Summer Adventure Plans

 I've gotta admit...watching the snow slowly recede from the sidewalks has hit me with a great case of spring fever! I want out of this house!!! Unfortunately, although those of you in the lower 48 and warmer locales are probably in shirts and shorts right about now, April and May are still considered shoulder season.  At this time, only wilderness and glacier cruises are up and running.  And considering Mister D and Soph are prone to seasickness, they're not really an option.  Good thing about this time, though...it gives me the opportunity to plan and book and schedule for the summer months!

We've learned our lesson from last year. In Alaska, if you want to reserve something, last-minute planning will NOT work out for you.  Everyone else has the same idea and the same identical case of spring fever. NOW is the time to plan!

This is what we have so far:

CAMPING on EKLUTNA LAKE

The fam paid a short visit here last summer, only long enough to skip rocks and run along the shore. This time, it'll be a much bigger adventure. Imagine waking up to that in the morning!

 Three miles from the trailhead of the 12 mile lakeside trail is this public-use cabin:

With many many bears in the area, I am still way too nervous to try tent camping in AK.  I would sleep more soundly with solid walls between us and humongous meaty claws.  Yuditna Cabin, one of the two public-use cabins available for rental on the lake is a great option for us.  It sits lakeside, next to Yuditna Creek, which flows into the lake. 

The awesome thing about this? We can only reach this cabin by hiking, biking, ATV'ing, or kayaking.  I can't imagine lugging everyone's gear plus food three miles while the girls whined about how tired their mini legs are. So, we will be trying out our bikes plus a special attachment for Liv (more on that in a later post) and lug gear in a bike trailer to get there.  

The next day, we'll hike and possibly try our hands at kayaking. (Hoping it's not too windy)

 For Mister D's 14th birthday, we are taking our very first RV trip to Denali National Park!!!

We have reserved a spot in the Riley Creek campground and tickets for the Eielson shuttle bus into the park.  (8 hrs roundtrip is probably the limit of the girls' tolerance level). It's looking to be a wondrous four night adventure of hiking, bicycling, and exploring. Crossing our fingers McKinley gives us great photo ops!

Smaller goals for the summer:

We will bike the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and hopefully other ones in the Anchorage area.

We also want to hike more.  Hatcher's Pass and our favorite Winner Creek Trail.

Perhaps, this time, I'll have enough guts to cross the gorge on this hand tram. Eeeek.

The Mister and I have pledged to explore the outdoors more this summer.  We are not fond of the idea that our kids are being raised with too much television and video game exposure.  This is the perfect way to promote a healthy active lifestyle and enjoy the best things AK has to offer. Stay tuned!