Campbell Creek North Fork

Anchorage Hillside touring is very good with cold snow and packed conditions on the main trails.  Eruk, Lucy and yours truly ventured to the Campbell Creek North Fork in the shadow of Near Point and Wolverine Peak.   

North Fork Valley

We skied up the North Fork from Stuckagain Heights, skinned up to the saddle between Wolverine and Near Point, and skied back down the Wolverine Trail to Stuckagain.  Campbell Creek North Fork sees very little traffic.  We saw no one as we followed a solitary snowshoe track up toward Long Lake.  A couple of miles up the canyon, we parted ways with the single snowshoe track and skinned up toward the sunshine.  Campbell Creek North Fork is a shaded valley without sunshine for several weeks each winter.

Snow conditions are seasonally thin in the North Fork valley and on the 'front side'.  Temperatures were in the single digits with a very slight breeze, except at the pass.  Plumes were blowing of the peaks above 4000 ft el, and the snow up high appeared wind-worked.  Below 3000 ft el, the snow was fluffy, but thin.  Big hoar frost crystals have formed on the snow surface.