Hidden Lake

We went out to Hidden Lake and scouted some great boulders to climb. It was a beautiful place, with barely any mosquitoes, and it was warm so hanging out by the lake afterwards was perfect!

Hidden Lake 

Nic, Natalie and Merek

Lexi and Madi catching minnows 

Nat and Merek

Nic with his mosquito hat
only to realize omg a place in a Alaska that finally we didnt get taken away by mosquitoes!

Natalie scoping out some potential boulders for us to return to......

Skilak Lookout Trail

This trail takes takes you through boreal forest which burned during the Hidden Creek Fire in 1996 so the new growth is present now. Its 2 miles one way and 4 miles round trip. It ends on top a knob that overlooks Skilak Lake.

The begining of the trail right as it starts to climb up.

Nic hydrating on the way up, Mia, madi and Lexi standing along the trail

Here you could see little signs of the new growth after the fire

Madi, Mia, Nat, and Lexi

Peace Man!

The view at the knob

Nic and Merek:)

Hideout Trail

We hiked on the hideout trail that has beautiful views Skilak Lake and Skilak Glacier. The terrain is steep but the trail is not long at all plus the top is well worth it!

The view while going up

The girls

Halfway there...Lexi, Madi, Natalie, Merek and Nic

The view from the top

The view overlooking Skilak Lake and beyond!

This is looking towards the Chugach Mountains at the top of this trail

The girls at the top!

Tsalteshi Trails

The first trails we hit were the ones in town so we biked and hiked them on our first family outing and had a ton of fun!

the girls

Nic found some moss:
Is it on? he asks LOL!

Look at my stach! LOL!

Nat turning to Nic, "Wha?"

Nat laughing at Nic as he rode around with his new found moss mustache LOL!

Time Out

In April 2014 we added a new addition to our adventurous family and life. We had a healthy beautiful son whom we named Merek. Here are some snap shots of our life around home for those first two weeks and thereafter with activities the kiddos were involved in around town, then after that we were right back at it on the trails and on the rocks! Lucky for us our new little traveler LOVES the outdoors and is always most content when we are outside.

Merek only a few days old

Madi and Merek



Madi and Mia ready for Karate

All the kiddos

Happy Daddy, Nic and Merek

Natalie hanging out with Mia who loved her mamas hair after taking it out of a french braid lol

Merek laughing with his mama!

Nic, Natalie and Merek on our new trampoline!



Merek ready to go!

Natalie and Merek: happy mama with her happy lil man!

Ninilchik Bluffs

We went to Ninilchik Bluffs and ice climbed this winter, it was awesome! The pillars are only 30 minutes away from home! It was warm out, well warm to us LOL!

Nic climbing

Natalie climbing

The pillars

The view leaving that day....

Ravine Lake

We went up to Ravine Lake, which is through Palmer and up the Glenn Highway. To get to the wall we missed the trail up so we scurried up a talus field while Natalie swore like a sailor because it was like walking in quicksand vertically and all the brush to hang on to were devils club and dead willows. But we made it and we climbed it. Some areas of rock were not so great but beneath it all there were some great sections of not rotten rock.The trail at the base of the wall was narrow and 1000 feet up above the lake where we started. The people in the boat below us were kinda freaking out when they saw us up there and we chuckled as we heard them talk about us up there and they pointed a lot LOL!

At the base of the wall on the trail

Natalie walking the trail at the base of the climbing wall

Nic climbing the wall

Nat climbing the wall