Was anybody out riding their KTM today?

[HayDuchessLives]

We spent the night out in the Eagle River valley last night and when we returned to the parking lot (that is now an ice skating rink) I saw somebody on a KTM riding around on the icy road. Was that anybody on this forum? It looked like the rider was having fun.

The weather out there was horrible, with really strong winds and it rained most of the night. I'm thankful no trees blew down on us! Parts of the trail was deep slush while other sections were pure ice. We couldn't see the full moon, as hoped for. What a crappy winter. . I usually ski 5 - 6 times/week. This winter I have only skied 8 or 9 times the whole season. I want more snow! Or a super early spring so we can safely go riding.

[Solarmoose]

We're camped on Big Lake. 1/4" water standing on top of ice and not real nice snow to play on. Hope it cools off tomorrow night for our New Years fireworks fun. I agree, kind of a crappy winter so far. Too warm.

[nuttynu]

Maybe a low record snowfall this season. Sucks for all the people who enjoys the snows& activities. But I'm loving this warmth. ;)

[AKTommyBiker]

HayDuchessLives,
You must have been on a trail clearing trip?........

Those KTM riders are nuts! lol!
By the way it wasn't me...but the thought did cross my mind!!

[HayDuchessLives]

Originally Posted by AKTommyBiker

HayDuchessLives,
You must have been on a trail clearing trip?........ Those KTM riders are nuts! lol! By the way it wasn't me...but the thought did cross my mind!!

I wasn't trail clearing, but I'm sure all the strong winds we've had in the area, especially the Turnagain Arm area, caused a whole lot more trees to crash to the ground. That is a bummer as some of us worked really hard to clear some of our favorite backcountry ski trails, in conjunction with the Chugach State Park trail clearing crew that goes in before us with chainsaws to remove the BIG stuff.

My granddaughter, her mom and I hiked to a cabin to spend the night and this is the first time (out of four years in a row) that we were able to enjoy temps above zero degrees. Our first year it was -20 degrees. I'm used to having to keep the fire in the stove going all night to help stay warm, and I chopped up more wood than we needed for this trip, but the next cabin visitors will appreciate my efforts.

KTM "ice riders" may be nuts, but KTMs are sexy! (Don't tell my DRs I said that....)

SolarMoose - good luck with conditions for your trip. I had heard the snow conditions on Big Lake and Nancy Lake had been fantastic, until the past few days.

I decided to add a few photos. This is my granddaughter, her mom and I at the cabin. My buddy Charlie joined us and had fun taking photos. He also enjoyed spending the weekend with three delightful females.



Food porn time! Before the trip I cooked up a concoction of moose sausage, potatoes and vegetables that I wrapped up in foil pouches. We heated the pouches on the stove and enjoyed fine dining in the candlelight.





Dessert was worthy of a 5-star restaurant: heated banana boats! You slice a banana in half, lengthwise, and insert chocolate chips and marshmallows. You wrap the banana in tin foil and heat it on the stove or in the coals, and, voila' - a tasty, healthy dessert!



One of my friends and her husband hiked out to join us for a full-moon hike (which didn't happen) and they brought wine, glasses, and sliced cheese and crackers and a serving tray. We had fun conversation and learned my friend Charlie grew up in the same area in Washington that they just moved away from and they know some of the same people. What a small world!



It was an enjoyable weekend, even though the weather was not the best. We had fun playing cards, relaxing by the stove, laughing and eating, developing more fun memories in Alaska's awesome backcountry. The cabin and yurts that the Eagle River Nature Center rents out are a little pricey, but they're easy to get too for folks who don't care to hike or ski very far. And they provide wood; you just have to split it.

[AKTommyBiker]

I will definitly try the banana boat trick, that just sounds delish!!

[Brendon@TMS]

Depending on what KTM you saw I have a pretty good idea of who that was...

Sold a pair of tires and ice screws to a customers girl friend, he's riding a 350 EXC, strong chance it's him.

[akrider]

You have friends that hiked in with wine and glasses? Let me send them GPS coordinates to our cabin for next weekend.

[HayDuchessLives]

Originally Posted by akrider

You have friends that hiked in with wine and glasses? Let me send them GPS coordinates to our cabin for next weekend.

Yes, they hiked in with wine, plastic wine glasses and appetizers. The funny thing is that neither myself or my buddy Charlie drink alcohol, so my friend and her husband ended up "having" to drink the whole bottle by themselves as they didn't want to carry it back out. I've hiked and skied in to meet friends and brought them beer and goodies to snack on. Sometimes I even offer to carry the empty cans back out with me. Have fun at your cabin! It's always nice getting out of town.

Brendon - the KTM looked kind of like a 350. It wasn't a big bike. I've been having fun on my bicycle with studded tires and it has me contemplating purchasing studded tires for my motorcycle. I'll have to wait until at least next winter though, for health reasons.

[Hawk]

Amy

I rode my KTM yesterday

Miss you, hope to see you soon, I'll be making another AK trip in the near future.