Snow-Shoeing at Portage Glacier
What a GREAT day we had! We have relatives in town and we wanted to get them out into the wilderness. Just one hour South of Anchorage, Alaska is a ski community called Girdwood. The Alyeska Resort is located there. We stopped there first to rent some snowshoes and poles for our guests (we have our own).
Although there are great trails in Girdwood (like the Winner Creek trail right behind the hotel), we decided to do something a little different. We squeezed back into the cars and went another 15 minutes South to Portage Valley. We drove past the day lodge there and parked along side of the road that, in summer, continues on to the Portage Lake dock (they do not plow it in winter, so the road is closed to traffic). We got everyone fitted into their snow-shoes, bundled our 3-year old bundled in the sled, and set the two dogs loose on the trail and off we went!
The snow was easily 4-feet deep with a nice crust on top (it was probably 30 degrees (F)... quite toasty). The wind was whipping, so I was glad that it was pretty warm. The view of the lake and the mountains behind it was stunning. It was quiet, white, and soft (even when I fell...). We brought sleds to sit on at the half-way point and a bottle of wine (with juices for the kids). It was just one of those perfect Alaska winter wonderland adventures, just tame enough for my Seattle-ite family and just wild enough for my mountain climbing husband.
After our adventure on the trail, we went to the Portage Day Lodge for espresso's and hot chocolate with snacks for the kids. (I had a hot chocolate and it was GOOD hot chocolate!) The gift shop there is one of the better ones in the Anchorage area. The owner has a good grasp on what a visitor is looking for and my family loved it. I just love Alaska day's like these!
