An Alaska Christmas

[fourflys]

well, we had a white Christmas for sure... for some good cycling accessories and then went for a ride...

unfortunately there is currently an active duty member that went hiking lost on the mountain in the last picture... Prayers for him and his family...

http://threeflys.smugmug.com/Cycling/Riding-in-Kodiak/i-d5nQtpM/0/L/P1000314-L.jpg
http://threeflys.smugmug.com/Cycling/Riding-in-Kodiak/i-48GPPnz/0/L/P1000316-L.jpg
http://threeflys.smugmug.com/Cycling/Riding-in-Kodiak/i-gXH4tV2/0/L/P1000318-L.jpg

[that guy]

How much daylight do you get this time of year?

[fourflys]

How much daylight do you get this time of year?

sun comes up around 0930 and goes down around 4:20 currently... not any time to ride after work... ;)

[Steve in SLO]

Nice pics, Chris. I'd bet last year at this time this seemed very far away, but here you are, handlebar mitts and everything.

[fourflys]

Nice pics, Chris. I'd bet last year at this time this seemed very far away, but here you are, handlebar mitts and everything.

for sure, last year I would have been riding up Hwy 1 with shorts and short sleeves...

oh well, the good thing is I should have a good pick coming out of here... ;)

[xjoex]

Bar Mitts are about the best things ever huh?

How long till you get a fat bike? I am thinking of one..

-Joe

[fourflys]

Bar Mitts are about the best things ever huh?

How long till you get a fat bike? I am thinking of one..

-Joe

I was looking on the Anchorage Craigslist today... :)

The problem is the snow turns to ice pretty quick here... And the beaches are pretty short here... But if I run across one at a good deal... :)

[fourflys]

well, they found the hiker... unfortuantely, it was too late... :(

[akelman]

well, they found the hiker... unfortuantely, it was too late... :(

I just logged on to ask you for an update. I was hoping for good news. I'm so very sorry to hear this.

[fourflys]

I just logged on to ask you for an update. I was hoping for good news. I'm so very sorry to hear this.

been a rough year for the Coast Guard... thanks Ari...

the hiker was a young (20) man from Maine, had just joined the CG in June... the only redeeming thing is he wasn't married and no kids... feel for his parents back in Maine though, Christmas will never be the same...

I implore any of us thinking about going out in the backcountry to never go alone...

[54ny77]

does mtb hydraulic fluid at those winter alaskan temps get funky, or no issues?

[fourflys]

does mtb hydraulic fluid at those winter alaskan temps get funky, or no issues?

the levers weren't quite as "fluid" as in the warm, but I didn't have any issues stopping... of course since I haven't been riding, I wasn't going that fast... ;)

my bikes stays in a shed right now so they are as cold as the ambient temp... which was in the 20's yesterday...

[akelman]

been a rough year for the Coast Guard... thanks Ari...

the hiker was a young (20) man from Maine, had just joined the CG in June... the only redeeming thing is he wasn't married and no kids... feel for his parents back in Maine though, Christmas will never be the same...

I implore any of us thinking about going out in the backcountry to never go alone...

Yeah, that's horrible. My brother-in-law died on my birthday about fifteen years ago. It's pretty hard to celebrate as a result (not to mention, I'm getting old, so who wants to celebrate?). As for hiking, those are wise words. I learned that lesson myself years ago, though I was relatively lucky -- doubly so because I wasn't in Alaska during the winter time.

[AngryScientist]

great pictures and glad you had a nice christmas, thanks for sharing.

as to the hiker - if it's OK to talk about, any idea what lead to his demise? i mean the story, the train of events, etc?

i watch as many documentaries, and read as many books on this sort of thing as i can. for one thing, stories of self reliance, and true adventuring fascinate me. as a side benefit, the way i see it, the more stories we are cognizant of where someone fails big time, if we know the details, is an excellent chance to learn. i think anyone's skillset, for a given situation is based on experiences and knowledge, learned both first hand, and second hand. anyway i wonder what happened to this young fellow that ultimately lead to his demise?

of course, if it's too soon, or something not to get into now, or publicly, thats fine too. cheers and stay warm out there.

[akelman]

I used to ride a fantastic stretch of the Colorado (http://funcoloradohikes.com/kenosha_pass_east.html) Trail: (http://funcoloradohikes.com/kenosha_pass.html) from its junction with I-285 (about an hour west of Denver) until it hit a very sketchy and steep area of loose terrain about ten miles away. On the one hand, it was the best time I ever had riding: peaceful, fantastic scenery, difficult-but-not impossible terrain, and, because that part of the CT runs through National Forest, my dog could run with me. On the other hand, I almost never saw any people out there, I didn't have a cell phone back then, and if I had gone down hard, I well might have stayed down for a very long time.

Shorter Ari: I was dumb when I was younger. Still, I'm not sure I wish I had done things differently.

[fourflys]

great pictures and glad you had a nice christmas, thanks for sharing.

as to the hiker - if it's OK to talk about, any idea what lead to his demise? i mean the story, the train of events, etc?

i watch as many documentaries, and read as many books on this sort of thing as i can. for one thing, stories of self reliance, and true adventuring fascinate me. as a side benefit, the way i see it, the more stories we are cognizant of where someone fails big time, if we know the details, is an excellent chance to learn. i think anyone's skillset, for a given situation is based on experiences and knowledge, learned both first hand, and second hand. anyway i wonder what happened to this young fellow that ultimately lead to his demise?

of course, if it's too soon, or something not to get into now, or publicly, thats fine too. cheers and stay warm out there.

not real clear on details at this point, but I believe it involved a pretty long fall/slide...

[dogdriver]

Bummer-- just flew from Anchorage to Salt Lake on the all-nighter last night and this young man's body was on board. Two Coast Guard men as escorts-- a very respectful, touching ceremony for the loading and unloading. Hate it when a life ends early...

[fourflys]

Thank you for that update... I believe the funeral is tomorrow...