The first snow fell in Fairbanks the second week of September, before the trees had lost their leaves! It was a little strange to have a gold canopy and white ground.
The Equinox marathon was a week away, and I began to wonder if the cold and snow would become a major hindrance towards my race performance. Luckily, the morning of the race was cold but absolutely clear, and the only snow was on the Ester Dome trails.
The race course is almost entirely on trails and occurs on the fall equinox, when the birch are at their peak color. I couldn't have asked for a more scenic run! Or a steeper one...
The Tanana River valley spreads out in front of the Alaska Range, seen from the top of Ester Dome.
Denali was clearly visible to the south-west.
A view of nearby Murphy Dome (it has a funny white satellite tower on top)
In the days following the race, I felt like I should have given more effort, pushed myself just a little bit harder, maybe to have finished faster. When I looked back at the picture of myself grimacing 100 meters from the finish, I can see why I didn't want to give any more.
In other news... fall rains have brought mushrooms! Some are good to eat - these are probably not.
I tried my hand at sewing a mitten to line with rabbit fur from my bunnies, and the first one has been completed! I still need to make one more to have a pair though. There just isn't much time to dedicate to sewing.
What did I do this weekend? Draw, play with bunnies, read scientific literature, hike, and bake LOTS of bread. The best way to spend a weekend.
Cross-section of a black spruce burn, ink and watercolor
Carmen the rabbit was very confused when presented with bubble wrap - I thought that there was so much potential for entertainment there.
Saturday I hiked the Angel Rocks - Chena Hot Springs loop. You first park a car at the end, Chena Hot Springs, then bike ~ 6 miles to the Angel Rocks trailhead, stash your bike, and then hike 8.7 miles back to the hot springs. We found some trees that looked like they were meant to recline in.
Crazy black spruce
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