Tolovana Hot Springs - Which Mode of Transportation is Best?

 

My triceps were killing me. I struggled to shove my bike up the huge snow drift then take a step without sliding backwards. Success! 

But not done yet. Again. Push the bike forward, lock the brakes, step up, grunt. Don’t slide backwards. Push, brake, step, grunt. Push, brake, step, grunt. I was cursing my decision to bring my bike and not my skis. Who said bikes were faster? They certainly weren’t today!

We had reservations for a quick overnight to one of the Tolovana Hot Springs cabins. I had been to the hot springs twice – but both times on skis. Eric had been to the springs three times, but only on skis and kicksled. We knew people who had done it on bikes but hadn’t ever done that ourselves. 

The trail has a lot of steep ups and downs. The downhills are too steep for me to ski (especially the last 2 miles to the cabin). Scary and out of control. Not my cup of tea. A lot of the uphills are too steep to ski, too, so I end up walking and carrying my skis for much of the trail. I can usually only ski about half of the 10-mile trail. Maybe it would make more sense on bike? 

Lots of steep hills on the trail

But would the conditions be conducive to biking? It had been windy a few days before our trip and there had been a few inches of snow the week before. The trail has a reputation for being drifted in places. But we figured there had probably been a lot of traffic out to the hot springs since it is March (the best time of year for winter recreation) and spring break was the week prior. And the owner of the hot springs thought the trail would be decent.

After debating, we decided – what the heck – let’s try biking. (Eric’s kicksled is out of commission, so it was not an option for him.) Our good friend, Jill, decided to make a last-minute trip to Fairbanks while her husband is walking to Nome for the 7th time in the Iditarod Trail Invitational multisport race. She would join us walking and dragging a sled, her favorite way to travel in winter.

The morning we left, we checked the weather. Uh, oh! It was supposed to be nice during the day but overnight the winds would pick up to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph. Should we still go? The wind was supposed to die down by morning, so we decided to chance it. The choice to go was a good one. 

But not without some effort.

Is Bike Pushing Biking?

At the trailhead, it was just a little breezy but warm and sunny. We said goodbye to Jill and headed down the hill on our bikes. We figured we would just meet her at the cabin. The trail starts with a 2-mile downhill. Eric ripped down this while I was a bit more conservative.

 The trail was a little squirrelly and I don’t like when my back wheel washes out, so I was slower. Once we hit the flat area, there was a lot of drifting snow. Snowmachines had made a pretty good trail, but it was still tricky riding. But we were mostly able to ride.

Riding on top of a huge drift that had obliterated the trail

Eric had a blast riding this. He likes the technical aspect of deciding which line to take and balancing while riding on uneven snow; me, not so much. Eric was laughing and whooping and hollering. It was a beautiful day, and I wasn’t not having fun, I just wasn’t having as much fun as Eric. But I was still glad I had taken my bike and not my skis. I would have walked a lot of the downhill and skiing the drifts would have been hard. 

Eric having fun biking

There was a bit of hike-a-bike over some of the bigger drifts, but we were mostly able to ride until we started up the long climb to Tolovana Dome. Then we were mostly pushing our bikes. Pushing a loaded bike is a LOT more work than walking and carrying skis. Now I was regretting our biking choice. We did get to ride in places, but the riding was trickier due to the drifting. 

Not bikeable

Still not bikeable

We had some rolling terrain before the final big descent down to the cabin. Finally, having bikes was the right choice! We could descend the steep downhills to the cabins and it wasn’t scary since I had my bike brakes to slow me down! 

I got quite a bit ahead of Eric and was surprised when he didn’t catch me as quickly as he normally does, since he is a much faster descender. I didn’t find out until we got to the cabin that he was having a problem with his through axle and couldn’t shift into a lot of his gears. Eric finally did catch me toward the bottom, and we biked into the cabin area close together. Eric checked out his bike while I walked around checking out the hot spring tubs. 

