Eastside skiing 1

Saturday was a balmy 30 degrees and we decided to take advantage of the mild weather with a cross-country skiing jaunt into the woods. We covered a lot of ground (5 miles maybe?) and were outdoors for about 3 hours. It was around 12:30 in the afternoon when we set out and the sun was already pretty low in the sky!

Some of the trails we skiied on are owned by the military, so there are lots of signs warning people to stay on trails and out of the deep woods:

For the record, I've never seen or heard of anyone setting off unexploded ammunition in this area and sometimes I wonder if they put up these signs to discourage people from trespassing on military land. 

The military also allows Alaska residents to moose hunt (archery only) in certain parts of this area through a lottery drawing. D won a permit a few years ago and brought me along for the hike. Let's just say that I was a good sport about tromping through the low-lying brush and thick forest in snowshoes!

During Saturday's skiing excursion we came upon two dead moose that had been harvested by hunters. It was interesting to check out, but I didn't take any photos because I'm not sure how you all feel about seeing moosie parts all over the forest floor!

And finally, a moose track: