Upper Angel Creek Cabin

Upper Angel Creek Cabin was our last cabin trip with the dogs for this year. Spring seems to be on its way and the snow will soon be melted. The trail to the Upper Angel Creek Cabin is ideal for skijoring. I skijored with Tommy and Crash while Jeremy mushed in with the team. We didn't take many pictures on this trip, though by this time you're probably not that interested in seeing another dog or cabin picture.

Here's Jeremy on the deck of the cabin with Crash and Tommy sunning themselves.

Here I am inside the cabin. This is the table at which I beat Jeremy at cards. : )

Jeremy was kind enough to let me sleep in. I'm in the yellow sleeping bag. I usually wait until Jeremy wakes up and gets the stove going before I get up. It's chilly otherwise!

Well, that's it for the cabins off the road system. A friend suggested I add a map to the post so that people could see where the different cabins are. We tried and it was difficult to actually see the map, very pixelized. So here's a link to the map:

http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/chena/chenarsrmap.pdf

Stiles Creek Cabin

Our most recent cabin trip was to Stiles Creek Cabin. I mushed in with our 6 dog team and Jeremy took in the snowmachine. The next day Jeremy mushed out and I took the snowmachine.

This is a more challenging mush than some of the other cabin trails. The route I took in was 11 miles and involved some hills. The above picture is of me pushing the sled as we had just come up a hill. You can see the dogs are looking a little tired.

"Sled Dog"
Tommy is our furry Siberian. He overheats because of all his fur, so doesn't do that well in team. We let him run behind the snowmachine, but he gets tired after a while. When he slows down we put him in the sled behind the snowmachine. It's not his favorite place to be; he'd much rather be running.

This is the Stiles Creek Cabin. It's one of Jeremy's favorites, but I think my favorite is Colorado Creek .

Here's a view of the inside. This cabin has a nice loft.

Me and T Dog (Tommy)

Below is a video of Jeremy taking off with the dogs the next day. I'm trying to explain what's going on, but you really can't hear me over the dogs barking.

Self portrait. Another great cabin trip.

Lower Angel Creek Cabin

I had drill (now referred to as Battle Assembly) the weekend Jeremy went to the Lower Angel Creek Cabin so he went solo.

This is the "dog truck" at the trail head. The dogs are hooked up to the truck while Jeremy gets the sled ready and then harnesses the dogs.

Here's a view up the valley. He just caught the setting sun. Our days are getting longer!

Jeremy took this great picture of Crash as she runs next to him on the sled. She decided early on that she was not going to be a team dog. She's great following the team, though, and rarely gets in the way. She's a crappy sled dog, but a great pet.

This is the Lower Angel Creek Cabin. It's not that nice of a cabin, but it's only 3 miles in and a good distance if you are skiing, skijoring or have guests visiting that don't want an epic adventure.

Nugget Creek Cabin Trip

Our first cabin trip of the new year was Nugget Creek. This was built by a long time local when there used to be mining in this area. It has a lot of character.

This is the cabin with our sleds and Neve out front. We both mushed in with 4 dog teams. It went pretty well except it was a little warm for this time of year. It was a sweltering 30 degrees on the way in and out.

This stove may look little, but when people tell you that the stove can run you out of the cabin, they are not joking. Holy smokes, did it get freakin' hot!

View of the inside.

So, this trail had three creek crossings. Above is a picture of the South Fork Chena River. Below is a short video of Jeremy bringing his team across. It is completely ice and impossible to steer. I put the camera away as he got closer just in case his lead dog decided not to take the right. He's like that sometimes. You can hear Jeremy giving the command for the team to go right, "gee."