Some dog pics...

Got a few pics from the last few trips out into the valley...

Here's the spot on the trail where I often loose it driving the dog team. While it's a little hard to see, that's pretty much all ice out there for the next hundred yards. There's starting to be a trail around the lower part of the overflow (to the right), so it's getting easier to navigate.

Here's the newbies taking a rest on the last dog run. It's always a challenge to take in new dogs and train them to fit in with the team.

Here's the team heading for home. It's great to still see tight tug lines after a long run.

Super Moon...

After plowing snow most of the afternoon the other day, decided to head out on the Ski Doo and groom the dog sled trail. Since I'd read somewhere that there was a super moon, which occurs once a year or so when the full moon is at the moon's closest point to the earth, grabbed the camera on my way out. Now I'm not much of a photographer, but figured I might get a decent shot.

Still some clouds hanging around from yesterdays snowstorm, but this clearing in the valley made for an interesting pic. Maybe next time I'll read the manual on how to get better night photos with a digital camera!

Overflow...

One of the main trail hazards up here, besides over enthusiastic snow machiners, is overflow. Technically it's known as aufeis, a German word that means "ice on top."
What happens is that most winters, the smaller creeks freeze to the bottom, but if their source water is an underground spring, it will continue to flow and force water to the surface through cracks in the ice, creating continuous layers of water and ice. Sometimes it can build up to 8 to ten ft thick (that's about 3 meters to the French). Where a trail crosses a creek, it can create an ice dam that will back up the overflow water, so that it spreads laterally up and down the trail, freezing into a sloping, slippery mess.

Here we are entering the overflow. It had snowed the night before, so for the next 100 yds, the trail is a patchwork of snow, ice, and water. Tried to get a better shot further in, but hit some sloping ice and with the plastic bottoms on the runners loosing traction, slid sideways off the trail.  Hanging on to the sled became more important than taking photos!

Sunny days...

The weather has been exceptional, twenty degrees above normal and sunny, hard to believe it's early Feb. When the sun's shining in this weather, it's almost springtime!

The sun now clears the ridge behind our place, so only half of the valley where we run the dogs is in the shade.

Heading for home towards the ridge, so far this year the dogs have been running pretty well.

January summary...

Here's another NWS climate report...
The average monthly temperature for January was -6.9  which was 1.0 degree above normal.  The highest temp. was 34, on both the 1st and 25th, while the lowest was  -44 on the 12th. Precipitation was 0.65" for the month which was 0.07" above normal. The end of  month snow depth at the airport was 17".

This month was a lot like Dec. where we had some real cold weather but then also some warm temps. Hoping that Feb. evens things out and we get some average weather for a change. Here's a graph of the temps at the Little Chena R. Bridge;

Will post a pic when I remember  to take the camera out with me.

Here's a "moon shot" from the other day. Since then, it's been kind of overcast, low clouds, with some snow, so not so good for photography.