Post by Corrine
As Eric and I biked along the Wickersham Creek Trail, we kept asking ourselves: Where is Mike? 
This overnight trip had been planned by our friend, Erica, and the mishaps started a few days before we were to leave. She reserved the cabin and then invited us and some other friends. Unfortunately, she was bitten by a dog a few days before our trip. It wasn’t a horrible bite. She could still bike. But the bite had caused some deep bruising, and the injury was bothering her enough that she didn’t think a trip to Yeager’s was prudent.
We finally got to the cabin spur trail, about three hours from the trailhead, and no Mike. Nothing to do but continue up. We knew the climb would take a while. The trail is about a mile long and fairly steep, so when it is in good shape it takes a while to climb. But the Whites have had minimal snow, and the spur trail was tussocky. Eric tried riding for about 20 feet before he gave up. We were reduced to pushing our heavily laden bikes.
Thirty minutes later we made it to the cabin. But still no Mike. We started a fire and melted snow for water. No Mike. We checked our phones, but no cell service. Eric collected dead trees for firewood. Still no Mike.
Nikki and Mike got to the trailhead only to find they didn’t have the front wheel for Nikki’s bike. It had somehow gotten left at home when they loaded up their truck. They had to drive all the way home, to the Cripple Creek area, and back, so they were about three hours behind schedule. They tried to text us but -- no cell service. We hadn’t been too worried, as they are both very capable, but we had been a little worried and a lot curious. We were just glad they hadn’t decided to bail on the trip, too. Enough little mishaps!
Early season trips in the Whites can be a crapshoot when it comes to trail conditions. The lower elevation trails, especially, need enough snow to smooth out the tussocks. We knew the trail to Lee’s Cabin, about six miles, was fine – Corrine had skied to it earlier – and we had checked with a few people who had gone farther. It sounded like the Trail Creek Trail to Moose Cabin had a lot of ice on the hills, but reports were that the Wickersham Creek Trail to Yeager’s wasn’t too bad.
Once we dropped off the hill called the Wickersham Wall, the snow cover seemed sparser. The trail was still quite good for biking but less so for skiing, although still doable. We noted the new beaver lodge situated right on the trail by Wickersham Creek. It seemed like an odd place to build a lodge, but what do I know, I’m not a beaver. There was a little overflow along the trail but nothing horrible and most of it was frozen.
Even with the marginal trail conditions, we still saw lots of people out on the trails. First, we ran into Travis and Sarah with their daughter Etta. They were coming out from Lee’s on their first family cabin trip on bikes, and it was a success! We next ran into a couple of snowmachiners on Wickersham Wall and later met several skiers out for a weekend trip to Yeager’s and Eleazar’s cabins. The skiers told us they had left their skis at the bottom of the spur trail to Yeager’s and just walked the mile to the cabin, the right choice in my opinion.
All in all, conditions were quite good for early season biking, although we still need another six inches to a foot of snow before they get better.
Eric and I usually pack for cabin trips like we do for backpacking. Mostly freeze-dried meals, nothing fancy. When you have to haul it on your bike, you want it to be light. So, when Nikki texted us the night before that she would make us eggs and sausage and biscuits for breakfast we were ecstatic. Having snowmachine support is pretty nice!
While Eric and I rehydrated our freeze-dried meals for dinner, Mike heated up the soup they had brought to eat, but he realized too late that he had forgotten to add the uncooked veggies. Whoops! Just another little mishap. But it actually worked out well for Eric and me, as Nikki decided to cook the vegetables with the eggs for our breakfast the next morning. Yay!
After dinner we chatted and told stories until we were ready for bed. I was looking forward to finishing the book I was reading on the Kindle app on my phone. But to my surprise, the app wouldn’t open. I restarted my phone, but it still didn’t work. No cell service, so I couldn’t try to figure out what was wrong. Luckily, I was tired enough to sleep without reading. Eric told me the next morning that he had the exact same problem with the Kindle app on his phone. We still aren’t sure what the problem is. Eric is researching it. It really wasn’t a big problem, just another minor mishap among many. Mike sagely pointed out that a paperback book wouldn’t have that problem. Ha! Low-tech, low problems. But we are going to try to figure it out, as the Kindle app on our phones has become our go-to reading app for trips.