The frame cabin at Tolovana - our home for the night

Choosing the Right Tub 

View from the upper tub

There are three tubs for soaking and I wanted to check them all out. Which one should we use? Which one would have the optimal soaking experience? Which had the best view? Which was most out of the wind? Maybe we should make our way down from the upper tub to the lower tub and soak in all of them? We later had fun reading the logbook where many said they were middle or lower tub people. Nobody said they were upper tub people. We wondered what type of people upper tub people were. Somebody needs to do a study about this. We also wondered what type of tub people we might be.

Lower tub

Eric caught up to me while I was walking around. He figured out that something was wrong with his rear axle – probably a missing piece – but the bike is fairly new, and he doesn’t know it well. He didn’t want to mess with it too much. It was rolling and he could use one of his lower gears. He was more concerned with keeping the wheels rolling so that he could get back to the car without too much trouble. Bikes do tend to have more mechanicals than skis. Another point for skis.

Eric works on his bike on the cabin deck

Jill caught up to us not too long after we arrived at the cabin. Walking was only a little slower than biking! We all headed out to look for the fresh water spring, taking Jill’s sled along to make the water hauling easier. 

After dinner, we checked out the tubs. Another couple was in the upper tub (which had the best view) so we opted for the middle tub. There are three cabins and three tubs so everybody can have privacy while soaking. Getting in and getting out was tricky as it was about 15 F with 20 mph winds that were gusting even higher. But once in the water, it was sublime. The temperature was perfect, and we enjoyed soaking our tired muscles. The view from the middle tub wasn’t as good as the upper tub, but I liked the tub as it was the right depth for sitting on the bottom and having the water come up to your shoulders. So, although we didn’t try all of tubs, I might say that I’m a middle tub person.

Soaking in the middle tub

 We talked about coming back out at midnight and soaking in the lower tub while watching for auroras, but the wind kept getting stronger and once we were back in the cabin, we were too cozy to go back out.

Hiking vs Biking vs Skiing - Which is Best?

The next morning, we were up and out the door fairly early. Luckily the wind had died down and the temperature had risen. Jill left an hour before us as she figured it would take her longer to get back to the car than us since we were on bikes, and she was walking. It was another beautiful day going up and over the dome. We got so hot that we had to strip down to just our long john shirts. No jackets or gloves needed. A slight breeze on top of the dome was welcomed! 

Luckily, Eric’s bike held together on the way back. He was able to ride the flats and downhills but opted to just walk the steeper uphills and not stress the drive train. Biking uphill, I was only minimally faster than he was pushing his bike, anyway. And since he’s faster on the downhills, we ended up finishing together.

Meanwhile Jill got to the car an hour before us. We left the cabin an hour after her. So, even though we could ride faster on the downhills, pushing the bikes over the drifts and uphill slowed us down. Bikes were not an advantage on this trip. 

I checked my Strava, and we took about the same amount of time to ski in and out of Tolovana as we did biking, too. We decided that bikes would be an advantage, but only if there were bomber trail conditions with minimal drifting and no new snow. And since that happens rarely at Tolovana, I think next time we will take skis. 

Or Eric just may fix his kicksled. He claims that’s the best way to do the Tolovana trail. I’m a bit skeptical, but maybe pulling a kicksled over huge snow drifts is better than pushing a bike. It certainly can’t be any worse than: Push, brake, step, grunt. Push, brake, step, grunt. 

Actually, the worst thing is to not go at all. A trip to Tolovana Hot Springs is special. No matter how you get there. 

Our Unique American Birkebeiner Experience

 Post by Corrine

On the day of the American Birkebeiner 50-kilometer ski race, Eric and I crossed the finish line within seconds of each other. 

We were taking an obligatory selfie when the a reporter interrupted to interview me on winning my division. Unfortunately, he was unable to interview Eric, who also won his division. 

Here is the interview.

Many of you who haven’t seen our Strava posts may be super impressed, or scratching your heads, or both. Corrine and Eric won their divisions at a national race?!

