy!

Carlene and Erin had doubled back on nce Erin caught up to regroup and check in on me. We chatted, recapped the morning and continued on as a group, finishing the descent and starting iur final big climb.

As we neared the outhouse look out point multiple groups of snowmachiners rolled through, deep miuntain sled paddles reducing the amazing hard pack to churned up mashed potatoes. Our final 6 miles would be a tough, churny slog for anything smaller than about a 4% grade.

The final 3 miles was a total blast. We would regroup and check in but the high when we made it to the car was beyond great. And cold. The down aide of ending on a long down- you’re not warm. Unloading the bikes was a chilly endeavor and we were all thankful to be into the warm car and dry clothes! A pit stop at The Hub in Glennallen for Thai food and consolation pie (aka gas station pies) before the foggy ride over the pass and back into the Springtime scenery we had left at nearly 40F Friday morning.

Tired and stinky but happy and feeling confident. Great 3 days playing on bikes in the snow.

(Last photo from Carlene, Sunday morning, sharing hot water)