And while it wasn’t really a mishap, we did have to do some learning with the wood stove and cabin. We damped it down early, but the cabin still got too hot, even for me, who tends to run cold. Yeager’s cabin is tight and the wood stove is very efficient. And the temperatures were mild, in the mid-teens. We ended up opening windows and the door to cool off before bedtime. We didn’t restart the stove until early the next morning, and even then it wasn’t that cold inside. Nice to have such a tight cabin.
The next morning, we had a leisurely breakfast – with yummy eggs, veggies, sausage, and biscuits! – waiting for the skies to lighten before heading back out on the trail. We saw skiers, snowmachiners, a musher, and even a runner pulling a sled on our way out. The temperatures were pleasant and the riding, although strenuous, was fun. We didn’t stop much and made good time back to our car. Eric was a little behind and at one of his stops a Northern Hawk-Owl flew up and perched atop a tree right next to the trail. Cool!
We all enjoyed the quick overnight. Good weather, good trails, good friends. It was the best kind of weekend. Sure, a few things went wrong, but nothing that really mattered. Eric and I will be back out here with our son Riley and our friends, Jill and Beat, in less than a month. I’m looking forward to another trip. Hopefully this time with a few less mishaps. Or at least no big ones. 
We kept thinking he would pass us. We were fatbiking the 15 miles to Yeager’s Cabin in the White Mountains National Recreation Area north of Fairbanks. Mike and Nikki were supposedly about an hour behind us and Mike was on a snowmachine, so he should have been faster than us. Where was he?
Pre-Trip Problems
This overnight trip had been planned by our friend, Erica, and the mishaps started a few days before we were to leave. She reserved the cabin and then invited us and some other friends. Unfortunately, she was bitten by a dog a few days before our trip. It wasn’t a horrible bite. She could still bike. But the bite had caused some deep bruising, and the injury was bothering her enough that she didn’t think a trip to Yeager’s was prudent.
Then Jordan, another friend Erica had invited, texted that she injured her shoulder when she wiped out skiing. She was bailing, too. It would just be us along with Nikki and Mike. And now they weren’t showing up, either. Would it end up being just Eric and me?
Where is Mike?
We finally got to the cabin spur trail, about three hours from the trailhead, and no Mike. Nothing to do but continue up. We knew the climb would take a while. The trail is about a mile long and fairly steep, so when it is in good shape it takes a while to climb. But the Whites have had minimal snow, and the spur trail was tussocky. Eric tried riding for about 20 feet before he gave up. We were reduced to pushing our heavily laden bikes.
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| You can just barely see the cabin at the top of the hill ahead of me |
Thirty minutes later we made it to the cabin. But still no Mike. We started a fire and melted snow for water. No Mike. We checked our phones, but no cell service. Eric collected dead trees for firewood. Still no Mike.
We started sawing up the wood and finally we saw a light coming up the trail just as it was getting dark. I hiked down and, yes, finally, it was Mike! And, yes, they were fine but had been delayed.
Nikki and Mike got to the trailhead only to find they didn’t have the front wheel for Nikki’s bike. It had somehow gotten left at home when they loaded up their truck. They had to drive all the way home, to the Cripple Creek area, and back, so they were about three hours behind schedule. They tried to text us but -- no cell service. We hadn’t been too worried, as they are both very capable, but we had been a little worried and a lot curious. We were just glad they hadn’t decided to bail on the trip, too. Enough little mishaps!
Then, as Mike unpacked the cooler, he discovered that plastic container that had been holding the eggs had popped it’s top. Nearly half the eggs were sloshing around in the bottom of the cooler. OK, just one more little mishap!
Nikki arrived about 40 minutes after Mike with their two dogs, Panzer and Pippa, who did fine on the way in. We refrained from giving Nikki too hard of a time about her mistake with the bike wheel!Early Season Trails
Early season trips in the Whites can be a crapshoot when it comes to trail conditions. The lower elevation trails, especially, need enough snow to smooth out the tussocks. We knew the trail to Lee’s Cabin, about six miles, was fine – Corrine had skied to it earlier – and we had checked with a few people who had gone farther. It sounded like the Trail Creek Trail to Moose Cabin had a lot of ice on the hills, but reports were that the Wickersham Creek Trail to Yeager’s wasn’t too bad.