Well, we did win our divisions but not at the American Birkebiener. No, we stomped the competition at the first-ever Fairbanksbeiner! And since Eric and I were the only ones competing, we won! 

The American Birkebeiner

The American Birkebeiner (aka the Birkie), the largest ski marathon in North America, is a point-to-point 50-kilometer ski race between two small Wisconsin towns, Cable and Hayward. Every year, over 10,000 skiers descend on northern Wisconsin to partake in the festivities. Our son Riley and I have long wanted to do the race, and it made sense to do it while he was still living in Iowa – within driving distance of Wisconsin – getting his PhD. Eric was not excited about the crowds and hype, but he was up for going along and experiencing it as an exotic cultural event!

Photo taken from off the internet

We signed up to do the race last year but then Riley had to come to Alaska to work on a rocket project for a PhD project during the same time, so we had to put it off for a year. This year plans were falling into place. We had a cabin to stay in about 30 minutes from the start of the race. Eric and I were going to fly into Minneapolis on Tuesday before the race. Riley and his fiancé Sam would drive up from Iowa City after school on Wednesday, and then we would all drive together to Cable on Thursday. But then….

The Epic Storm

I kept watching the midwest weather, and the forecast was for a few inches of snow a few days before the race. Perfect for Eric and me since we planned to classic ski. But as the time got closer, the forecast got more dire. Until it became extreme. This was the forecast the day before we were planning to fly out.

Wow! Driving impossible? Up to 25 inches of snow? Blizzard conditions? Just as Riley and Sam would be driving the four hours to pick us up. The day before we were to fly out, we changed to an earlier, red-eye flight so we would get to Minneapolis before the brunt of the storm. Then we talked with Riley. Unfortunately, he and Sam couldn’t leave Iowa any earlier. 

Eric and I finally decided that we could probably get to Minneapolis, but we might get stuck in a hotel while the whole city shut down. And Riley would probably feel obligated to drive through the storm to come get us. All to just do a little ski race? It seemed a bit stupid and irresponsible. So, we cancelled. We were bummed but it was the right decision.

Photo from the internet of driving conditions. Not good.

Alternate Plans

I decided to take my already scheduled time off work, as I needed a mental break, but most of Alaska seemed under some sort of storm watch, so doing something else fun was not going to happen. Instead, I got caught up on my CME (continuing medical education) and finished a quilt top. (I would include a photo, but it’s for someone who follows my blog, and I told her she couldn’t see it until it is finished – it still needs to be quilted and the binding done. Sorry, Lori, you will have to wait!) Eric spent time with trails advocacy work, working on our taxes, and working on his various newsletters and other volunteer work. Not as much fun as the Birkie, but at least I had a little break.

Not Lori's quilt but another I finished the week earlier

Meanwhile, the storm hitting Minnesota was big but not as epic as first predicted. The roads got cleared quickly so Riley decided to drive up Friday, race Saturday, then head back home. It was too late for us to get there, though. I followed the Birkie activities on social media and was having severe FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Especially about the Giant Ski Race – a fun race where 6 people clip into 25-foot-long skis and go head-to-head with another team for 50 yards down Hayward’s Main Street. I definitely want to get a team together to do this if we ever get there.

Taken from the internet.  Doesn't this look like fun?!

Still in Fairbanks, Eric and I decided that since we had planned to do a big ski, we might as well do our own Birkebeiner, but it would be the Fairbanksbeiner! We thought that if we did almost all of the trails at Birch Hill, then drove to UAF and did almost all of those trails, it would be about 50K. Perfect! Over the week we had about 7 inches of new snow, but we thought that if the groomers got out Friday, we might have a chance of doing our race. 

We checked Friday afternoon and most of the trails at Birch Hill had been groomed. (Eric had put in a request with groomer Bill Husby when he skied with the SCUM on Wednesday.) Over at UAF, the trails had been rolled but not tracked. We figured since the weather looked good, groomer Jason would probably put in tracks on Saturday morning for all the people who would want to get out skiing. And that would work out well, as we wanted to do the much-less-hilly UAF last.

