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The weather in Alaska is predicted by looking out the window and guessing what the next half-hour has in store for you. It changes abruptly and nobody seems to really know what to expect. We do, however, know one thing. It is snowing hard in Valdez and has been for the past twelve days. No planes fly in, and, to our imminent disappointment, no helicopter operations have been flying at all. We re-assess our situation and decide a seven hour drive around the glaciers that surround Prince William Sound has more promise for us than the "wait and see" approach at the Anchorage airport. Quick, logistical problem solving has six people and gear, lots of gear, crammed into a Ford Explorer and making the drive. We arrive in Valdez, and yes, it is snowing and has been for now thirteen days, we wonder what will become of this adventure under the current weather conditions. We all ignore the obvious reality of going home without bagging a minute of vertical in the intense Chugach Mountains surrounding this town. We unload our mountain of gear into our small musty hotel rooms, the air permeated with the scent of wet skiers of weeks and months before. Time has come to explore our home for the next five days, find some food, a watering hole or two and watch the weather. Today is Tuesday, our scheduled heli-days are on Thursday and Friday, so we at least feel hopeful that we have some time to allow the weather to improve. |