Things that emerged from the snowbanks

Snowmelt is a time of discovery. All the junk that you had around your cabin reemerges from the snow, and you find things you have been missing since October. For example, I found a pair of skis that I forgot I had. And a second grill (it is of small stature so it gets buried easily).

Lunar Eclipse

I also find plenty of amusing things along the roadside when I'm running. Admittedly, it is a problem that there is litter on the roadways. On the other hand, looking for novelties keeps my runs interesting while I wait for the trails to thaw out. A list of (the best) found-objects from my runs:

A dollar bill
Hershey's chocolate bar in the original wrapping!
Sock monkey
Lots of chocolate easter egg candies
…there will be more

Pisaster: a genus of pacific sea stars and an important predator in the intertidal zone

Mytilus: a genus of saltwater mussels, highly edible and an important source of food to intertidal predators

When hunger strikes...

… so does Pisaster

Castner glacier - ice cave adventures!

We decided to winter camp in the Alaska range this weekend, taking advantage of the long spring days and warmer temperatures to go on an extended trek. There was no decided destination beforehand. We had only decided the general area that we wanted to explore, and that we needed to avoid going too far south towards Gulkana glacier because of the Arctic Man competition (Sturgis for snow machiners). Castner glacier became our serendipitous destination of choice, and what a good decision that turned out to be! We hit the trail at ~4:30 pm, ready to camp on the glacier!

The foot of the glacial moraine

We arrived at the first ice cave in the moraine. It was very large and we were easily able to pull our sled through.

The wall of the glacier was bristling with icicles. You wouldn't want to stand under them for too long. I saw a really big chunk let loose!

A frozen waterfall inside the ice cave

There were many tunnels bringing light in from the outside, which was good because it made it possible to navigate in the glacier.

We hiked out from the cave and continued onwards and upwards

We found a rabbit-hole… that you wouldn't want to go down because you probably wouldn't be able to get back!

From our campsite, looking up the glacier. Far in the distance is the confluence.

There was a funny, pointy moraine pile along our path!

A rock ptarmigan came walking outside our camping spot.

The next day was mostly cloudy, with the occasional patch of blue sky. It was warm while we were out there (~32 degF) which made camping comfortable.

We dug our campsite into the snow and also built a snow wall to keep out the wind.

The next morning, we hiked in the moraine and snaked around all the cool ice-wall features. It was tough going, but we found some beautiful walls!

We found another cave, and this one was tight and twisting.

There were giant ice crystals on the ceiling in this small cavern

It's like standing in the mouth of an angler fish.

The icicles are not without their hazards...

The ice looks like marble, or jade 

We have been told by long-time locals to the Interior that the outlet of the glacier moves frequently. A feature like this ice cave may completely melt out by the end of the summer, and new caves may form next winter in different places. We heard that this cave is new this year!

A frosty day at Wickersham Dome

We took a hike at Wickersham to try to escape a gray snowy day in Fairbanks. The clouds were persistent though, and we still were stuck in the snow. The tundra landscape was mysterious and gloomy in the snow and cloud. We found a big flock of redpolls and grosbeaks! Below, a redpoll eating from the cones in a spruce tree.

Aggressive-looking ice crystals formed around forbs and grasses

We found some of last years blueberries and cranberries in the patches where snow had melted away - snack time!

Visibility came and went as clouds shifted over the ridge line