Cowee Meadow Christmas Cabin

I come from a big family and since I was little my parents shared their love for the outdoors with their kids through hiking and camping. After my folks moved down to the sunny, warmer state of Utah, whenever we all get together for a visit (which is never often enough being landlocked in Southeast, Alaska) we like to plan a hike! Sometimes it is revisiting a beloved trail or traveling down a new path. For Christmas this past year my family came up to Alaska to spend the holidays all together (minus my sister who lives in Wisconsin, I should mention there are five siblings, me being the oldest). I wanted to share with them the amazing hiking trails that are available in Juneau, even in the winter and my family being an adventurous bunch was up for an overnight trip to Cowee Meadow Cabin.

Cowee Meadow Cabin is part of Point Bridget State Park about 40 miles north of Juneau, nestled along the treeline, looking out onto beautiful open meadows and surrounding cliffs. During the summer the 2,850 acres lends to excellent access to salmon spawning streams and rocky beaches with views of the Chilkat Range. The Point Bridget trail is 3.5 miles from the road to the ocean. The partly planked path passes through muskeg and a Spruce filled rainforest, grassy fields, and eventually winds toward the beach for a panoramic perspective of the bay. There are two cabins available to the public that can be rented for the night or used to enjoy for lunch or a quick break along the trail, Cowee Meadown Cabin and Blue Mussels Cabin. These cabins are maintained by the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation through the state of Alaska. Now, there is a distinction to be made, overnight cabins are available through State Parks and the Forest Service and each have different standards of cabin upkeep and regulation.

I chose Cowee Meadow Cabin for our family trek because there were going to be 8 of us plus 2 toddlers hiking and the trail was listed to be an easy, reachable 2 miles to the cabin. I was excited for our outing and booked the cabin! We decided to go the day after Christmas, packed all the necessary supplies, and left at a reasonable hour to have enough sunlight. The day was gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky which for residents is seen as a rarity! The drive along the highway was unbelievably beautiful with amazing mountain views and a whale sighting! However, with clear skies comes cold temperatures so having the right warm layers is key. Parked at the trailhead we geared up, strapping on our heavy packs with food, water, and fuel for the stay and bundled up the kiddos and strapped them into a sled. We were ready to go!

The weather the week before was temperamental; snowfall to warmer temperatures, then rain to cold, yielding ice. The hard packed snow crunched underneath our feet as we made our way through the woods, plodding along. We realized it was colder than we had anticipated and the trail was very slick. My brother was falling every few feet and my niece and nephew were screaming and crying from the sled, chilly and uncomfortable. An easy, short hike turned into much more of a challenge. Being from a family of problem solvers, we decided to carry the kids and move quickly. My husband ran ahead to the cabin to hopefully get the stove lit and heat going inside. Once we all made it to Cowee Meadow we discovered getting the stove going was not a simple task and ended up taking everyone’s persistence and effort to get the heat flowing. The gas stove is the primary source of heat, fueled by kerosene that hikers must provide and a tiny emergency wood stove. I began gathering twigs and cutting small logs for the wood stove with the hand saw we brought with us. The wood was wet from being out in the frosty snow so we had to wait for the kindling to dry. It took about three hours to finally get the cabin to comfortable temperatures. An important hint I would suggest is keeping the doors closed to the gas stove. For some reason having the door closed really helps the heat funnel through the top more quickly and efficiently. While waiting for the heat to kick in, my family unpacked their sleeping bags and kept the kids bundled. We tidied up the cabin since past campers left old food and trash behind and started cooking some stew. After being warmed by a big bowl of soup and some hot chocolate we all hundled by the fire and played games. We endured through the night and hiked back early in the morning to our cars where we blasted the heat vents and awarded our journey with waffles at a local diner!

