Wildhorse Mountain & Sevenmile Lake

I finally found some time to compile some of my previous footage of a few of us hiking up Wildhorse Mountain over Memorial Day Weekend this year.  You can reach the area by driving the Richardson Hwy to the Denali Hwy, drive to mile marker 40, then park off the road at Glacier Lake Trail and hike a few miles into the Amphitheater Mountains.  We hiked muddy marshes, camped valley plateaus, scaled near-vertical mountain cliffs, sled down mountainsides, and somehow still survived.  Pretty much one of my favorite holiday weekend adventures to date!


Enjoy the sights and sounds of pure Alaska nature while a couple of my favorite bands score the adventure - Minus The Bear & Talkdemonic..

Memorial Day Weekend Getaway

[Seven Mile Lake & Gulkana Glacier, Alaska]

[Updated 5/25/10]
I've been in Fairbanks for just over a month now.  When I arrived, there was still a little less than a foot of snow, the trees were bare, the ground was brown, and the temperature struggled to reach 50 degrees even on sunny days.  Over the past four weeks, the snow has melted, the trees have budded, ground vegetation is ripe and green, and it’s been ranging from 60 to 75 degrees most days.  Perfect if you ask me!  Although, I do hear my friends and family back in Minnesota are suffering with 90-degree temperatures and 80% humidity.  I know what that feels like and can assure you, it is NOT fun!  I do miss a good Minnesota thunderstorm every once in a while though.

To couple the great weather here with great adventure, I’ve been itching to go on my first, formal hiking/camping/kayaking trip in some rugged Alaskan wonderland.  As luck continues to run its course in my adventures so far, it looks as though a few us are planning on hitting up Seven Mile Lake (click for map) this Memorial Day weekend.  It sits about halfway between Fairbanks and Anchorage, just east of Denali National Park and west of the Tanana Valley State Forest.

[Seven Mile Lake]

It all starts Friday night, with a drive down to mile 40 of the Denali Highway.  We'll disembark and ford our way through a system of cured and uncured trails 6.5 miles off the road through a natural amphitheater of 4,000-foot mountains and a marshy valley until we reach Seven Mile Lake.  We'll set up camp, enjoy the ever-fading sunsets and sunrises, kayak the lake, and hike a summit or two in the foothills.  To rub in a little more amazing-ness, the weather forecast is as follows.  It doesn't get much better than this:

FRI: Hi 65+, Lo 35+

SAT:  Hi 65+, Lo 35+

SUN: Hi 65+, Lo 35+ cloudy, scattered showers

MON:  Hi 65+, Lo 35+ cloudy, rain likely

I've hiked, camped, kayaked, and fished in state parks before, but they have almost always been on property with other travelers’ tents or RV’s next to mine, owned by KOA, and treated more as family getaway experiences.  THIS and other trips over the next year up here will be much more true to the camping and hiking form - far from anyone else and completely immersed in nature.  I’m so excited for this and many more adventures to come.

[My new hiking boots!]

Stay tuned for more pics and stories from this weekend.

Happy Girl

My friend Katie and I hit up a late-night hike on Monday, May 10th in Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in Fairbanks, AK. A solid twilight was in full force until 1:30am while the birch trees shined bright throughout the night.

Music: "Sleep Through Summer" by Now, Now Every Children