Willow Hetrick
Turnagain Times
Moose Pass Correspondent
Photo courtesy of the Moose Landing 4-H Club
4-H club members hold and view a Bob White Quail, shared by Jordan Leaders.
Moose Landing 4-H
At its February meeting, the Moose Landing 4-H Club had their first potluck, which 4-Hers helped to prepare at the Cooper Landing School. The meeting included a potluck with food made from local sources and they were all treated to some of the food produced by 4-H members! Among the potluck offerings, was rabbit stew (rabbits raised by Jordan Leaders), egg-salad (chickens raised by Katelyn Correa), and goat-milk pudding (goats raised by Andrew Milligan).
While the stew was cooking, two 4-H members gave presentations. Andrew Milligan brought his three Nigerian Dwarf kids to share with the group, along with his educational display he is working on. Jordan Leaders brought two different species of rabbits and a pair of Bob White quail for the group to see. Both the children and adults in attendance enjoyed learning about the critters! Moose Landing 4-H is group of children from Moose Pass and Cooper Landing. Also participating were children from Hope! A true local event!
Seward Ranger District Winter Trail Updates
From the Cooper Landing trail head (either Bean Creek or West Juneau) traversing up the summer trail is not recommended. Rangers say it is better to travel on the winter trail, which will be on a packed trail to the top of Swan Lake. There are small snow machine bumps on the Resurrection Pass Trail at mile 4.6. The trail was packed through the pass after the weekend snowfall in that area of 6-8 inches. Travel is expected to be good from the ridge leaving Resurrection Pass (mile 17 from Hope trailhead) to the winter parking area (1 mile from the trailhead) on Resurrection Creek Road in Hope.
From Nash Road to Bear Lake Iditarod Trailhead (6.71 miles) is a great ski; The Seward Nordic Ski club groomed the trail and it is nice. It's recommended to go from Nash Road (mile 2) to the trail access at the end of Tiehacker Road via Bear Lake Rd (4.8 miles). The section of Trail from Tiehacker to Bear Lake is decent but a little tough on the downhills because of the hard pack conditions. The Forest Service also recommends checking out Grant Lake from the Portage Trail for some slick ice skating.
The summer trail to Grant Lake that leaves from the railroad trestle in Moose Pass has been cleared of fallen trees. This route is good for snowshoes but a more difficult route for snow machines or skis because of steep grades. The winter (portage) trail is a good way to go on skis or snow machine. This trail begins from Trail Lake approximately one mile south of the trestle. Grant Lake has a thin layer of snow over thick ice.
Crescent Lake also has a thin covering of snow over thick ice, except for a large area near the saddle cabin that is exposed clear ice. There are a few inches of newer snow on top of a solid base in the Carter Lake area. The trail up has a few deep icy ruts that can and should be avoided. The lightly used section of Russian Lakes Trail between Lower Russian Lake and Aspen Flats has three avalanches down across it and moose tracks over much of it making for a difficult ski.
There are also steep hills in this section. The trail in to Upper Russian Lake from Cooper Lake Road is smooth and packed by snow machines. Cooper Lake Road has been plowed one mile past the winter parking area but is not open to public vehicle use. This section is now smooth but bare of snow. Past that point is one mile of bumpy moguls as far as the Rainbow Lake trailhead. Snug Harbor Road is icy but there is good traction, as long as it doesn't rain.
Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center Avalanche Advisory
On Feb. 12, the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center (CNFAIC) issued a general backcountry avalanche advisory for the Summit Lake area (which does not apply to highways, railroads, or operating ski areas) stating, “There has been five inches of new snow fall at the Summit Creek Snotel site, with temperatures that fell from near 30 degrees to the low teens, and then back up to near freezing. The ridge top temperatures had followed a similar trend, but didn't get up to the low 30's”. This new snow has created avalanche dangers, so be careful in the backcountry around the Summit Lake area, but all areas for that matter.
Moose Pass Advisory Planning Commission
The Moose Pass Advisory Planning Commission held a special meeting on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Moose Pass Community Hall. Item agenda's included the ‘old dump site', the new solid waste transfer site in Crown Point, Kenai Hydro project updates, Kenai Mountains/Turnagain Arm National Heritage Program is looking for grant proposals, Coastal Management Grants, Comprehensive Plan revision, and Tern Lake fuel reduction project proposed by the Forest Service. For detailed minutes, visit the Kenai Peninsula Boroughs' webpage.