Some Tips from the Trail

• The description online is pretty accurate, the cabin sleeps at least 8 people and the trailhead is around the          39 mile marker off of Glacier Highway.
• Checking the weather throughout the week is helpful when determining the conditions of the trail and what gear to wear on the day of your trip.
• Bring ice cleats and/or trekking poles along just in case the trail is super icy.
• When hiking with children make sure to have a Plan B for when your preferred method of transport becomes a bust!
• Make sure to read the directions on the gas stove carefully and follow the instructions. Igniting the stove can take some time so be patient but persistent. 1 gallon of kerosene was plenty of fuel for a one night stay.
• Bring a hand saw to help gather kindling and small logs for the emergency stove. Two fires going is better than just one when it is cold! If possible leave some drying wood for the next guys!
• Please make sure to take ALL trash and personal belongings with you when you hike out the next day. It is disrespectful and irresponsible to other hikers to leave behind food and can attract insects and animals.
• Remember to sweep and tidy the cabin before leaving so that others can enjoy the space too!
• Enjoy the hike! 

Earth Hour 2013

There’s an interesting event that will be happening all over the world on Saturday: Earth Hour 2013. For one hour, people all over the world will be turning off their lights to raise awareness about environmental issues and cast a vote for a sustainable future. The event began in Sydney, Australia in 2008 and has since grown to almost 7,000 communities in 152 countries. Click here to watch a video about Earth Hour 2012.

How can you take part in Earth Hour? It officially goes from 8:30pm – 9:30pm local time, whatever time zone that is for you.The simplest way is to just turn out the lights, light some candles and enjoy an evening off the grid. But Earth Hour doesn’t have to last just one hour. Invite your friends and neighbors over for a candlelight dinner or board game night. Bust out some guitars and handrums for an acoustic jam session. Take some binoculars or a telescope and spend the evening stargazing; if you’re really good, you might be able to see a comet right now! Or if spring has already come to your neck of the woods, pop a tent in your backyard and have an impromptu family campout. The possibilities are endless! You can check out the World Wildlife Fund’s participant page to see if your city is organizing Earth Hour events. Don’t see your location on the list? WWF’s website has lots of info on how you can get your community involved.

This year, Earth Hour is encouraging people to take their commitment even further with an “I will if you will” challenge. People are making a promise to do something (anything, big or small) if a certain number of people commit to taking an ongoing action for the environment. One man promised to dye his beard green if 10,000 people sign up for Earth Hour. Another woman will swim with a great white shark if 10,000 people give up plastic bags. And this woman decided to get a tattoo if 10,000 people commit to start recycling!

Check out earthhour.org or youtube.com/earthhour to find out how the rest of the world will be participating. No matter how you want to participate, we invite to spend an hour thinking about how we can change our world for the better.

“Where’s your AZA T-Shirt?”

One of my favorite things about the internet (besides having 24 access to the news and watching hilarious videos) is how easy it is to stay connected with people. With the rise of Facebook and social media you can see what people are continuously up to – their trek to Machu Picchu or the new puppy that joined their family. Outside of our close-knit groups there are also communities we are part of, places where we can link with others who share our common interests and “likes!”

Every summer we meet thousands of new faces on our zipline tour, encouraging them to live more adventurously and create lasting memories! Each person has their own story, what brings them to Alaska and into the trees. We love being part of that moment when they first sail into the rainforest and want to stay in touch after their experience. There is a small following of zipline lovers and we want to grow our audience and be connected to our fans and friends.

Did you purchase an Alaska Zipline Adventures T-Shirt in our gift shop to commemorate your time with us? I know there are probably tons of AZA shirts floating around out there, being worn to the gym, or while working in the garden or thrown on heading out to a party! Where is your AZA T-Shirt? We want to know! We want to be in the loop on what you’ve been up to and where your AZA shirt has traveled. If your favored tee is your AZA T-Shirt let us know by posting a picture onto our Facebook Page. Snap a shot of you doing something cool in the shirt and share with us and the zipline bunch!

Here is what some of our fans have been up to in their AZA apparel…

AZA making the climb up the wall of China.

AZA making friends with a giant beaver!

AZA winning a Lumberjack competition.

AZA being abducted by aliens!

AZA taking in the beautiful mountain view.

AZA hiking with friends.

AZA in the Bahamas!

 

 

AZA at the Association for Challenge Course Technology Conference

Earlier this month Gin and I had the pleasure of attending the Association for Challenge Course Technology Annual Conference in Las Vegas. ACCT is an organization that promotes challenge courses, ziplines, canopy tours, and other aerial adventures, as well as setting standards for these kinds of operations. The conference is a great opportunity to stay up to date with new developments in the canopy tour industry, learn more about everything from tree biology to social media, and get a close look at all sorts of interesting new products in the exhibit hall. Here are some photos from this year’s exhibitors:

This is a really cool design called the Challenge Dome.

