Advice to would be AK barefoot runners

So... I was in Alaska for three weeks and have to admit that I did not maintain my usual 3 to 4 runs per week. Partly (a) because I was visiting so had alternative priorities.  Partly (b) because the bits of AK I visited are not particularly barefoot friendly.

In Anchorage the sidewalks are not swept and are strewn with small, sharp stones. In Delta Junction the grass is dry and spiky and one bit ended up as a splinter in my foot. During my stay in AK it was very hot (over 90 degF) and this restricted me to running during the only cool period - first thing in the morning, but there were not many of them (see (a) above). The climate is dry and there is much alluvial dirt around -together this dries out one's skin and worsened the cracks in the soles of my feet, necessitating the frequent application of moisturiser cream.  I offer these facts as advice to would be AK barefoot runners coming from fairer climes.

Short run, barefoot, 2.8 miles, near Delta Junction

My fourth and last run was, perhaps, the most adventurous being in the AK outback. The photo is from Bing maps which, regrettably, has to be opened in Internet Explorer as the "Import track" feature is not displayed in Chrome. The track was imported from a realtime GPS track using Orux on my Android smart phone. The GPS positioning accuracy is very poor in places - I wonder why?

Now back home I have done the forest route (about 5 miles) twice this weekend and greatly appreciated the soft Irish climate (overcast, drizzle) and soft grass. Floreat Ireland! (at least for barefoot running). After her argument with a car before I left for AK, I am glad to report that the dog is back running.

Ober Creek

Coal mine road, Delta Junction, AK

Coal mine road is a rough track that branches off the Richardson Highway some 15 to 20 miles south of Delta Junction and roughly follows Ober Creek.  Most of it is accessible only by foot or ATV. We camped at the cabin at Coal mine #5 lake, fished in the lake and scorched in the sun.  We four-wheeled to the coal mine at the southern end of the road where we found a geocache in an abandoned digging machine. The link says the coal mine was operative up to 1960 and supplied only local needs.

Track from our cabin (at top) to the coal mine: map courtesy Bing

According to here there is silver and gold placer deposits in the area but we didn't find any. But the wild flowers and the backdrop of the Alaska Range are stunning.

The remains of the coal mine

Fishing on the lake

One of the many lakes with the Delta river in the background

Artic lupines and white Mountain Avens flowers

The Alaska Range

Fording the Ober Creek

Coal digging machine inners

Alaska Railroad

Somewhere in AK

I intimated that I might post more often whilst in AK but of course I have been too busy. The first weekend we took a trip via Fairbanks to Anchorage from from there to Seward (first syllable as in sewer) and thus followed much of the course of the Alaska Railroad. 

At the Fairbanks end the railroad extends slightly further than shown but only for freight as yet see here, although there is a talk of extending the passenger service right to Delta Junction. 

The gauge is standard, but the route is single track and sometimes tortuous so the average speed is slow.

We walked as close as the general public do to Seward's claim to fame, the Exit glacier, which is one of about 40 spawned by the vast Harding Icefield and one of the few that are accessible to ordinary mortals.

Exit glacier

Running south from Anchorage the road and railroad initially run parallel and hug the coast of the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet then, at Portage, the line splits with one branch running to Whittier and the other to Seward.

Turnagain arm of Cook Inlet

Although we did not make it to Whittier I later learned that it is accessible only via a 2.5 mile long combined railroad and road tunnel or by sea and yet it is a major port not only for cruise ships but also for freight.

cathedral sounds

Location: flight from Seattle to Fairbanks, Wednesday evening. The engine noise level is high and it distorts in my ears. I imagine I can hear - no I really can hear - rich, majestic chords descending, always descending, in minor scales. How can a musical key keep descending?

It is past midnight, I can't sleep ('cos my body says it is daytime) - and now its getting lighter in the north - hang on, my subconscious says, the sun can't be in the north...

Meg in-cider

The vet has just phoned to say no broken bones inside her: the prognosis being rest and antibiotics. Well, that's a mercy at least.

Wild flowers

These pictures were taken at home today as my final fling before going to AK. The weather here is so glorious.  I hope that it is not too far fetched to call my daughter a "wild flower"!  Oh and, following the accident on Sunday, Meg is at the vet having X-rays: her back leg is very swollen.

Meg cider

Meg, the one and only, star artist in this video, got knocked by a car this afternoon. It wasn't the car's fault - the driver was aware of Meg and was going slowly: it was the fault of yappy dogs who frightened Meg whilst she was inspecting their smells, and she shot out from the kurb just as the car was passing slow. I think, I hope she will be OK - no bones appear to be broken, no obvious wound, probably just a bad bruise or two. I guess we'll see tomorrow.

Alaska and N.E.

A trip to Alaska coming up - this may mean more than my usual only very occasional posts - or it may mean the opposite if my family keep me busy!  But there will be a post coming up on N.E. - more than that I cannot yet divulge.

Yesterday I managed most of the day barefoot, starting with mulching nut trees in the morning, then the forest route run with the dog in the afternoon. Remember I said forestry machinery had churned up the tracks? - they have calmed down a bit since then but still uncomfortable under barefoot. I'd like to meet these people who claim they can barefoot on any surface without pain!