Kodiak Ice

During the past few weeks Meghan, Rebel and I have encountered lots of ice on nearly every trail when we go out for a hike. Although the cold temperatures allow water to form beautiful icefalls like the one above (found on Spruce Cape), it makes for interesting walks through the woods. Our friends say that last winter was much worse for icy conditions. We can't imagine what the hiking/ driving surfaces might have looked like last winter.

I have found that the brown neoprene boots made by XTRATUF, ubiquitous around Kodiak, actually grip better to the ice than my Vasque Gore-Tex hiking boots. I discovered this fact while on a walk to one of our favorite beaches near town. Much of the trail was covered with a thick layer of ice. Meghan wore her Xtratufs and I wore hiking boots. I seemed to slip and slide much more often than Meghan during the walk. A confounding factor, however, may have been my foolhardy approach to hiking. As you can see Meghan attacks the Kodiak ice in her Xtratuf's with aplomb during a Saturday afternoon hike.

While I might be able to change my footwear to reduce slipping an sliding, poor Rebel is stuck with his short little legs and bossy nose. Scrambling to follow a scent Rebel often slips on the ice and loses his balance. Luckily, he doesn't have very far to fall.