Hiking Through the Snow

Not long ago, Paul suggested to Quinn that he take his quadcopter up to a certain waterfall, way up in the mountains, to get some good aerial views of a spot they hiked to quite often when the kids were younger.

Quinn and I had been wanting to go up and do just that, so when a sunny Saturday came along, we headed out!

To get to the amazing waterfall, you needed to take two trails and hike over seven miles round trip.

All while Quinn carried his quadcopter case...

And don't those signs just look super inviting? Haha!

There were some VERY steep cliffs!

Here you can see where a fence has crumbled and fallen away with the rock underneath it. I didn't get too close to the edge, and I made sure Quinn didn't either...

The view down the side of the steep cliffs was just beautiful though, here Ebner Falls twinkles bright blue in the sunlight.

Up and up the trail went, climbing higher and higher into what once was land for gold and mineral mines.



This was clearly seen in the rail tracks visible on some sides of the mountains from old mine carts. We even happened across a mine entrance! A cold wind blew from inside it, but there was no chance to go into the mountain - it was locked up tight (and our mother would not have been happy if we had gone exploring).





The higher we climbed, the prettier the view got!

The original trail we started out on was called the Perseverance Trail, but it branches up into many more trails along the way. The trail we went off on was called Granite Creek trail.

Granite Creek seemed pretty low as we kept on going. Quinn had hiked this trail many times, but usually during summer, when snow is melting quickly and causes the water levels to rise.

We stopped and rested at a beautiful spot on the creek, and of course Quinn had to pull out the sword he brought (you never know when you'll need one).

This was my first time ever hiking the Granite Creek trail, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I can tell you one thing: I wasn't expecting to hike through snow!

Yes, near the end of the trail, a whole beautiful valley opened up before our eyes...and there was snow everywhere! 

Thankfully we had worn good hiking shoes, but that didn't stop snow from getting in them! But the cold, wet feet was worth it seeing the view before us:

The waterfall roared next to us as we sat down in the sun to eat some lunch and take in our beautiful surroundings. We were so awed by God's beautiful creation that we started singing, and didn't stop till we were already part way back down the mountain.

We put a little video together so we could share with you the adventures and views we saw that day.

This was my first time going up Granite Creek trail, and it wont be the last!

He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth-- the LORD God Almighty is his name.
Amos 4:13

Boardwalk To The Cliffs

What do you do when you get off early from practicing and you can actually see the sun?

Why you go on a hike of course!

But not just any hike, oh no!

You want to go somewhere were you will be greeted with lovely views.

And that's just what Quinn and I did!

The trail itself was a boardwalk, hidden from the road. I hadn't even known about the trail (which I don't believe has a name) until a friend showed it to me.

All along the path we were greeted with pretty views of the ocean through the trees, but we were headed to something much better!

Small patches of snow were nestled in among the blueberry bushes that were showing off their bright pink buds and the three leafed dogwood plant that was just starting to sprout in the moss.

It even started snowing a bit while we hiked! Not enough to make us turn around and head for home, though...we're true Alaskans. 

When we finally reached our destination, the view was amazing! The sunset shown bright right in front of us, while off to the west, large rain clouds poured on the mountain tops. 

Three seals played in the water below the steep, rocky cliffs. It was hard to get a good photo of them, but you can see one of them here in these photos.

We put a short video together to capture the cliffs and view we saw from them so that we could share the experience with you.

We hope you enjoy it:

'In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. 

The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.'

Psalm 95:4-5

Quinn's View of Alaska

   This last November, Quinn got his new favorite toy: a quadcopter. What is a quadcopter you ask? It's a small, four-propeller helicopter device that Quinn is able to attach a small camera to. With the camera attached, he is able to fly it over 200 feet away from him (though he is a bit uncomfortable doing so. You would be to with such an expensive piece of equipment) and get amazing footage of the mountains and surrounding areas of Juneau. 

                                                                             Over the past couple months, Quinn has been able to take his new toy around Juneau and film. He put some of his favorite shots into a video that really captures a side of Juneau most of us never see. From the tops of mountains to gliding over the marshy muskeg, he captures what its like to fly with the ravens and eagles in this great, Alaskan wilderness. 

Click below to watch Quinn's raw footage of 
the amazing beauty of Juneau:

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

Psalm 19:1

                                     

A Sunset Spent at Eagle Beach

Sunsets are special. 

They're special because it means us, yes us Juneauites, are seeing the sun!

(And that doesn't happen enough for us.)

On such special occasions, 

all of Juneau will turn out on beaches and on overlooks on our small road system to get a glimpse of the Chilkoot Mountain Range in all it's pink and golden glory. 

