Event Organizer Giveaway at AOFN

Thanks to Marci at AK Starfish Co., parents who organize a family friendly, outdoor WEEKEND event on the Anchorage Outdoor Family Network's Meetup page by 6/15/11, will be entered to win a gift certificate. Events can take place after 6/15/11, but must be published on the AOFN meetup page by the 15th.

Check out AK Starfish Co. out on their website, at the Weekend Market or their store on Spenard. She's usually has a booth at all the fairs and festivals during the summer too.

Happy Planning!
The AOFN Crew

Trekking Denali

Follow our Taiga Trekker Bop/husband as he and his team make their way up Denali (Mt. McKinley), North America's tallest peak, on our family's blog, Two and a Half in a Blue Cataraft.

Hilltop X-country Ski Trails

In Anchorage we treat everyday like this one as if it is summer... because it very well could rain tomorrow and through September, you just don't know. I forgot you could get a sunburn here! We had a lot of little independent hikers who didn't quite keep up with the adults carrying babes in packs, but there speed was impressive none-the-less.

When salmon are running this trail is known for bears, but as they haven't started their annual migration up stream and our pack makes a lot of noise I wasn't too worried. It is jogging stroller friendly, but there are quite a few large rolling hills that provide the parent a good butt burning work out pushing the buggy up and over.

After the trek we basked in the sun, ate snacks and the "bigger" kids played on a dirt mound. If I didn't know a nap was eminent I would have loved to stay and linger longer.

New Girdwood Nordic Ski Trail

What an awesome group of hardcore hiking mamas and kids this morning! Hiking in the rain always feels like a bigger accomplishment and the positive energy of doing it with good friends always cuts through the grey and gloom of the rain.

This morning's trek was the new nordic ski trails in Girdwood. The 45 minute drive down there was windy and rainy and doubt started to creep in. Would anyone else show up? Is it worth getting the kids geared up to hike in the rain? The answers: YES and YES! All the kids were geared up appropriately and ready to go. We had originally planned to do the Winner Creek Trail, but ended up opting for the more stroller friendly new trail. The trail is still under construction and we're not entirely sure we should have been on it. There were signs saying "Trail under construction / stay off," however they were laying on the ground, not standing up so we took that as a sign it was a go.

As often happens, we had one little guy who wasn't particularly enjoying the hike. I know that mama felt like there was a spotlight on her and her kiddo, but what all the rest of us parents were doing was sighing with relief, comforted that they aren't the only ones to experience that. After the hike we rewarded ourselves and the munchkins with lunch at the Bake Shop, a Girdwood staple, and then it was time to hit the road back to Anchorage.

Point Worozof and the Coastal Trail

I knew it would be a glorious morning for a trek today when I saw my pups sprawled out basking in the rays of sunlight streaming through the big windows of our little house. The trail would not disappoint! While pulling up to the trailhead of the Coastal Trail from Point Worozof Denali & Foraker were looming over Cook Inlet. Someone is summiting Denali this morning! While our trek isn’t nearly as strenuous as climbing “The Big One” it seems like getting kids out for a morning trek sometimes takes as much preparation.

Mt. Susitna a.k.a. the Sleeping Lady

We hiked for a little more than an hour. There were about 35 trekkers out, including moms, dads, babes, toddlers, an aunt, preschoolers and a grandma. We broke into smaller packs along the trail with some parents with little ones in strollers & packs moving at a quicker speed and others with toddlers traveling under their own power bringing up the rear. Some of the preschoolers were riding their own bikes.

If you look close you'll see Foraker & Denali (Mt. McKinley).

Point Worozof is at the very west end of Northern Lights Blvd., located right at the end of the runway for Ted Stevens International Airport. Its beach likes on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, between Kincaid Park and Earthquake park. We headed through the woods toward the south and Kincaid Park. There are many benches and look outs over Cook Inlet along the way. There were many moose sightings, the chirping of birds loud and sandhill cranes squawking as they flew overhead.

At the end of the hike many headed down to the beach for a picnic as the large jets took off into the sky overhead. Their loud noise a bit too much for my Little Bear, but very exciting for many of the other bigger kids.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you amazing outdoor mamas! Thanks for modeling healthy lifestyles and respect for Mother Nature. The world is and will continue to be a much better place because of you!

Bop the Trekker

Three Weeks and Counting...

Hanging around in the gear room fine tuning the rope systems.

Only three weeks left till the Papa Bear of this trekking family, heads up to The Mountain. Denali, "The Big One" in Athabascan, is calling. We are busily figuring out the menu and trying to dehydrate some delisious meals. Training is continuing on. Over Easter weekend they did a 3 day training run in the Talkeetna Mountains near Hatcher Pass on the Bomber Glacier. As I write this, he's trekking up Peak 3 with a 75 lbs. pack and then will be accompanying us this afternoon for a family Mother's Day bike ride. He's been fine tuning his ropes systems and checking all hist lists twice, three time and more!

From today's training run.

Helping Bop & Joe set up the new tent.