This is how people will commute to work in the future!

This is how dogs will commute to work in the future!

Thanks to ACCT for putting on a great event!

The Best Shovel

Are you looking for the best shovel on the planet!?! A shovel that can fulfill all your heavy duty digging, hauling, and scooping needs? The Remco Poly Plastic Shovel is the king of all garden and outdoor tools and our first choice shovel at Alaska Zipline Adventures! The solid polypropylene one-piece construction gives the shovel industrial strength, making it easy to cut through a thick coating of ice and snow buildup (with a little back strength too). The location of our zipline course and the fluctuating temperatures during the winter months in Juneau can yield shady snow conditions. A whopping dump of snow can accumulate up to two feet on our platforms and a durable shovel is needed to remove the dense layers. Over the past seven years of operation we have put every type of shovel to the ultimate test and after a day of shoveling, leaving the mountain with cracked buckets and broken handles we’ve learned that the Remco Poly Plastic Shovel is the only way to go!

Having reliable tools and resources for any job is crucial and sometimes you have to get out there and find what works best! Now, if you are sold on this product and want to run to your nearest hardware store and search for your own perfect shovel, I suggest actually looking at a marine or outdoor shop and look in the fishing and boating section. These shovels are often used on fishing boats to lift hefty loads and icing down fish. Since the construction is all plastic you never have to worry about metal screws, blades and handles rusting in wet climates – an added bonus! It may seem at little silly to be dedicating so much thought and a blog to a shovel but after having one too many unsuccessful shoveling experiences on the zipline, coming down with a destroyed shovel and half the job done, I thought the world should know about the shovel that has not only been Alaska tested but AZA tested too!  We give it five stars and two huge thumbs up! Happy shoveling!

Hang 10 in Alaska!

When you think of Alaska exploring the great outdoors comes to mind either by hiking a trail, camping in the wilderness, kayaking along the coast, fishing from a bank, (ziplining through the trees) or climbing a mountain. Rarely do outdoor enthusiasts or adventure seekers consider Southeast Alaska as a surfing destination. However, one man is bringing surfing opportunities to dedicated surfers who find themselves far from warm beaches with a strong current!

Neil Nickerson, Juneau resident and owner of Blue Nose Surf, is encouraging surfing all around the Southeast area. In a recent interview with the Capital City Weekly, Nickerson excitedly reported there is quite the surfing community in Juneau and there are several local hot spots to catch some waves such as Lena Beach, The Shrine of St. Therese, and Eagle Beach. Although the waves don’t compare to those in warmer surfing locations, there are pockets of good surf throughout Alaska and can be as good as any small surf day in California.

Modern technology yields thick albeit wetsuits that provide the possibility for surfers to enter the deathly cold waters year round! Nickerson says latest wetsuits are amazing and that occasionally only his hands and feet get a little chilly! The best surfing conditions occur during the October through March month when the weather is windy. “More people are getting interested and starting to do it!…It gets really cold and most people hate the wind but we get excited when it gets windy like this!”

Neil Nickerson’s Blue Nose Surf shop offers surfing gear rentals, classes and trips. He also wants to add private lessons and organize boat transportation during the summer. Stand-Up Paddleboarding is also a fun alternative to experiencing the ocean! Check out his website for more details and updates on the wind report! And surf’s up Juneau!

Information taken from Capital City Weekly December 5, 2012 article.

2012 Photobook Continued…

Welcome 2013! 2012 Photobook

What a fantastic year at Alaska Zipline Adventures! 2012 brought us wonderful experiences and memories zipping new friends through the rainforest in Juneau, Alaska! We are grateful for the fabulous team we had during the busy summer months and want to thank all of our partners for helping us have another successful year. (Sustainable Travel International, Association of Challenge Course Technology, Tourism Best Management Practices, Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau, Alaska Travel Industry Association, Eaglecrest Ski Area, Princess Cruises, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, Ouray Sportswear and Clif Bar are just to name a few!)

Here is just a little highlight of what we’ve been up to!

