Fairbanks and the White Mountains

From the sky, familiar ridge lines and shapes appeared. Our airplane traced a line above the Tanana River and then the Chena before the Fairbanks airport came into view. A bubble of happiness rose within me and I choked back tears. This place still feels like home, I suddenly realized. I'm not a highly emotional person and moments like this always take me by surprise. The only other place where this happens is landing at the Green Bay airport when I fly in/out visiting my family and hometown.

Since Anchorage was pretty much right next door (okay, not really) to Fairbanks, we decided to make a quick weekend visit before heading home. Of course, three days wasn't enough. In a whirlwind of constant socialization, we managed dinners and visits with family and friends before we hopped the plane home. We squeezed in a cabin trip and saw the aurora. For just a three day trip, we managed to fit in a surprising amount of stuff.

At noon on Friday, Matt and I met up with Jane for a quick run on her lunch break at a balmy -15F, our coldest of 2014. We explored our old training grounds while visiting and chatting about our upcoming races. Maybe you remember that Jane ran our local marathon last May. She's well on her way to completing the 50 States Sub-4 club and has run over 70 marathons. She does all her training outside in whatever conditions Fairbanks decides to hand her. In short, she's kind of a running superhero.

We wandered town visiting our favorite places and stopping by Matt's old office before meeting with Brittany and Oliver for the weekend's trip to the White Mountains. They live in a 24' yurt out in the woods and our ensuing camping gear explosion was a little chaotic, but we managed to end up in the car with the right amount of gear.

Saturday morning, under perfectly sunny skies with a slight -20F nip in the air, the four of us (plus Yoti the dog) arrived at the Wickersham trailhead. A flurry of excitement greeted us: skiers, mushers, and snowmobilers all prepared for their wintry playtime on this lovely network of winter trails.

The trails here were completely different from the icy ones we'd encountered the week before. Here, January had been warm, but not enough to rise above freezing and melt the snow away. I almost wished for skis. Almost.

 

In practically no time, we had traversed the seven miles through black spruce valleys and across naked ridge lines to our home for the night: Lee's Cabin. We were pleasantly surprised to see smoke billowing from the chimney. A few snowmobilers stopped for lunch and to warm up and had lit a fire in the stove.

 

I always dread the first 30 minutes after we arrive at a cabin. While battling the rapidly dropping body temperature in clothes dampened by sweat and condensation, it is miserable and terrifying at the same time. Standing there all sweaty, miles from the car, we knew we could actually die if this lifeline didn't save us. There's always someone that manages to leave green firewood that just doesn't burn. One trip, we almost turned back because it was -25F outside and we fumbled for half an hour trying to get the stove to light, but on our last try before packing up and leaving, it worked. I think I'd pay a hefty sum for someone to go ahead and light a fire so I'd arrive to a toasty cabin every time. Thanks snowmobilers!

Soon the sun lowered in the sky, casting a beautiful pink light across the mountains in the distance. We could even see the Alaska Range to the south on a short hike from the cabin. It was perfect. That evening, all cozy in our booties with our tea and chocolate bars, we played Scrabble and Hearts while we waited for the aurora to make her appearance. It was awesome to spend time with a couple we like as much as Brittany and Oliver. I enjoyed watching how they became more relaxed from exhausted on Friday to refreshed and calm on Sunday. It was the perfect recharge weekend for all of us, even Yoti, who spent the night snuggled up on Oliver's down jacket.

The aurora eventually made an appearance and took up the whole night sky to dance just for us. With town over thirty miles away, each individual green band waved and swirled in a sea of crisp white stars. It was one of the best aurora displays I've seen and we agreed that I'm becoming picky and no longer impressed by that shy green band that never moves on weak nights, so that really says something.  Since I'm planning an entire post on the aurora next, I'm going to skip the pictures for now. I know, I'm a jerk.

We awoke to another chilly morning, noticeably warmer than the previous one, but a little windier. The return trip was quick. Through my face mask, I admired the snowy ground as it sparkled in the sunshine. I didn't realize how much I missed the sunshine until this lovely weekend in the Interior. Anchorage may be warmer, but I still prefer the crisp Fairbanks sunshine. As everyone should do on the car ride home from the Whites, we stopped for burgers at Silver Gulch. It was the perfect weekend away.