didn't notice my arse had gone numb...

 that is what happens when you hike in chilly temperatures.  not sure what the actual temperature was up at prospect.  felt warmer than the last time i went for sure, probably about 5 F.  then there was a slight wind today so that must have brought it down coming down the hill.  it was fine on the route up. took me 1 1/2 hours to get from the trailhead to the turn off at the top, then maybe 45 min to get back to the car.  that part was windy.  hit the rest area and that was when i noticed i had no feeling on my arse and thighs.  still hoping my saddle bags freeze up good enough for me to chip them off one of these days.  really didn't feel cold out there.  wouldn't want to spend the night though.

 still haven't gotten back to my partially completed igloo.  it is good and frozen though.  will get brave again when the temperatures drop slightly.

 was bummed as i forgot to take a package for mailing that i need to wait in line for as when i got to the post office to drop off my prepaid boxes there was only 2 people in line...unheard of this time of year.  total missed opportunity.  did get popcorn tins for my neighbors. have to pick them up tomorrow after my walk.  they are crazy busy there.

 was quite amazed on the hike today as there is no hint of all that frost we saw up there the other week. just a slight warming and some snow destroyed the frost.  must be very fragile.  was cool while it lasted and i'm happy i got a chance to see it.  still a few icy patches. there is a small footbridge under this mound of ice.

 blossom is tired after chasing her tennis ball for this whole run.  this is where the trail comes back into the powerline trail.  made better time today as i stopped less for photo ops, not much really to catch my eye with the frost gone. still a lovely walk.

 once you pop out you are pretty close to the glen alps trailhead.  to the left is flattop and the lump to the right is called blueberry hill.  flattop is probably the most popular hike in town.  too popular really.  they even shuttle tourists up there for the walk.  i tend to avoid it in the summers.

 will cruise the powerline portion.  ran into a friend i worked with in ketchikan, ginger.  we meet out on the trails every so often.  she was skiing.  they must have parked at glen alps trailhead.

 skies turned pink as i headed back down to the trailhead.

 in the distance you can see redoubt.  i could also see the next volcano, iliamna, which is south of it.  below that one is augustine.

 snapped this from one of the roads around prospect heights trailhead.  love the winter sun...it's just so huge.

 woke to a lovely bouquet of flowers from rudy...my mothers widower.  so sweet of him to remember me with flowers.  i do miss my mom and i know he does as well.  so awesome that they found each other in those years of her life.  he really made her last years bright and happy...we should all be so lucky.

 miss breezy chatterbug

 and a profile of sapogi...looks a bit like a mug shot really.  he's a handsome cat.

 back to the trail.  did get a few black and whites again today.  always fun.

 got snuggled in with rio on the couch this evening.  downloaded a few apps for the ipad. got sucked into some christmas game.  always feel badly leaving rio home, even though i know it's better for her, so i make sure she gets some snuggle time.

 watched a bit of the miss universe pageant.  usa won...big surprise.  i actually liked the girl from phillipines better, but she was runner up. not that i'm a big pageant follower...i'm not.  was texting and playing on the ipad with it on in the background.  haven't actually watched one for years.  so silly...the process i mean. no talent required for miss universe apparently.  looks like a good opportunity for whoever does win and i'm sure for the others it puts them out there and opens doors so if it works it works.

 blossom takes a rest in the snow to cool off, usually to take the chunks of ice out from between her toes. she doesn't like booties and seems to cope with the ice balls okay.

 a guy trapping and hunting off the taylor highway out of tok was pulled off his snowmachine and bitten by a wolf.  if it had been the pack he may have died.  at least the guy had multiple layers on so the bite didn't do much damage, but he still has to go through a series of rabies vaccines.

 do worry about wolves at times when i'm out hiking alone.  mostly, the wolves go for the dogs, but that would kill me to see blossom dragged off by a pack of wolves.  a woman was killed  a few years back while out jogging by a pack of wolves. that was out on the alaska peninsula.  like a bear attack, this seems a rather unpleasant way to die.

 can't live for what if's though.  take precautions, pay attention and do what you will.

 layers of ice.

 apparently, there have been several attempted copy catters to the grammar school shooting.  what is wrong with people.  really...is it so cool to be mentioned in the media that you are willing to kill others or go to prison?  so strange. i tend to avoid the limelight i guess so even harder for me to relate to this constant need people seem to have in our society to have that moment of fame.  if there is a camera anywhere, they look like idiots trying to wave and get whatever attention they can.

 workers in pakistan who were attempting to distribute polio vaccines were killed, 5 women.  the clinic was thought to be some sort place of espionage with the vaccines as a cover.  this was the case in a doctor who used a vaccine clinic as a front to gain information about osama bin laden...so now all vaccine centers will be suspect.  polio still thrives in 3 countries, pakistan being one of those nations.  not sure what the other two are.  could do a internet search i guess.

 everything just looks cooler in black and white...

 saw this funky dead tree last time out on this trail.  had to give it another look

 suddenly the sun came out for a minute...not a warm sun mind you, but still sun.  liked the light on these tiny cones. i fear with the wind blowing on the way back i got a bit of crappy shots though.

 anchorage from prospect heights.

done with yet another thrilling episode in the life of me and my dogs.  thanks for reading and comment from time to time so i know you are there.