An inch of fresh powder overnight.
Midnight Sun was one of the few trails not tracked yet

The Fairbanksbeiner

So, our race was a go. I wanted to start the same time our wave at the official Birkie was supposed to start, but with the time change that would have been at 6:45 AM. The gate at Birch Hill doesn’t even open until 7 AM. So, we started a little later, though not by much. 

Groomer out grooming as we head up the Tower Loop at Birch Hill near the start of our race

We wanted to treat it as a “race” by skiing solidly with breaks only to eat and drink (and of course to drive from Birch Hill to UAF). I had hoped that my ski time would be 5 hours. Eric didn’t have any time goals, just ski hard and finish.

Alas, with an inch of snow overnight and another half-inch while we were skiing, it was slow going. Starting at Birch Hill before anyone else was there, we had to open up most of the tracks. On gradual downhills, we had to do a lot of double-poling. But it was a beautiful day, and we saw almost nobody. (We did see Birch Hill groomer Tom Helmers out on the PistenBully and thanked him for grooming.) We finished up about 11AM and headed to UAF. There we saw several people on the trails, including a couple of people we knew, but there was only time to say a quick hello. After all, we were racing! And still in the lead!

Crossing Ballaine Lake.

We had a great day out there, although we both started flagging the last 5K. We ended up skiing 32.5 miles (52.5 km). We got it done in just over 6 hours of skiing time and then celebrated by having a late lunch at Lemongrass Thai Cuisine restaurant. 

Spring rolls as we wait for our main course to come

Back at the Birkie

Riley had a good race, but he just barely made it. We had all figured it would be a zoo at the start, but it was even worse than Riley imagined. Cars were backed up bumper-to-bumper for 5 miles to get to the parking lot for the shuttle buses to the start. He had to rush to get to the changing tent, put on his boots, drop off his drop bag, and then barely make his wave start. And that was after he left his hotel 3 hours before his start time! (We’ll keep that in mind if we try to do it next year, the 50th anniversary of the race.)

The race starts in waves of about 300 skiers per wave. Elite skiers start at the front and then subsequent waves follow them at intervals. To move up in the waves you need to have a good time from a previous Birkie or other qualifying race. Riley didn’t have any recent race times, so he had to start in the next-to-last wave (wave 7 for the skate skiers). 

Riley manages to get near the front of his ski wave

The skiers are put into corrals to the side of the start area, holding their skis and poles. When their wave is ready to line up, they are released and there is a mad dash as people run with their skis and poles, trying to get a start position toward the front of the wave. Fortunately, Riley managed to get near the front of his wave. 

Riley is a good skier and in shape, so he overtook a lot of the people who had started in front of him, many of whom were recreational ski racers, just wanting to have fun. He said he spent much of the first 5K in a massive double-pole sprint trying to get through the masses of skiers taking up the width of the course. 

Then he had to pass a couple of thousand skiers over the course of his race, often having to do mini-sprints to get by people. And the course has lots of short steep little hills (think the Black Loops at Birch Hill), where getting around people is hard or not possible and the trail turns to mashed potatoes from all skiers in front digging in hard to climb.  

A photo Riley took during the race, more than half way through.  Crowds weren't so bad right here

Riley said his race was exhausting. He bonked with 15K to go but still managed to finish with a time of 3 hours and 10 minutes. That’s impressive, especially starting at the back. He can probably break 3 hours and wants to try again next year, when he will have a much better wave start.

Here are his thoughts on the race:

My experience at the 2023 Birkie was wild, painful, and fun! I haven't done a ski race in over 5 years and so started in skate wave 7. There were clearly others in the same boat and we all knew that getting a starting position near the front of the wave would be crucial. However, I was not expecting a race before the race. When the officials let us into the staging area it was a sprint, similar to a Le Mans style bike race, to get a prime starting position. I managed to snag a position in the second row, but my heart rate was certainly elevated and it wouldn't come down for quite some time. Our wave started 5 minutes after wave 6, but even so it was only a few minutes before we caught up. I looked up and was met by a wall of skiers spread entirely across the trail and stretching several hundred meters ahead. It was decision time. Should I sit behind and wait for gaps to open or follow some of the others skiers who were furiously double poling along the side of the trail? For better or worse I went for the latter. The next 3k were basically an all out double-pole sprint mixed in with some skating when a gap opened up. The rest of the race wasn't nearly as crowded, but I still had to constantly work my way around other skiers. At about 15k to go that initial effort came back to haunt me and I blew up, but managed to limp my way into the finish.

