Alaska is a hot bed of
geologic activity. With it's proximity along the northern extent of the ring of fire we have everything from erupting volcanoes to glaciers and
actively moving faults causing earth quakes. This may not seem appealing when considering a move here (this is the stuff the tourism board leaves out of the brochure). The plus side is that due to these unique features we also have a fair amount of
geothermic activity which often leads to
hot springs. That's right,
hot springs all over the state. Some are car
accessible with resorts built up around them, others are more remote and require a bit of effort to reach. One of the local
favorites around the Fairbanks area is
Tolovana Hot Springs. The shortest way to get there requires an 11 mile ski, walk, or snow machine in to get there from the road system but you are rewarded when you get there with a nice dry cabin to stay in. With this tempting treat close to home Becky and I decided to head out there with a couple of friends, and of course the dogs, for a three day weekend. When we left Fairbanks the temperatures were around -10F with the forecast ranging from high to low. From the trail head we decided to walk the 11 miles in and pull sleds with our food and gear. We got to the
hot spring just after dark, started the fire in the cabin and started to soak in the tubs under the starts. What a beautiful place.
Saturday was spent relaxing, hiking around the area and playing cards in the evening along with more soaking in the tubs. Temperatures remained around -20F. Sunday morning we woke up to temps close to -30F and a fairly stiff wind blowing. As nice as it would have been to stay in the cabin until spring, we had to get moving. So we had a filling breakfast, suited up, and headed out. It was easy to dress from the cold when the wind was not blowing but add the wind and it's hard to hide from. Tip: when you are in subzero temps do not face into the wind to pee. Everyone managed to keep moving and stay warm until we got back to the cars. The parking lot is known for being the windiest and coldest place of the entire trip. Needless to say, many cars have trouble starting when it's that cold.
Fortunately our truck started with only a little effort. The other cars in the parking lot had to be jump started due to cold batteries. Sure it was cold, but what a great time we had. Now if we can talk someone into putting hot tubs in the parking lot we will have it made.
Saturday was spent relaxing, hiking around the area and playing cards in the evening along with more soaking in the tubs. Temperatures remained around -20F. Sunday morning we woke up to temps close to -30F and a fairly stiff wind blowing. As nice as it would have been to stay in the cabin until spring, we had to get moving. So we had a filling breakfast, suited up, and headed out. It was easy to dress from the cold when the wind was not blowing but add the wind and it's hard to hide from. Tip: when you are in subzero temps do not face into the wind to pee. Everyone managed to keep moving and stay warm until we got back to the cars. The parking lot is known for being the windiest and coldest place of the entire trip. Needless to say, many cars have trouble starting when it's that cold. Fortunately our truck started with only a little effort. The other cars in the parking lot had to be jump started due to cold batteries. Sure it was cold, but what a great time we had. Now if we can talk someone into putting hot tubs in the parking lot we will have it made.
