Wednesday, September 22, 2010

fall colours in the hanging valley

had a wonderful day out on the trails. my friend tanya wanted to go for a hike and i thought we should check out the hanging valley trail. niether of us had been there. usually we just take the south fork trail out to eagle lake or symphony lake. now that we know about this gem, we will for sure head out there again. the fall colours were at the brightest and most amazing. we had some blue skies, which eventually turned to grey, but we enjoyed a great day out there. above is a small lake, a tarn. it was just an amazing sight with all the reflections and fall splendor. you can go a little further and get to another little lake i believe. we got a late start and just decided we'd be happy with this as our destination. just means we get to explore further next time.
something is up with the internet tonight. running slow, first it just cut off. what a bother...so i'll just leave it as these pictures from the day and start over another day. just got the super fast internet from gci...hahahahaha...
blossom is wiped out from the big trek today. we went a total of 8-10 miles i believe. i think it's about as far as going to eagle lake, just a different direction. eagle lake is 5.5 miles one way. above is blossom and indy. indy was impossible to get pictures of, he never sits still for more than a second.
as you can see, the colours were fabulous. as for the rest of the day, aside from a few loads of laundry and dishes, i accomplished absolutely nothing. that is life on a beautiful day in alaska. of course, nevermind that i'm lazy as a general rule and the dog walk is often the only thing on my "to do" list that ever really gets done. i suspect i'm hopeless at this point in life.
this is looking back towards the valley. first you go up and then level off, then down to the creek and then out to eagle lake...for the hanging valley you go back up the other side of the valley into another valley. the big mountain at the back of that valley is called hurdygurdy mountain. as good a name as any for a mountain. i like it anyway.
this is just an off-shoot of one of the main creek in the south fork valley.

watched, "my girl" while i messed with this whole computer thing. loaded almost all the pictures for todays entry only to lose my connection...so irritating.
the dogs always go for a dip in the creek. the bridge over the creek is 2 miles in so always a good stopping point for a rest. indy is finally swimming. took him a few years.
few pictures taken from that little bridge.
much difficulty getting photo's with all three dogs still and looking towards the camera. blossom looks good anyway.
on the left of the below picture is the valley we climb up to. it's not too much of an uphill, but still a little work out. my body doesn't like ups and downs as much as it used to. my joints feel it a bit. does help having a treking pole. i always thought those things were for old people, but i guess i'm getting older so that may now include me. a young, male co-worker recently said he discovered trekking poles and that he loves em. maybe it will save his knees on his long hikes, starting earlier with the poles. when you are young you are foolish. i remember people always saying that since i was a nurse i should be wearing support hose. i hated nylons and dresses in general all those years in church. just not comfortable. now i wear knee high support hose, what a difference. should have done it when it was first suggested to me. there is a girl older than me who says how sore her legs feel at the end of a shift. i told her what a difference the hose made for me, but i suspect she still hasn't gotten any. us old dogs are slow to change sometimes.
just a few views from the first part of the hike.
and a closer look at the valley that was our goal today.
hopefully, i'll be able to post more pictures in a few days. i have 2 nights of work coming up so it will have to wait. the permanent fund was announced. not sure of the exact amount but think i saw something like $1,300.00. will be helpful for the insulation project. i really need to call and get some quotes on that whole job. hard to spend money on something like insulation..i mean nobody sees it. i prefer to put in flooring or paint, but alas, i know the insulation will help with heating costs this winter and i can get that money back.
veda sultenfuss is a pretty rough name. wonder where they came up with that one for the movie. i've heard worse. my friend at work, arika, is preggers. the other morning i was helping her come up with names for her next baby. got her laughing, but i suspect none of my idea's will be utilized. i always joke that being as we are in the medical field we should come up with names related to our chosen field. so i suggested such names as uvula, frenulum meatus, syphyllis, vas deferens, sphincter aveoli...so many possibilities. i had everyone creating names. if one was a pharmacist something like amoxicillin could work or inhaler or furosemide. anyway...these are the ways i entertain myself and others in the wee hours of the night at work. i'm also known for my model walking. i practice just in case they open up america's next top model to the over 40 group. so far no go and if they don't soon, i'll have to wait til the over 50's group. they give no awards for humor in nursing as far as i can see and in general there are no academy awards for any other profession except music and acting...those people have such ego's. i mean really, i invented the idea of using the yankauer, usually devoted to oral suctioning, for sucking up humongous puddles of fecal matter. no award, no recognition, no applause....
loved the colour of this particular tree. i definitely have my favorites in fall. that colour was awesome. i bought little tree for my front yard just for it's colour in the fall. i really wanted a japanese maple, but the garden shops all said those don't survive here. never mind that a neighbor over on madylene road has had a beautiful one in his front yard for years. i think mine is an amur mapel. can't recall now.
fall weather is my favorite most times. not too cold yet, but coolish. it does drop down at night and that sun is going away. down by 8:30...it's getting darker and darker. boo hoo.
another picture below of our intented valley on the left.

i am fading fast. i suspect i'll only get a few lines read on the next segment of the series i'm reading. i finished, "the girl with the dragon tatoo" and have begun, "the girl who played with fire". so far i enjoyed the first and the second i'm barely in....
there are side trails that take off up the right side of the valley as well. these will take you up to rendevous peak and the arctic valley ski resort. haven't connected the two.
this is my wonderful pup, blossom. dogs don't get much better than this one. she is just a wonderful pup! always brings a smile to people she meets. just a joy...!!
of course it was a strange day out there on the trail as we never saw one other person. usually you see a few people out there. ms rio stayed home. this one would have been way too much for her. i did get her package with pain meds, thank you natalie, but an 8-10 mile walk would be pushing it. always feel a little sad leaving her behind, but it's best for her. she is happily laying here on her bed in the office snoring away. i leave the tv on for her when i leave her without blossom. i set the tv today for "what not to wear" and "the baby story".
last but not least, the lone evergreen in an area of fall leaf loss. those evergreens must feel pretty good about themselves this time of year. well, i have rambled again and am so sleepy that i shouldn't be allowed to write.

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