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Our friends own a remote cabin just south of Denali State park, in an area known as Trappers Creek. It’s an old mining area, so there are a few roads winding through the hills and valleys. These roads aren’t maintained, which means that in the winter they are left to be drowned in snow, and all of the many marshes, rivers and creeks freeze, creating a vast network of ‘roads’ for those of us with snowmachines. People in other parts of the world call them snow-mobiles or sno-go’s…but in Alaska it’s snowmachine, or sometimes just ‘sled’.
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This year I’m bringing the stuffing and the rolls for the Thanksgiving dinner. My challenge was how to prepare these foods for the 40 minute snowmachine ride – and to be ready to cook right when we got to the cabin.
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Trappers Creek is really the foothills of the Alaska Range, so it’s mostly rolling hills with spectacular views of Denali and the multitude of other mountains in the range. Our friends Casey and Kristin host Thanksgiving at their family cabin every year. There are no direct roads to their cabin, the only way to get there is by snowmachine. We have to bring all our supplies for the four day weekend by sled. From sleeping bags to breakfast we need to bring it in. Each year ten or so people head out by snowmachine to come together and have a thankful meal in one of the most beautiful spots on earth.
The cabin itself is pretty fancy by Alaskan standards. It has a generator and propane tanks, so wood isn’t necessary to heat or cook with. Honestly, having cooked and heated with wood in the past…it ain’t that great. It’s a lot of work and you have to watch it like a hawk to avoid burning or undercooking. The generator means that we can have standard lights after the dark falls (around 4:30 or 5:00 in the evening). This is wonderful if you’re playing cards or reading, as kerosene lamps don’t put out a whole lot of light.
The property has a crystal clear natural spring. When you’re standing at the spring house filling up your five gallon jugs, you have an awesome view of Denali if the day is clear. Can’t get much more ‘pure’ than that for water!
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Next to the cabin is the older, much more rustic ‘trappers cabin.’ This is where my husband and I usually sleep and it is heated by wood. This year there was a fly invasion during the summer, so we slept inside the main cabin.
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We wish everyone reading this warm, safe, and happy holidays!
Shannon & Rich
A beautiful sunrise on our way home from the cabin.
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2 comments:
What beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing your Thanksgiving story and photos. I'm glad you had a nice time.
That's what I miss about Alaska: you dislocate your thumb and helpful strangers appear. (or is that apear?)
Glamour? In a trapper cabin?! Now I've seen everything!!
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