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This winter/spring was one for the books for Fairbanks. After our birthday adventure a month ago, it has either been snowing, really windy, really cold or sometimes all three at once. We had to bail out of 2 planned cabin trips due to the weather not being conducive to biking or skiing to a cabin. We broke all kinds of weather records for Fairbanks. We broke the record for longest string of days on record that the temperature did not get above 40F (4C). The old record was 176 days set in the winter of 1965/1966. This year we went 180 days without reaching 40F.
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| We went 3 more days before the temperature hit 40F - photo from NOAA facebook page |
We totally blew the record out of the books for the amount of snow in April. Normally we get less than 2 inches and we have had almost 17 inches (and higher amounts up in the hills where we live). We also had the second highest snowpack on record with 40 inches on the ground.
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| photo from NOAA facebook page |
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| Photo from NOAA facebook page |
Then we broke the record low temperature on April 9 with a low of -27F (-33C) (smashing the previous record of -16F) and that day the high was only 3F (-16C) – also a new record for the lowest high temperature in April. But then in 2 days, April 10-12, we went from -29F (-34C) to +50F (10C) also breaking a record in April for biggest temperature swing in 2 days. That’s a 79-degree temperature swing! Right from winter into breakup season.
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| Photo from NOAA facebook page |
So, you would think that this year, I would be ready for winter to be over. I did my first ski October 27th, almost 6 months ago. 6 months of winter is pretty average for us. All this crazy weather at the end of winter is not. I put storage wax on my skis yesterday (although some people are still skiing) and have already been out on my road bike a couple of times. Lots of snow on the ground still, but the main roads are mostly clear. But I still wasn’t sure if I was ready for winter to be over.
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| First road bike ride of the year earlier this week. There's still lots of snow. |
We had one more cabin trip planned for this weekend. My original plan was to bike from home out to Moose Creek Cabin. It’s possible to do and I’ve wanted to try it the past couple of years but conditions have not been right when I've been free to do it. Late snowstorms this year once again made it infeasible. Eric and I discussed going out for one or both nights that I had reserved. Our friend, Jay, who had been to another cabin this week, said skiing was good but thought biking might be soft. And I need to be biking, not skiing, since I’m supposedly in training for the Unbound Gravel 350 race which is happening in less than 7 weeks. So, I made the decision to stay home and road bike, while Eric decided to go ahead and ski out to the cabin for a little get away. He may write a blog post about it.
There is actually cell service at Moose Creek Cabin, if you stand in just the right spot and don’t move. So, Eric was able to let me know that the trails were actually quite good for biking and actually better for biking than skiing, as long as you were off the trails by 1 PM. Maybe I could get one more fatbike ride in. I made the decision to get up super early Saturday morning and be on the trail by 6 AM so I could bike out to the cabin and back and be done by noon or so.
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| The sun was already up when I started biking |
Well, I didn’t quite make that lofty goal, but I did start riding at 6:30 AM – so not too bad. The first 6 miles of trail were really bumpy and slow due to snowmachiners who had been on the trails the evening before. But the trail was still firm and bikeable, so I was happy.
I passed one biker at about mile 3 who had the same idea to start early but was moving even slower than me. Just as I turned towards Lee’s Cabin somebody else biked up behind me. I turned around and who was it? Peter, of course. I have been running into him on almost every big ride I have done this winter. We seem to be on the same wavelength. We laughed about that. Great minds think alike! And are willing to get up really early.
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| Peter, up early and out biking like me! |
Peter was planning on biking down the Wickersham Wall and then taking the Moose Creek Connector Trail if it was in. I had thought about going back that way if it was open, so we thought we might see each other again. I kept riding and the trail remained pretty bumpy. It was Velcro snow where the snowmachiners had been, so slow going, but sometimes you could get off to the side and have a little less rolling resistance. Usually this time of year, the trails are much faster, and I had hoped to get to Moose Creek Cabin (16 miles from the trailhead) in 2 hours or so. Instead, it took me 3 hours. Oh well, at least it was a nice day.
Just as I got to the intersection of the Moose Creek Connector Trail, who was there but Peter. We had taken the exact same amount of time to do our trails.
We were less than a mile (although all uphill) from the cabin, so I invited Peter along to say hi to Eric. He had never stopped at that cabin before, so was happy to join me. After a slow steady climb, we arrived at the cabin to see Eric out on the deck. He had pretty much decided that I wasn’t coming since it was after 9:30 AM. No, I was just slow! We hung out on the deck and had a snack before heading back. Peter decided to climb up to the high point a little further up the trail, but it was already 10 AM so I needed to get going to beat the heat and soft snow conditions. Eric was spending a second night at the cabin so he went back to relaxing.
I did end up taking the Moose Creek Connector. Peter said it was nice and smooth with just a few areas, mostly in wind-blown areas, where he was sinking in. He was right! It was a very nice change from the bumpy ride I had all the way out. It also helped that I could see where Peter had sunk into the snow so could choose another line. It was the best part of the ride. I was actually able to bike about 8 mph for a change. Once I hit the main trail, it was still much smoother biking than the way out.
But the Wickersham Wall (gaining 600 feet over one mile) still loomed ahead. My legs were tired from an interval work out the day before on my road bike. Should I even try to ride up it? I had only biked up it once a few years ago. Did I still have it in me? Should I just take a break and walk up it? But there was a slight tail wind. And the trail was firm, and I didn’t have a lot of weight on my bike. What to do? I went back and forth for the 3 miles that I could see it ahead of me trying to decide how motivated I was.
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| You can barely see the trail up the Wall on the hill in the distance. Plenty of time to decide what to do. |
As I started the climb, I decided I would just keep going until I couldn’t. Take it slow and steady. And guess what? I made it all the way up to the top without stopping. Woohoo! I guess I still have what it takes! Well, I also have a really, really granny gear that I added to my bike this year, too. That might have helped a little! When I got to the top, I took a photo and then laid in the snow to recover for a few minutes. Nobody was there to see my triumph. Oh well, c’est la vie!
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| Stoked that I biked all the way up the Wall! |
After that, it was only 6 miles back to the trailhead. Unfortunately, the temperatures had warmed up enough that the parts of the trail in the direct sunlight had gotten soft and squirrelly. I wasn’t able to get up the next uphill after the Wall due to soft snow. Pretty ironic, I made it up the Wall, but couldn’t make it up something I usually have no problems with. Life is funny that way! I made it back to the car without falling even though my back wheel was pretty squirrelly on the last downhill mile. It was over 50 degrees Fahrenheit when I got back to my car! By comparison, it was 30F (-1C) at the car when I started and about 15F (-9C) in the low spots early on.
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| Softer trails |
I was really glad to have done one more big fatbike ride before the trails are unrideable. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I had a smile on my face the entire time. Maybe, now I’m finally ready for the change of seasons.
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| 36.5 miles, 3600 feet elevation gain |
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