White Mountains traverse

Over "spring break" (not really spring...) Inari and I joined some friends on a 4-day ski trip through the White Mountains. The Whites are about 50-100 miles north of Fairbanks; I've visited them several times before, but mostly in summer (here and here) and never made it so far from the road. This time we got to see some terrain that I'd been wanting to see for several years.

It was a tough trip: we averaged about 8 hours of skiing each day and had just enough energy to eat dinner before crashing each night. We were thankful to have good company and cabins to sleep in - otherwise this trip may have been a death march like my solo trip in 2007.

It was a really nice, diverse trail. Skied over a couple of "high" passes and through some open swamp land, crossed Beaver Creek a couple of times, and had to navigate a 2 mile long section of frozen overflow (imagine a giant hockey rink tilted at a slight angle).

The trip had its moments. There were times when I questioned my sanity, but at other times - especially when the sun was shining - I didn't want to be anywhere else. I guess that's why we do these trips! (Plus the pain makes you feel alive...)

Some moments along the way.

First view of the mountains on Day 1:

Barely enough snow for skiing:
Cache Mountain Pass:
Anja and Penny eat lunch on Day 2:
Windy Gap Cabin:
Inari happy to be on top of Windy Gap:
View from Windy Gap:
Strong winds near Colorado Creek Cabin: