Cabin Trips – Like Life – Are Not Stress Free, But They Are Worth It

 post by Corrine

Another cabin trip? After we had just done one? I was not feeling it. 

Usually, I’m the one taking the lead on getting us out the door for a cabin trip, but not this time. Beat and I had enthusiastically talked about and then made reservations for the Cache Mountain Cabin more than a month ago. We would go the short (though still arduous) way, via the McKay Creek Trail. Just 19 miles versus 39 miles from the Wickersham Trailhead. A month ago, it seemed like a great idea, but now I was looking for excuses to stay home. 

The weather forecast said the temperatures would drop to -30F on the weekend. Yes! Minus 20 is my cutoff for winter trips, so we could cancel. But…the temperature wasn’t going to drop until Saturday evening. Eric suggested we go for one night instead of two. The forecast for Friday and Saturday during the day was for temperatures around zero with no wind. Good for biking. Darn! 

Too much new snow is also a good reason to cancel. But…only about an inch of snow was forecast. Not enough to ruin the trails. Double darn!

Still, the trail could be lousy. Maybe there was a lot of soft snow drifts? Maybe it hadn’t been used in a long time? I reached out to Dew Claw Kennel right next to the McKay Creek Trailhead. But…Jodi said they had been using the trail regularly and mushers were going to be out there all weekend, so the trails should be great. Triple darn!

Sigh, I guess I was going to have to go. Eric just smiled. He knew I would be fine once I was out on the trail.

Our Winter Trip “Coaches”

Our friends, Jill and Beat, were visiting for the holidays to do trips into the White Mountains National Recreation Area to train for ultras and just because they love it. They have come up every winter holiday for the past eight years. Just by coming up, they spur us to get out the door in the coldest, darkest time of the year. We never regret it.

Jill and Beat wanted to maximize their time in the White Mountains, so they planned two multi-day trips. Last weekend, we had joined them for the first three days of their five-day trip. Of course they had another planned, this one for four days at Cache Mountain Cabin. Eric and I had planned to go for three days, but as the time got closer, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. Why? I was tired. It seemed like too much work. I wanted some down time.

My work life is go, go, go. Never a relaxing moment from the time I get to work until I leave. If I’m not in a room with a patient, I’m calling a patient or writing a lab letter or reading through records or trying to contact a specialist. It’s busy all day. Even at lunch, I’m catching up with messages. I’ve been feeling a little burned out, too, knowing I will be retiring in two months. When I get home, I just want to relax. 

Beat reminded me that cabin time is down time—no distractions of phones, people, the real world, etc. That’s true but cabin trips have their own stresses. 

Cabin Trip Stresses

I have most Fridays off, but if we leave for a cabin trip on Friday that means, after 12 hours of non-stop work on Thursday, I must come home and get all my food and gear packed. Since the cabins are remote, I can’t forget anything crucial. By the time I’ve had dinner and packed up, it’s time for bed. And since daylight is short this time of year, we get up early for the drive to the trailhead. No sleeping in. Relaxing? Definitely not.

But once on the trail, I can relax, right? Well, not always, especially in winter. Fatbiking with a loaded bike is hard work. Even with good trails. But if the trails are bad or the light is flat, it can be tricky and take a lot of concentration. And you have to think about not getting too sweaty on the climbs and to layer up quickly for the long descents. Even if you do everything right, you will probably get cold. Your hands and feet are the first things to go numb. Then it’s stressful and painful warming them up again. Make a mistake and you could suffer frostbite or worse. It’s harder to relax dealing with all that.

When you finally get to the cabin, you can’t relax. First, you have to start a fire. Hopefully there is some wood available for this. Then you need to collect and cut up more firewood. And collect snow to melt for water. And get your gear out and sleeping pad blown up. And hang up your sweaty gear to dry by the woodstove. And boil water for dinner. Whew! It’s amazing anybody does winter bike trips! It’s a lot of work. Fortunately, I usually have Eric to share these chores. (And if you are slower on the trail, then a warm cabin and melted water are waiting for you. Maybe I should walk like Jill and Beat!)

But after all that, you finally get some downtime and relaxation. Then it’s nice. (Until you have to get the fire started in the morning and get breakfast going and pack up and head out again!)

More Than Just Trip Stresses

But I’ve had no problems dealing with the stress of winter cabin trips before.  My stress this time was more than that. I have been in a tired funk most of the winter. I’m not sure what it is. Could it be the recent disappointing diagnosis of severe osteoporosis of my spine? I don’t smoke or use alcohol. I exercise a lot including regular strength workouts. And it doesn’t run in my family. My only risk factor (besides being an older female) is that I have ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory type of arthritis that affects the spine. It can put you at risk for osteoporosis. But my disease had been under good control since my 40s, so I figured I wouldn’t have this issue. I figured wrong. 

Severe osteoporosis can be limiting for people. I’ve had patients with my level of osteoporosis sustain compression fractures of their spine just from walking down stairs. Yikes! But I want to stay active and not worry about falling. So, I will be starting on some high-powered medications (expensive with lots of side effects) to help build bone. I will continue my strength workouts, which help slow osteoporosis. I’m also trying to get more calcium in my diet and take my Vitamin D more regularly. Hopefully, I won’t get any worse. 

I know I’m getting older, but I’ve never let that affect my outlook. But to be slammed in the face with this diagnosis is disconcerting. My body is starting to betray me. Is this the start of a slow slide into old age? I know it’s inevitable. As a doctor I see it happening to many of my patients. But I’m not ready to turn into an old person. Of course, are we ever? Maybe thoughts about aging are affecting my mental health. Could I be a little depressed, which can cause fatigue?  I’ll need to think about that more. 

Out the Door and Better for It

With Eric’s and Beat’s encouragement, I agreed that we should head out for an overnight at the cabin. The next morning, on the hourlong drive to the trailhead, I was already wanting a nap! But the McKay Creek Trail starts with a 7-mile grunt of a climb with the steepest part in the first mile.  No resting there. After just a few minutes of pedaling I was gasping for breath and my heart was pounding. But at least the trail was firm so I could bike. Pretty soon I was a sweaty mess and had to stop and peel layers. Eric doesn’t like long climbs and took more breaks. We got separated, but I knew he would catch me as he is faster on the downhills. After a couple of hours of slow pedaling, I made it to the top. And I was able to bike the entire way, an indication that my fatigue was more mental than physical. 

Eric gets hot and sweaty on the climb

And the view at the top was worth the climb. The valley was filled with clouds, but the mountains rose above the fog and were lit up by the dawn sun. It was magical. A reminder of why we do these trips. I took a few photos, then put on a layer before the first long descent. 

The trail got softer after the turn off to Richard’s Cabin as most of the traffic had gone that way. I let air out of my tires to improve traction and was able to mostly stay on my bike during the descent.

Jill and Beat had started a couple of hours before us. But biking is almost always faster than walking with a sled behind you. I caught up to Jill near the bottom of the first descent into the Ophir Creek valley. She was in good spirits, moving slowly and steadily. Now close behind, Eric passed her a few minutes later. 

We catch up to Jill

The climb out of Ophir Creek includes some tough hike-a-bike sections. I kept stopping every few feet to catch my breath. I was feeling more tired than I expected. Usually, I like the challenge of a big hill but not today. Was it physical or mental? Maybe both? Eric caught me on the climb. He’s a bit better at hike-a-bike than I am. 

We were happy to crest the top of the hill and begin another decent across a mostly open area. This part is often drifted, but luckily the drifts and trail were firm. Last year, we turned around here due to endless soft drifts. Today was not effortless but much better. 

Windblown but with good trail

After another long descent, we started another climb and finally caught Beat. He was in great spirits, finishing up a break. He relishes sled-dragging trips. Eric and I chatted a few minutes then continued the longish climb, but some of the drifting here made the biking more challenging. We were on and off our bikes. At one point, Eric looked back and could see Beat gaining on us. That spurred us on. We didn’t want to get passed by a walker! Finally, we got to the descent to Beaver Creek, confident we would get to the cabin well before Beat. 

We finally catch up to Beat

It was getting dark as we got to where the McKay Creek Trail intersects the Cache Mountain Loop Trail. Less than three miles to the cabin, but it’s almost all uphill! Eric was feeling strong and charged ahead. I didn’t have the same energy and couldn’t keep up with him. Then, at one point, I looked back into the dark and saw a headlamp. 

“What? Beat is catching up to me?” I thought.

I knew I was moving slow, but was I really that slow? I tried to pick up my speed, but the headlamp was still catching me. As it got closer, I finally heard barking and realized it was a dog team, not Beat. Whew! 

The dog team along with a snowmachine passed me. I continued my slow 3-4 mph pace. I remembered this last section as undulating low hills, but it seemed like it was a constant uphill until the final half-mile gentle descent to Cache Mountain Cabin. I made it to the cabin in six hours, longer than it’s taken me in the past. Sure, some of it was the trail conditions but a lot of it was me. I just was not feeling it. Still, I had made it. Tired but happy.

Some Relaxing, Then the Return

We had a quiet evening in the cabin with Jill and Beat once they arrived. (And after all the chores were done.) They planned to hike up to Cache Mountain Divide the next day while Eric and I would bike back out. Overcast skies helped keep the temperature around zero but meant no auroras. I was happy that the temperature hadn’t fallen too much by morning and that it had only snowed around an inch.

The bike out was not much easier than the bike in. There are a couple of sustained hike-a-bike sections and some steep-but-bikeable hills. I might have ridden more and pushed less, but my legs were toast from the day before. I was happy to see Eric pushing his bike because it gave me an excuse to avoid getting on the bike. At least when you’re pushing, it’s easy to stop and rest. 

We saw several snowmachiners, and Eric helped one get his machine unstuck. We also saw several mushers which really helped to pack the trail down. We were glad to finally get to the top of the last hill although we both got chilled on the last several-mile fast descent. After starting the car, we had to run around the parking lot waving our arms to warm up and warm our hands so we could unload our bikes. 

We stopped at the Chatanika Lodge for hot food on the way home and reminisced about the weekend. Yes, it had been tiring. Yes, it took a lot of time to pack and unpack. Yes, it was a lot of physical effort. Yes, winter cabin trips do have their stresses. But, yes, it was worth it. Being outdoors in the wilderness is challenging but rewarding. And doing it with my husband and friends just makes it that much better. 

I hope as I age, despite my osteoporosis, I can continue to keep challenging myself outdoors. In the end, despite the stress involved, these trips help make life interesting, exciting, and fulfilling. 

A Trip Full of Little Treats

blog post by Corrine

We’ve done multiple winter trips into the White Mountains north of Fairbanks. It’s always special, as the area is a wonderful winter playground. But this time we had a little treat waiting for us: a stay at a new cabin! 

The White Mountains National Recreation Area has more than 100 miles of trails with public use cabins every 10 to 20 miles. We love spending time there in the winter. And for the last eight years our friends, Jill and Beat (pronounced Bay-ott), have flown up from Boulder, Colorado, over the holidays to spend time with us at these cabins while they train for winter ultras. This year they are training to run the White Mountains 100 race in March. It’s always a treat to have them visit and it gives us a reason to get out of the house for human-powered adventures.

Jill and Beat

And this year we scored a reservation at Yeager’s Cabin, the newest in the recreation area. We were eager to check it out. 

All Day Bike Ride to a New Cabin

Eric and I left the trailhead Friday morning about sunrise on our fatbikes. Jill and Beat planned to follow on foot a little later. It took Eric and I all day to get to the cabin, but at solstice that’s just a few hours – three hours and 42 minutes to be exact - between sunrise and sunset. On the way we enjoyed the treats of beautiful solstice light with pinks in the sky and alpenglow on the mountains.

Yeager’s Cabin, which started renting just a month or so ago, sits 15 miles from the Wickersham trailhead, about halfway between Eleazar’s and Borealis-LeFevre cabins. Beat had already laid claim to Yeager’s. The first part of his last name, Jegerlehner, is pronounced like Yeager, so it must be his, right?! In truth, the cabin is named after Eric Yeager, a long-time outdoor recreation planner for BLM. 

Beat claims "his" cabin

The cabin sits on a small plateau with an expansive view. The side trail to it is only about three-quarters of a mile long, but it is all uphill. Eric and I were huffing and puffing on the climb, but we managed to get there right at sunset (2:43 PM). 

2:43 PM sunset

The two of us enjoyed the view while collecting and cutting up firewood as the twilight slowly faded. Fortunately, the cabin sits on the edge of an old burn, so there’s plenty of good firewood nearby, yet another little treat!

Jill and Beat arrived a couple of hours later, after the skies had grown dark, but they enjoyed their own little treat: arriving at a warm cabin with plenty of melted snow for water! 

That first night, after collecting sufficient firewood, we lazed around, talking and relaxing. We headed outside often to look at the stars and planets (lots of them!) and check for auroras (only a few, early in the morning). For those interested, the cabin has the same layout at the Moose Creek Cabin. 

The Luxury of a Two-Night Stay 

Typically, on our White Mountains trips we either do a single overnighter or do multiple nights at several cabins, moving to a new cabin each night. The downside is that you must pack up every morning and you often arrive at a cold cabin. But not this time. We had Yeager’s for two nights. That meant we could have a lazy morning, leave everything unpacked, head out for a day trip, then come back to a warm cabin. A nice little treat! 

Woodstove heating up the cabin

The second day, Saturday, was cool and crisp. We all decided to head further out the trail. Eric and I led the way on bikes. We stopped to check out Big Bend Trail. The base was firm, but it had an inch or so of new snow, which made it squirrely for bikes. We opted to head out past Borealis-LeFevre cabin on the Fossil Creek Trail. The temperature, which had been about 0F at the cabin, dropped as we descended onto Beaver Creek, which was frozen solid. Eric’s thermometer read -18F at the coldest. Not too bad for December but cold enough that we didn’t stop often. We had no set itinerary so turned around after about two hours.

Heading back out on the trail Saturday morning

After turning back, we ran into our friend, Peter, on a bike. We often run into him out in the Whites, so when he saw the tire tracks he wondered if it might be us. He was right! Peter was headed to Caribou Bluff cabin. He’s training for the Iditarod Trail Invitational multi-sport race. Last year he biked 300 miles to McGrath, but this year he hopes to make it the entire 1,000 miles to Nome. It was fun little treat to see him on the trail.

We run into Peter Delamere

Eric and I decided to stop at Borealis-LeFevre cabin on our way back, hoping to warm up. We would arrive a little past noon and figured the previous night’s occupants would be gone but the cabin warm. That would be a nice little treat. Alas, the Friday night renters hadn’t stayed there. A snowmachiner was there just checking out the cabin, but he said it was cold, and a quick trip inside confirmed it. I was so disappointed. Still, we stopped for a snack. I got out some handwarmers. Eric thought he would be fine without them, but by the time we got going his fingers were numb. He hightailed it across Beaver Creek, eagerly wanting to start the climb on the other side of the creek to get his heart pumping.

It was colder in the cabin than outside. 

About halfway up Eric finally felt the agonizingly delicious pins and needles in his fingers. That feeling was a treat for him because it meant he would get to keep his fingers! About two-thirds of the way up he was warm enough to stop and take pictures of me as I climbed past him. By the time we made it to the top, we were both hot and sweaty. One of the joys of winter biking is loving the climbs!

Warming up on the climb back up from Beaver Creek

We got back to the cabin and collected more firewood. Jill and Beat were still out, having headed out Big Bend Trail. They arrived a couple of hours later. We had another quiet but pleasant evening, sharing stories, and getting to bed early. 

Warm But Slow

The final morning, we woke up to temperatures close to 20F above zero. Quite the change from the prior two days. The warmth made the trails, already a bit soft on the way in, even more soft and slippery on the way out. The trails weren’t bad, but we had to air out our tires, which made for slower going. 

Right after we got going, I had to stop and deal with an errant contact lens. At least it was warm which made stopping and taking off my gloves more pleasant, so I guess that’s sort of a treat. 

The biking was also a bit harder for me since I couldn’t get into my lowest gear, a problem that had started the day before. I would have to take my bike to the mechanic after we got home. At least it still worked. 

Then, on a downhill shortly after Wickersham Wall, I shifted to my highest gear and my chain went right off my gear cluster, ending up between the smallest gear and the frame. Not good. Eric and I fiddled with it for a while and discovered that my rear axle was loose. We tightened it and then everything worked fine, even the lowest gear. Yay, I wouldn’t have to take my bike to the mechanic. I guess that’s kind of a treat, but the treats on this day seemed a bit subdued.

Lots of people out enjoying the Whites

The final six miles we started running into more and more people. Snowmachiners, skiers, snowshoers. Everybody had the same idea. Get out during those few hours of daylight and enjoy the northern winter solstice. We even ran into friends Dan and Sue and talked to them a bit. That was a nice treat.

It was great to see people out enjoying the Whites, but all the traffic on the trails made them softer, so we had to let even more air out of our tires. I pushed up some hills that I normally bike up. I was glad to get to the high point a mile from the trailhead, which meant easy riding all the way back to the trailhead. Now that was a treat. 

Of course, the real treat is that we get to live so close to a wonderful wilderness area with cabins and groomed trails. Thank you to all the BLM employees for taking such good care of our recreation area!