Colorado Creek Cabin Trip

Here are some pics from our trip into Colorado Creek Cabin in the White Mountains near Fairbanks. Our group included a 6-dog mushing team, a ski-jorer (she skied with some help from her dog pulling her along via a harness) and three of us on skis. Incredible northern lights, which my poor quality, hand-held long (10 second) exposure shots do no justice. I'll leave at this at the moment, so Lisa can write this one up...

I had heard plenty about cabin trips into the nearby White Mountains since I visited last time, and I was eager to get out there! We were invited along to a weekend long trip on a gradually uphill ski into the hut, and thus gentle descent out. It was a 50km round trip ski that took us around 10 hours all up, with temperatures around -20C and a windchill. It was *cold* and we kept moving. Thankfully we arrived to a warm cabin and some warm soup that the mushers had prepared for us, and we could check out our surrounds, chop logs for firewood and relax. Being so cold and clear it was a spectacular night for the aurora to show her splendour. This is one of the real bonuses to having an out house...throughout the evening people rugged up to do their business and hollered in reporting the aurora's movements. First striking green and dancing like a rainbow over head, and then a hour later, a massive array of green 'curtains' (it really does look like curtains in the breeze) with a strong line of dancing pink beneath, covering most of the sky. It's pretty rare to see such a colourful display even here, so I was delighted. The cold day and wind were worth it. Dan diligently lay down in the snow to get these photos, using his chest in lieu of a tripod...circumstances considering, they're excellent shots.

A great meal and evening of yarns ensued, as we learned about dog mushing, this activity that possesses so many Alaskans. Being out in the big spaces like this, with miles and miles of land ahead, and being able to explore that space with dogs who happily and hastily run through the woods, is what draws a lot of people to it. I went mushing over spring break and the sense of a team and solitude all at once is quite remarkable. The dogs slept outside in little nests they made for themselves, awake and ready to run again at dawn.

An amazing first cabin trip!