A winter hike in May

After an exceptionally long winter, spring was just hitting Anchorage in early May. I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever see green trees again! But sure enough, the snow started melting and with that,  hope for warmer weather.

We decided to take advantage of the spring weather and headed to the nearby Eagle River Nature Center for a winter-ish hike.

Everything was slowly coming back to life after a long winter’s nap, or maybe more of a long winter’s  deep-sleep.

Most of the trails were still pretty ice and slush covered.

You can always tell when a moose has been near!

And new life to the river. Every body of water was completely frozen and snow-covered all winter long. I’ve never really lived in a place where the rivers freeze over, so it was definitely new to me!

We loved seeing where a beaver had cut away this tree.

Fascinating!

At the end of the trail, we came upon this small yurt.

There are yurts and cabins available for overnight rental. Uhhh, not really sure where the bathrooms are. At least I don’t remember seeing any. Maybe a little too “rustic” for me?

But the girls thought it was fantastic, and felt a bit like Goldilocks checking things out.

But the yurt did have a fabulous deck,

with lots of firewood for the stove and fire-pit, as well.

Not to mention a fabulously serene view, with not a sound anywhere except the rustling of the river. The perfect get-away in the middle of nowhere.

Not so perfect though, are the size of the mosquitoes around here! And they are oh-so plentiful, as well.

We continued along the Historic Iditarod trail, back to the nature center.

I loved the lush green moss growing on the forest floor. Life restored!

The nature center had a nice large deck, so we ate our lunch outside and took in the scenery. (Never let Ella’s attire fool you. It was cold. This kid just never wears a coat. Even in negative temps I have to tell her to zip up. Alaskan at heart?)

After lunch, we enjoyed comparing paw prints (and poo samples) from the various wildlife in the area.

Next time you are at the zoo, imagine opening every cage and walking around WITH the animals. This is what it is like living in Alaska. Every. Single. Day.

Please, Lord, let me never run into a Kodiak bear in this lifetime.

The talon of a bald eagle.

Yay for spring! It was a long time coming.