These are some of the things we've been doing this year, and what a few areas look like.
We start with new years, the sled pulling the trailer with my buddy on it, had all that gear fully loaded down, and three people... been a good machine...
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/January2008006.jpg[/img]
At juneau lake.... I think we drilled a little close to shore for water...
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/January2008029.jpg[/img]
Lots of snow down in Seward, this is one of the many berms around our place, notice snowmachine on top for scale.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08001.jpg[/img]
View of resurrection bay from top of lost lake trail, out towards the gulf of Alaska.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08007.jpg[/img]
Lot of wind up there that day.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08015.jpg[/img]
These tracks were about ten minutes old, already almost buried.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08017.jpg[/img]
Hiking up Mt. Alice, one of the biggest spruce trees I've ever seen. Notice there is a person standing at the bottom of the tree.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/Febuary2008034.jpg[/img]
Silly Moose. I guess it's a tasty truck.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/Febuary2008073.jpg[/img]
Now if we could get the damn dog to quit chasing the moose maybe he won't get kicked... AGAIN.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08032.jpg[/img]
The variations in the weather have been crazy, especially up in the valley. This ice hole was 5" wide when it was drilled, now it is about 15" because of 40 degree weather and water movement.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08058.jpg[/img]
Some of the ice was allowed to run out from under this puddle from a few warming and cooling cycles, making these levels of freezing.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08081.jpg[/img]
This is ice, and it looks like waves in water, but these ridges were snowmachine tracks that stay high, and were smoothed out from the melting and refreeze.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08086.jpg[/img]
These tracks are almost "fossilized" in the ice.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08099.jpg[/img]
These "cloverfields" are caused when the temperature drops when there is water on top of the ice on a lake. The top layer freezes, and there is still water underneath, the change in temperature makes the ice growth cause a surge upward in the middle of the lake, and the water then drains out from underneath leaving these air pockets.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08101.jpg[/img]
These surges also make pressure cracks which split all the way through the ice, you can hear them run across the lakes.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08114.jpg[/img]
There is very little snow, if any, left on top of many valley lakes.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08106.jpg[/img]
The snow acts as a dam, and filled many areas such as this with water, which then froze.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08094.jpg[/img]
This is from on top of lazy mountain by palmer, you can see how little snow there is left after the melt.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08070.jpg[/img]
Me and the girl on top of the mountain overlooking knik arm and thematanuska river.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/Febuary2008107.jpg[/img]
On the spine at the top, looking back at the matanuska river valley.
[img width= height=]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i193/corbanzo/corbinspring08067.jpg[/img]
That is what winter looks like in south central... more snow is coming I hope... but we will see. Luckily it cooled back off, and has been in the 20's I would like it to get a little colder, but we will see..
