Sun and Ice

I went out again this weekend, and wandered down the south beach. The picture of the ice shows the thickness of the ice at the mouth of the river and the cracks that are caused by the tension of the constantly moving water beneth. A little scary the first couple of times you walk on it, but you get used to it. . . especially after you see full size trucks driving on it! (just a nerdy FYI - about 9" of ice can hold 2 tons. . . so you figure the ice here is maybe a foot thick. . . I'm sure the dogs and I are just fine! :)

























The goal was to get to the base of the Nulato Hills. . . but mother nature beat me again. She moved them farther way than they were last weekend :) I walked close to 2 hours (expecting that it was going to take me twice as long as last weekend). . . but they were STILL far, far away :) Next weekend, I'll take along some water, snacks and start a little earlier. . . I will make it down there yet :) Bill suggested that I camp out and make it a two day venture. . . I'm thinking about it. But the wind is mighty fierce out there in the open flats, and the temps at night are still getting pretty cold. I'll chew on it some more and see if I'm up for the adventure.

Here are some photos - as I started. . . and where I ended. . . I got close :) but not close enough. . . (the hills I'm headed toward are the distance dark images in the first picture)




























Here is a view looking back toward Unalakleet. It is on the coast in the far, far distance on the right. (ok- you probably can't even see it. . . but it's there!)















And here are my dogs, in rare form- :) A one-eyed dork named Bracken (vet thinks his eyeball shrunk, and now it looks like he only has one eye), and a wild tongue freak named Bella.