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| The first six miles - great trail conditions |
Once we dropped off the hill called the Wickersham Wall, the snow cover seemed sparser. The trail was still quite good for biking but less so for skiing, although still doable. We noted the new beaver lodge situated right on the trail by Wickersham Creek. It seemed like an odd place to build a lodge, but what do I know, I’m not a beaver. There was a little overflow along the trail but nothing horrible and most of it was frozen.
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| Good for biking, less good for skiing |
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| The trail is rerouted around the beaver lodge |
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| Overflow wasn't bad |
Even with the marginal trail conditions, we still saw lots of people out on the trails. First, we ran into Travis and Sarah with their daughter Etta. They were coming out from Lee’s on their first family cabin trip on bikes, and it was a success! We next ran into a couple of snowmachiners on Wickersham Wall and later met several skiers out for a weekend trip to Yeager’s and Eleazar’s cabins. The skiers told us they had left their skis at the bottom of the spur trail to Yeager’s and just walked the mile to the cabin, the right choice in my opinion.
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| Travis and Sarah with daughter Etta in the chariot |
All in all, conditions were quite good for early season biking, although we still need another six inches to a foot of snow before they get better.
Cabin Meals – Bikepacking vs Snowmachine Styles
Eric and I usually pack for cabin trips like we do for backpacking. Mostly freeze-dried meals, nothing fancy. When you have to haul it on your bike, you want it to be light. So, when Nikki texted us the night before that she would make us eggs and sausage and biscuits for breakfast we were ecstatic. Having snowmachine support is pretty nice!
Of course, Nikki arrived at the cabin only to find that about half the eggs had spilled out of the container. We gave her a hard time about getting our gastronomic hopes up, only to have them dashed, but it was only light-hearted teasing. We didn’t really care. Just another minor mishap. Nikki and Mike decided that there were enough eggs to still have a decent breakfast along with everything else that Mike towed in on the sled. Some of that everything else was some apple pie moonshine that they shared with us. That definitely made up for the loss of eggs!
While Eric and I rehydrated our freeze-dried meals for dinner, Mike heated up the soup they had brought to eat, but he realized too late that he had forgotten to add the uncooked veggies. Whoops! Just another little mishap. But it actually worked out well for Eric and me, as Nikki decided to cook the vegetables with the eggs for our breakfast the next morning. Yay!
More Little Mishaps
After dinner we chatted and told stories until we were ready for bed. I was looking forward to finishing the book I was reading on the Kindle app on my phone. But to my surprise, the app wouldn’t open. I restarted my phone, but it still didn’t work. No cell service, so I couldn’t try to figure out what was wrong. Luckily, I was tired enough to sleep without reading. Eric told me the next morning that he had the exact same problem with the Kindle app on his phone. We still aren’t sure what the problem is. Eric is researching it. It really wasn’t a big problem, just another minor mishap among many. Mike sagely pointed out that a paperback book wouldn’t have that problem. Ha! Low-tech, low problems. But we are going to try to figure it out, as the Kindle app on our phones has become our go-to reading app for trips.
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| Checking on the fire in the wood stove |
And while it wasn’t really a mishap, we did have to do some learning with the wood stove and cabin. We damped it down early, but the cabin still got too hot, even for me, who tends to run cold. Yeager’s cabin is tight and the wood stove is very efficient. And the temperatures were mild, in the mid-teens. We ended up opening windows and the door to cool off before bedtime. We didn’t restart the stove until early the next morning, and even then it wasn’t that cold inside. Nice to have such a tight cabin.
Time to Say Goodbye
The next morning, we had a leisurely breakfast – with yummy eggs, veggies, sausage, and biscuits! – waiting for the skies to lighten before heading back out on the trail. We saw skiers, snowmachiners, a musher, and even a runner pulling a sled on our way out. The temperatures were pleasant and the riding, although strenuous, was fun. We didn’t stop much and made good time back to our car. Eric was a little behind and at one of his stops a Northern Hawk-Owl flew up and perched atop a tree right next to the trail. Cool!