I've done some big ski races before, but nothing that compared to the Birkie. From start to finish there was nearly always a string of skiers as far up the trail as I could see. Even though the race was painful, it was a blast to be part of.

Riley looking frosty at the end of his race

Not too shabby!

So, I guess that means once again Eric and I will try to get down there and do the American Birkebeiner. Maybe if we train hard, we can win our division: Fairbanks Skiers over 60 Who have Tried Twice Before to Ski the Birkie! 

Fairbanksbeiner

Getting High in Arizona While Visiting My Mom

 

Sierra Vista from Miller Peak

Post by Eric 

Another great trip to visit my mom in Arizona and another round of peak-bagging.

I love visiting my mom. We never seem to run out of things to talk about. And I love the area where she lives. Sierra Vista is a small town about an hour south of Tucson. It isn’t particularly special, but the surrounding area has got some real gems. It’s a great place for an active person to take a mid-winter break from an Alaskan winter. 

Huachucas

A view of Mexico from the Crest Trail below Miller Peak.

The Huachuca Mountains are an outstanding place to visit right outside of town. One of several “sky islands” (isolated mountain ranges) in the area, the Huachucas have some great hiking trails. I’m drawn to them every time I go down there. Since I’m training to run the Chena River to Ridge 26-miler in March, I had even more reason to visit them this time. 

This trip, though, those mountains sported some snow and ice up high on the north-facing slopes. Some of the best trails are on those slopes and in north-facing valleys. So, I headed to the southern end of the range on the trails in and near Coronado National Monument. On one hike I headed up Joe’s Canyon Trail up to Coronado Peak with a side trip down Yaqui Ridge Trail to the U.S-Mexico border. There I got to see a lonely section of metal border wall. Not sure what it was doing there since on either side for a long way was just barbed wire. Maybe it was one of the demonstration projects. Anyway, it looked weird and ineffective all by itself.

A lonely section of border wall.

The temps were cool while I visited. Nights got down into the low 30s and days got around 60. And it was mostly sunny. Great for running and hiking! But on that particular day I got hit by a small squall while on Coronado Peak. Wind and even a bit of snow! Brrr! Fortunately, I brought a windbreaker, buff, and lightweight gloves. Once I got off the peak, I got out of most of the wind. 

Glad I brought a windbreaker when the clouds and wind moved in.

From Coronado Peak I saw that the Crest Trail up to Miller Peak looked mostly free of snow. So, a couple of days later I did that one. It’s a tough hike. About 3,000 feet of elevation gain over 5 miles. But so much easier when the temps are cool. And no storms that day. 

The first part of the Crest Trail to Miller Peak.

I did run into some snow and ice up high. Fortunately, I brought along my Kahtoola Microspikes. I didn’t need them on the way up, but I sure appreciated them on the way down. The physics are not in your favor when descending with slippery footing. 

Approaching Miller Peak.

San Pedro

The San Pedro River

On one day during my visit, I had only about an hour to exercise. I headed to the San Pedro National Riparian Area just to east of Sierra Vista. This is a great place to go birding. But I was moving too fast for that this time. I did a nice run along the river and then looped back to the San Pedro House, where I had started. Lots of people were out walking the trails and/or birding. Nice place for a flat run, too. 

There and Back - Picacho Peak

Picacho Peak from nearby Hunter Peak.

