mooseoutfront

The Iditarod rarely comes through my area. Every once in a while though due to trail conditions. Mushing is big up here. There are daily race updates on the radio. Mushers like Brent Sass and Jeff King are celebrities in Alaska. The Iditarod gets all the press, but the Yukon Quest is a much tougher race.

This hits a little too close to home right now. I try not to laugh and be understanding when she strips down to her underwear and stands outside at 20 to 30 below for 5 minutes to cool off. I can sympathize, but in no way can I empathize.

Epitome of a career politician. The “Good Ol’ Boys Club” in Alaska just lost their cash cow. Anyone who ran against him up here didn’t have a chance. He was the main reason I support term limits for congress.

This right here. Being treated equally means you are eligible to be made fun of. It’s the common denominator around here. Reattach your sac.

XY is male. XX is female. Probably a typo, but an important one.

Just heard on the local news in Abilene the Eastland complex fire has consumed 45K acres and is only 10% contained. Abilene was full of smoke yesterday afternoon. Cleared out overnight. Wind is still whipping and expected to increase tomorrow. It’s a tinderbox in the Big Country. More fires are expected.

My wife. We can’t travel in the winter together. She literally keeps the home fires burning. She’s looking forward to having the place to herself.

Started this morning at 33 below. Unusually cold for March. On my way to Abilene where it will be 70 when I finally get there. Only 100 degrees warmer, no big deal.

I don't know. We're of the North now. 70 degrees is hot to me. 80 is sweltering. And fuck anything 90 or above. The temps make coming back to Texas uncomfortable, but it's something that we do every quarter to check on my mom in Abilene. I'll actually be in Abilene next week. As for Mexico, I'm hoping as I get older my bones will appreciate the warmer temps. We shall see though.

Beautiful day in Denali. Sunshine and 14 above. Almost T shirt weather.

I’m having a hard time computing it myself. One of the damndest things I’ve ever seen. There is literally no where else to push or pile any additional snow. It’s like living in a rat maze. But what I’m really interested in is how much water there’s going to be when it melts. It won’t dry out until July.

I’m very happy you survived. That which does not kill you makes you stronger as Mr. Sunshine said. if you’re ever in the area, let me know. We’ll throw a chunk of moose over the coals, sip on a jar of Bobby’s moonshine, twist up some homegrown and wax poetic of adventures and shenanigans.

The wolves are encroaching. The coyotes have the flats, where I live. There are 2 packs of wolves that live along along a ridge line a mile from my front door. A Northern pack and a Southern pack. I love to listen to the two packs talk shit in the Winter. Sound caries for miles in the deep cold. It gets vicious. We’ve had about three or four times more snow than we usually get. All the animals are using roads because the snow is so difficult to get through out in the woods. There is gonna be some crossover between them because of that, but in general the wolves stay in the hills.

It was my own dumb ass fault. Forgot my headlamp that morning, and forgot to grab the pistol I usually just leave in the truck for the trek. I used to carry a gun everywhere the first 2 or 3 years we lived out here. I rarely carry around the cabin unless there is fresh bear sign. I don't know if it's complacency or the fact that I've just realized the critters around here aren't going to hurt me.

You never run. Triggers the predatory instinct. Whether it's bears or wolves or whatever, you stand your ground and move away slowly. Grizzlies will bluff charge you. They'll run hard, right at you and then pull up 10 feet away. It's a test. You stand your ground and give 'em your best war face. Think Leonidas in 300. More often than not they'll turn and walk away. I hope I never find out.

If they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone. They are fascinating creatures. My favorite animals in the woods. They are like ghosts. You hardly ever see them.

I had snowshoes on so it only took about 20 or so minutes. Without the snowshoes it would have taken me 45 min easy. There was about a foot of fresh snow on the ground.

I have a buddy out caribou hunting close to Tolovana. Sent me this pic. Beautiful day where he is.

I have a buddy who is out caribou hunting close to Tolovana. If he finds the herd and catches one I'll post pics. Beautiful day where he is.

We have coyotes and wolves both in the area. The wild animals around here are still very wary of humans, so they don't really get that close to the cabin. Although there were a couple of coyotes that came up the drive a couple of months ago. They got to about 100 feet from the cabin before they turned around. Magnum went nuts when he smelled them the next morning and I followed their tracks in the snow for about about a mile before the got off the road and headed into the woods. Probably just scouts for a large pack that I've seen around all winter. I counted 18 of them when I surprised them on the road one night. Magnum is a smart little fucker. Smartest dog I've ever had. He just knows and stays close. You can always tell by watching how his body language changes when he smells predators. He'll do his thing if it's just a lynx or coyotes, but if he smells wolves he'll turn around and head back to the cabin. Refuses to take another step. He's a good alarm system. We've never lost a dog to the critters, but it 's a risk we've just accepted. Here's a wolf story for you... We were drifted in a while back. I had to park my work rig on the highway side of the snow drifts and walk about a mile and a half to the cabin. My dumb ass left my head lamp at the cabin that morning and I forgot to grab the pistol out of the truck before I started walking home in the dark. About half way home I heard an audible growl. My butt hole immediately puckered. No light, no firearm. I started singing the Eyes of Texas. That's the standard way I make noise in the woods so I don't surprise a bear in the summertime. Anyways I continue down the road home. I can hear at least two creatures following me, one on each side of the road. I can't see them, but I can hear their footsteps in the snow and I can hear them breathing. They break off about a quarter mile from the cabin and I get home. Go out the next morning when it's light and sure as shit find wolf tracks in the snow. They could of had me if they wanted me. They were just checking me out. They really want nothing to do with us. Still gets the heartbeat up though.

March is usually the beginning of the end. Sunlight noticeably comes back, which usually brings the temps above freezing and the big thaw starts. There are always a few random below zero nights here or there, but it's supposed to be below zero for highs next week. That's unusual. The big problem is the snow. We typically get 3 feet of snow during the winter. A heavy year is 4 feet. We've had 12 feet of snow this year. It's going to be an epic breakup followed by an equally epic mosquito year this summer with all the water that is going to be around.

Someone wins every year. Usually multiple people who have guessed the same time split the jackpot, but every once in a while someone gets it all to themselves.

It has been a challenge at times, but the way we live has instilled an us versus the world mentality between the two of us. We have both changed and matured a lot over the past dozen years, but in the end it's all about the 3 amigos...my wife, me, and whatever canine we are currently spoiling.

Here's some local flavor for y'all. Time to get your Ice Classic tickets. Jackpot is usually around $300K. My wife missed it by 2 minutes one year. https://www.nenanaakiceclassic.com/

The price of gasoline is now up to $4.89 per gallon as of this morning. Over a dollar up over the week. Everything is about to be spendy up here.