So one particular Saturday, Quinn and I took two of my brothers (plus a girlfriend) out to Eagle Beach. 

Eagle Beach is known for its amazing sandy shore stretching farther and farther until finally you meet the sea. At high tide however, you would never know there was a beach! Its flatness makes for a vanishing act at certain times of the day, so we made sure to hit it at the right point: low tide!

We were lucky in that low tide also perfectly hit the sunset. 

We were even luckier that it was sunny!

Because it was the perfect weather, we decided to light a few lanterns and set them off over the sun lit beach. Henry, Wesley, and Zoe had a hard time getting the lanterns lit at first, but we finally got some up in the air. 

While Quinn flew his quadcopter around, everyone set to work on lighting the lanterns. A small fire was lit on our patch of beach, and we talked and laughed and waited for the sun to set.

Soon orange lanterns were slowly floating toward the very mountains we watched the sun set behind. 

It was almost time to go home.

When our hands grew too cold and the depths of our pockets weren't deep enough to warm them, we turned our backs to the darkening sky and set off for home. But not before promising that we would be back, another time, to watch a sunset again.

We captured our time spent at Eagle Beach for you to enjoy as well (you wont even have to get your hands cold, like we did). 

Click below to see the video Quinn made

to remember the fun evening:

They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

Psalms 113:3

A Morning Hike To The Glacier

Early Saturday morning, Quinn and I made our way out to one of my favorite places in all of Juneau: Mendenhall Lake. We met up with my mother, Teresa, and my youngest sister Valerie. 

We had all met together for our first hike of the year, and a good several months before we had expected to be able to! Because this year has so lacked in the snow department, this particular trail (called the West Glacier trail) was mostly snow free. 

The day dawned foggy, but by the time we set off it had burned off. Sun peaked out of a few holes in the overcast sky as we started our hike. 

Valerie had known about the hike since the week before, but my mother had only just found out and been invited the day before. This caused a bit of a communication error...Mom thought we were only going part way up the mountain, a bit more then a mile, with hardly any elevation gain. 




Oops! Sorry Mom! 
We were planning on going on the un-maintained trail to the actual face of the glacier...is that okay?

My Mom always being one for adventure, of course she agreed to come along (As long as we didn't go into any ice caves. We agreed!). 

The first part of the trail (the maintained part) was easy and relatively flat. Once we got off the beaten path and on the un-maintained trail though, it was much more exciting!

Here, Valerie is walking along a dam made by a beaver in a small lake. In the next picture you can just see the beavers home (that big pile of alder and willow branches partly in the frozen water). 

We weren't even to the glacier yet, and already we were seeing beautiful views of Juneau! Here, Thunder Mountain looms over the scraggly alders that are waiting for their spring leaves. 

Valerie made everyone laugh as we came over a certain bluff of rock as she exclaimed, "If you squint your eyes a bit, you can pretend we're actually in New Zealand!"

You see this big mountain of rock? We had to climb over it. My Mother was not too excited. Especially when on closer inspection it was found that most of the rock was very wet and slippery with ice. 

We weren't ready to give up though, so we found a safe dry spot and made the climb!

The view from the top was breathtaking, but a little bit more hiking across glacier-smoothed rock showed us an even greater view...

That of the fast-disappearing Mendenhall Glacier:

It was easy to stare in awe at the massiveness of the glacier, when we only ever see it from two miles away on shore.

Valerie, being a young teen girl, wasn't as captivated as the rest of us, and quickly found a big rock to demonstrate her mighty strength on.

A bit more hiking down the smooth rock and we were at the face. It was 

time for a break! Lunches were unpacked, and Quinn took out his quadcopter to do some flying. 

Valerie stands on the beach next to the frozen lake and glacier.

Looking back, it was easy to see we had come quite far. 

If you'd like to see and experience what we did, please click below and watch a video Quinn made about our adventure. Only then can you really understand how massive the Mendenhall glacier really is.

On the way back home, Valerie sang about how much she would rather be somewhere warm (specifically, Australia), but we agree that we love living here in Juneau.  

As we left the wind-swept rocks and headed back down into the trees, we stopped and made a cairn, a trail marker made of stacked rocks to show we had completed 

our hike!

It's sad to think that our neighboring glacier is so

quickly vanishing from our view, 

but I know I will always treasure the memories 

I've made hiking out to it, and admiring it from afar. 

A rock cairn silently stands, looking out over the Valley of Juneau. 

All in all, the hike took us four and half hours, 

with a total of just over eight miles hiked. 

A morning well spent, in our books.