Alaska Grown

Last weekend our little family took an afternoon drive to Hatcher Pass, about an hour north of Anchorage. It was a blue-bird day, not a cloud in the sky. After an entire winter of being cooped up in the garage, our snowshoes finally got some fresh air.

Beautiful Hatcher Pass

Kenley's first snowshoeing adventure

Skagit the wonder dog

The pups got a good workout trudging through the deep snow. All they wanted to do was run, run, run, but they weren't able to go as fast as they would have liked.

Alaska girl

We're having a great time showing Kenley Alaska, and we're excited for all of the adventures that lie ahead.

Five Months

Kenley is five months old! Unbelievable how time flies. At five months, Kenley weighs in at 13 lbs. 2.5 oz. We like to call her "tumbleweed," because she's rolling around all over the place. We'll put her down in one spot and before we know it, she's on the other side of the room. It won't be long now until she's crawling! Her favorite thing right now is her feet, and all she wants to do is put them in her mouth. Yum!

Late February/Early March is Fur Rondy and Iditarod season in Alaska. We were able to get out and enjoy some of the festivities this year. Mark and his buddies participated in the first-ever Yukigassen snowball fight in the U.S.--they had a blast! "Bert the Conquerer," the host of a Travel Channel show, came and played on the Northern Trailblazers team with Mark and his friends. They'll all be featured on an upcoming episode of the show sometime in April. How cool is that? We also enjoyed the Native Arts Market, which features dozens of Alaska Native vendors from across Alaska--mukluks, parkas, ulus, baleen, furs and ivory carvings galore. Many of these folks come to Anchorage from far away rural villages just to show off their beautiful ware.

The Northern Trailblazers Yukigassen Team

Luke, Rob and Mark ready for battle

We took Kenley to her first Iditarod on March 5, 2011. Each year, there's a ceremonial start to the Iditarod race held in downtown Anchorage; the actual race begins the next day in Willow, about two hours north of town. We met up with Steve, Stephanie and Katelin Walker at a great spot that allowed us to be within hand-slapping distance from the dog teams and mushers. It's such a cool experience and it never gets old.

Here's Kenley and I with four-time Iditarod champ Lance Mackey in the background. Can you imagine what these guys (and gals) go through on the 1,000-mile race from Anchorage to Nome? 

Lance Mackey's dog team. Like the pink booties?

The Hamlin Family, Iditarod 2011

We also went downtown to peruse the Fur Rondy snow sculptures. Most of them were pretty melted by the time we made our visit, but they were still neat to see. 

Kenley the snow queen (and her Dad).