Picture Perfect Day at Eklutna Lake

It just doesn't get any better than today's Trek. I don't even know how to choose the pictures... so if they weren't blurry they are being downloaded!

We headed north of town and took the trail around Eklutna Lake. The temps were in the high 60's but to us Alaskans, who saw snow stick to the ground less than 2 weeks ago... it seemed a LOT warmer!

Over 35 parents and 60 or more kiddos joined us today to bask in the sun and enjoy the stunning beauty of this valley. Some faster moving families made it much further down the trail than ours did. Throwing rocks into the glacier blue water was the agenda for the day. Everyone seemed perfectly content letting the kids dictate the pace, and just soaking up the vitamin D while we can.

Most of the trail is dry though we did have to brave one sloppy spot. Some chose to "portage" around it. I found if you kept moving through it and didn't stop, it wasn't that bad.

Hillside Trails

Spring Brings Change

Still one of my favorites from over the past three years. My oldest w/ Lia's

Dear Outdoor Families,

It is with a mix of excitement and sadness that I am announcing that I will be stepping down from my post as President of the Anchorage Outdoor Family Network at the end of June. My family and I will be moving to Juneau. Founding AOFN and Taiga Trekkers, aside from marrying my husband and having my two boys, is my proudest accomplishment. In creating this organization I found a place where all my passions converged and I discovered strengths I didn't know I had. It also provided me the opportunity to team up with two amazing mamas and friends - Lia and Amanda.

It is my great hope that AOFN will continue to make resources accessible for parents and that it remains a vehicle to empower families to network and share a love of nature and time spent with each other.

The sanity gained by walking and talking with other moms and dads down the trail, hearing their stories and knowing I am not alone in the challenges I encounter as a parent, has been absolutely invaluable to me. So many ideas and lessons I've learned from you all. The love and support we experienced when our second child was born this past year, blew us away! The friendships my children have made are deeply, deeply treasured. We will think of you all fondly as we discover the beaches and trails of the Southeast, and as I continue to work towards being a mindful and present mama for my boys. If you have never made it to Juneau, you must put it on your family's outdoor bucket list and look us up!

I will help transition everything over to Lia's hands as the new president. I will be taking Taiga Trekkers with me to Juneau. Please let Lia or myself know if any of you would like to start your own hiking group. Our last Trek will be Thursday, June 13th. Click here to RSVP and find out the location. We will be Trekking every Thursday till then.

Who knows... maybe I'll start the Southeast chapter, as I did here and in Kodiak and we'll connect them under the umbrella of the Alaska Outdoor Family Network, but for now I'm looking forward to letting go of some of the responsibilities and fully focusing on my family. I'm also eager to be in the heart of where policy making happens for our state, as it has been my dream for a long time to eventually be part of that process and serve as a voice for both Title 1 teachers and outdoor education.  

Thank You!

Happy Trails!

Harmony

McHugh Creek

 

 

Snow Geese & the Potter Marsh Boardwalk

It was a phenomenal morning at the Potter Marsh Boardwalk! There was a golden eagle, a moose, Canada geese, some turns, snow geese, and the train went by! It seemed at first like we had missed the geese, but just when I had lost hope of seeing them a huge flock flew in and landed just feet away!

The board walk is a fantastic place to let little people roam and run as it is a long expanse of fenced in decking! We forgot to bring out binoculars today, so remember to take yours when you go next! It can be windy down there too, so always bring an extra layer just in case.

It was wonderful to see a lot of new faces when we introduced ourselves at the beginning and along the boardwalk! There were at least 20 parents with twice as many kiddos!

3 Years of Trekking Together!

If I had only thought to bring a camera on our first Trek! I would love to see this photo side by side with that one!

Yesterday was the Taiga Trekkers 3rd Anniversary Trek, and a great reason to celebrate the miles, the stories and the bonds we have shared over the years. Above is a picture of me and Casey. Casey was the only other mama who showed up to that very first Trek, with her little girl. We walked along the Coastal Trail and immediately bonded. Lots of "My kid does that too!" moments. The ones you need, as a parent, to know you are not alone in this journey... and maybe you might actually be doing something right. Casey wasn't at our anniversary hike in person last year. She was in our thoughts, though physically she was in Texas receiving treatment for Lymphoma. Just this past week she was again in Texas to check the progress of her treatment - and all tests indicated her body is CANCER FREE! Despite having only a few hours of sleep yesterday (she flew back to Anchorage the night before), she packed up both her kids to come celebrate with us. During the past year Casey bravely, honestly & humbly blogged about her experiences and revelations through the "adventure" of cancer and life. Her unrelenting positive attitude and fierce ambition to live life to the fullest really spurred me on and gave me perspective as I was battling postpartum depression. Today was a truly a day to honor life and friendships!

We only did about a mile on the Chester Creek Trail from Goose Lake today. The "big boys" agenda was more of the off-roading, path less taken variety. Most of the time was spent playing at the playground and sharing treats we all brought for the potlatch after. A momma and yearling moose paid us a closer than comfortable visit on the playground, we kept the kids corralled on the equipment while they sauntered by. Many RSVPed, but I suspect didn't show because of the 18 inches of snow we've received in the week since our last Trek. The 0 degrees F when waking this morning was rather depressing. My 4 year keeps saying "When it is really Spring out, can we...?"

An enormous thank you also goes out to Amanda & Lia for keeping Trekkers going while my family and I were adventuring around Kodiak for many months this past year!

Thank you again to all the families who have joined us over the years! We plan to keep on Trekking! You might notice though, that I'm not as in to following up Treks on the blog these days. Keeping up with these two little guys, and being present while doing it is taking #1 priority in my life right now. I'll continue to post when the moment moves me.

Here are some favorite photos from Treks over the past 3 years! Oh the memories!