Paradise

Blue Mountain has been my home away from home on Saturdays from late March through April.  It provides the highest altitude gain (~1000 ft) within a reasonable driving distance from Conshy base camp.  The big bonus is that there's no traffic, unlike I encounter on the hills of Gladwyne and Conshy.  Days at Blue were typically spent mixing it up on Paradise, Dreamweaver & Nightmare, Razor's Edge, Challenge, & Sidewinder.  I planned yesterday to be my last day and busted out the full package (pack weight, weighted sled, double plastics).

As soon as I stepped on the slopes it became quite apparent that my entire day would be spent on Paradise unless I compromised on my gear.  Sooooo, I decided to stay on Paradise and endure the absolute snail's pace zombie slog up the rocky dirt road.  The 80+ temps and high humidity were great simulation of the subzero temps encountered on Denali.  I knew today would be tough physically, but it turned mental rather quickly.  It's a good to get broken down every once in a while.

10 days till departure.

Looking back on the middle sector...

 Looking ahead on the middle sector.

 I have a pretty good argument against the message on this sign.

Turns out I wasn't the only one taking advantage of Blue Mountain's Vertical.  A group of Paragliders at the top of Razor's Edge.

You can see on paraglider that just took off in the distance...a much better way to the base.

Blue Mountain.  If all goes well, we'll cover approximately 13 of these in altitude gain from the Kahiltna Glacier to the summit.

One pink sled and three bicycle tires will be laid to rest after full dedication to the cause.