Juneau Alaska 2013 Guide & Travel Planner is here!

Hot off the press! The Juneau, Alaska 2013 Guide & Travel Planner is available! The Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau every year puts out a wonderful publication for visitors to use as a travel guide when planning their memorable trip to Alaska’s Capital. The guidebook is filled with 60 pages of information on how to get around, places to stay, things to see and do and other helpful tips. Whether you’re dropping in port for the day from your cruise ship or vacationing for a week, having as many resources as possible to narrow your choices is essential and the guidebook has many suggestions including colorful ads and photo gallery. Depending on what your interests are there is a little bit of everything; gold mines and historical sites, Native Alaskan culture and art, local shopping and cuisine, glaciers and wildlife, hiking trails and sport fishing – there is something for everyone! There are also maps of the Juneau area as well as of the Southeast, Alaska region.

If you are internet savvy, all the information in the Visitors Guide is located on the JCVB website at traveljuneau.com or view a virtual copy of the guidebook online. You can also see Alaska Zipline Adventure’s new ad on page 42!! If you would like to receive a personal hard copy shipped to your home you can also do that! Take a moment and explore the travel website for Juneau, Alaska, there are so many useful links to help plan your adventures and the beautiful pictures will get you excited for your trip! Come see what Alaska’s State Capital is all about! And don’t forget, if you are looking for a unique way to see Juneau, that will be fun for the whole family, check out Alaska Zipline Adventures and come zipping through the trees with us!

Peterson Lake Cabin and Hike

Hiking continues to be a favorite pastime for locals in Juneau during the winter! Snow covered trails don’t stop hikers from strapping on their snowshoes and adventuring into the frozen forests. At the end of many Southeast hikes there is a cozy cabin waiting to warm up in and enjoy a snack or to reserve for the night and snuggle in your sleeping bag next to a blazing fire.

Last week we took advantage of the nicer weather and hiked the Peterson Lake Trail out to the US Forest Service Cabin. The cabin was built during the early 1900s by gold miner, John Peterson, and is a popular year round, backcountry rental. We began our 4.5 mile (one way) trek in the late afternoon, around dusk and used headlamps to light our way. The first mile of the trail was rocky and slippery due to a fresh layer of snowflakes but past the second mile marker the snow was much deeper, making it easier to keep a steady pace for the 800 feet of elevation gain. The snow-covered trees lining the edge of the lake were illuminated by the soft moonlight as we approached the cabin. Once inside the cabin we first started the furnace to get some heat going and built a small fire in the wood stove. We unpacked our backpacks, hung our damp clothes up to dry and laid out our sleeping bags. The evening was spent eating mac n’ cheese by candlelight and enjoying a glass of wine while playing word games (Bananagrams)! Throughout the night the cabin remained toasty warm and comfortable (If it is possible I would recommend cutting some firewood with the axe that is provided or if you have the muscles haul some logs to build a fire, the added heat really helps.) The next morning over oatmeal we tidied up, shoveled the front stoop and snapped a few pictures before making our return back to the trailhead. As we rounded the lake we noticed footprints on the ice and it seemed perfectly solid for exploring and cross country skiing. A few more inches of snow and the trail would be great for snowshoeing or skiing on. We didn’t catch any glimpses of wildlife but we did see bird and possibly deer tracks along the way. The trip back was much quicker as we steadily descended through the rolling hills toward our car. The overall hike to Peterson Lake was a wonderful trail and a fun overnight stay in the cabin! Definitely check it out this winter!

If you would like more information about the Peterson Lake trail and US Forest Service cabin or would like to review the rules check out the Recreation and Reservation website. A few tips I would suggest for your hike:

• bring lots of layered clothing, while hiking you’ll be nice and toasty but you will need insulted layers to help warm you while you wait for the cabin to heat.
• hauling firewood and kindling for the wood stove will help supply extra heat but is a luxury item.
• pack a few candles for lighting while you eat and hang out in the lodge, you might get lucky and find some candles left behind by past visitors.
• Snowshoes and skiing could be a fun way to experience the trail but check the snow report so you don’t end up lugging extra weight if you don’t use them.
• a bottle of wine and a game is a great way to spice up a camping trip with friends!