On this trip, I flew into Phoenix, braving the three-hour, mostly interstate drive. (I may just fly into Tucson in the future. The less time I spend on Arizona interstates the better: lots of big trucks, tailgaters, and clueless drivers.) But an advantage is that I drove right by Picacho Peak State Park. The site of the farthest west Civil War battle, this park boasts a little sky island of its own. Only this little mountain is more like a huge rock. Lots of steep, rocky faces. But the state has put in trails with cable railings where needed. Lots of people hike/scramble to the top. Fortunately, I was there on a Tuesday, so it wasn’t too crowded. Still, there were at least 20 or 30 people out and about on the trails. 

One tricky section of the Hunter Trail up Picacho Peak.

I went to the top, something I had done a few years before, but this time on the way down I took the Sunset Vista Trail to add some running miles. The trail looked mostly flat from up on the mountain, but it actually has some nice varying terrain and gets into some semi-wooded areas. And after all that scrambling, I thoroughly enjoyed running. On the downside, to make a complete loop, you must follow the park road for a couple of miles, but at least they had a trail that roughly paralleled the road. 

Along the Sunset Vista Trail,

Saguaro National Park

The Hugh Norris Trail to Wasson Peak has a lot of stairs!

On the way back to Phoenix, I decided to check out the Tucson Mountain District portion of Saguaro National Park. With a little online sleuthing I found the Hugh Norris Trail, which had the potential for a 9-mile out-and-back to Wasson Peak. I got a bit of a late start and had to park at a different trailhead, which added about a half mile either way, so I figured I wouldn’t make it to the peak. 

Surprise! The trail was great! I felt great! The temps were warmer down there – into the mid-70s – but were never too hot. I had set a turnaround time of an-hour-and-a-half, but by then I could see and taste Wasson Peak. What the heck, my turnaround time was a bit arbitrary anyway. Running through the saguaro “forest” was definitely interesting. The views from on top were nice, but nothing too spectacular. Still, it felt nice to be up there. And I made it back to the car in just under three-and-a-half hours. I need to spend more time exploring Saguaro National Park. It’s so different than Fairbanks. 

The wildest view from atop Wasson Peak.

Great Visit

Eating Vietnamese while in Sierra Vista, AZ.

Overall, I had another great trip visiting Mom. She’s 90 years old and still living well and independently. Besides all my hiking and running, the two of us had a great time visiting, watched some good movies and shows (including the awesome “Free Solo”), and ate out three times eating different types of food each time – Soul, German, and Vietnamese. Who knew a nondescript town like Sierra Vista would have such culinary diversity? While I was happy to get back to Fairbanks, I’m already looking forward to my next Arizona visit. (Except for those interstates!)

Another Time, Another High (and Low)

The headline for this blog post has a double meaning. One time I visited Mom, we shared a bit of pot brownie. She had been having sleeping troubles and had a medical marijuana card, so she got the brownie to see if that would help, but she never used it. 

When she told me she had it, I insisted that we try it together. Unfortunately, we forgot about it until my last night. We tried it just before bed. I felt fine for a while, but then it started to kick in. I kid you not, at one point I was staring at the back of my hands, thinking “I never really noticed my hands before. They’re so fascinating!” Sheesh. I finally fell asleep and had really weird dreams.

The next morning, I got up early as usual, but after I made my coffee and sat down to work on my computer, I realized I didn’t feel so well. I lay down on the couch. An hour later, Mom got up and said she wasn’t feeling well. But at least she was able to work on her computer. I lay on the couch with my eyes closed. 

About an hour later, Mom was feeling better. “Would you like me to make you breakfast?” she asked. I moaned out a “no” from the coach. I was really sick. And worried. Corrine was in Phoenix taking a continuing medical education seminar. I was supposed to leave by noon. I needed to drive to Phoenix, pick up Corrine, and then pack her bike up for our plane flight. 

Fortunately, I started feeling better by about 11 a.m. or so. I made it to Phoenix and by then had shaken off all the nausea. But who gets out-pot-brownied by their mom? From now on I’ll restrict my “getting high” to peak bagging!

Hunter Peak from atop Picacho Peak.