McVeigh Creek is a tiny drainage between Arctic Valley and Hiland Road. The Nike site and Gordon Lyon form the upper ridge line of McVeigh.
From the Arctic Valley trailhead, it is a short walk to the former nuclear weapons cache. There are several North Face gullies in this area. From the NW corner of the barbed wire enclosure, I dropped into "Nike #1". The snow was decent for this time of year, albeit a bit slow. My tracks from Tuesday helped with the flat light conditions.
Nike #1
From the bottom I traversed hikers' right to the mid-section of "Nike #2." The booter got progressively steeper eventually maxing out at 52°. The top was thin but quickly transformed into a 400' quarter pipe. Air in. Air out. Repeat.
I worked the run hard. The shores of the tundra closed in. Noodle city, but I refused to surrender. Recently exposed obstacles were becoming more common: willows, rocks, narrow water cuts, 55 gallon drums. The game was getting less and less safe but more and more fun. The snow did end, but I still had some heat, and was able to tundra surf the Big Daddy's about 25' before throwing them on my back.
(no artsy black and white necessary)
I tried out the tele-tubby set-up for the first time this year. The results were less than desirable. If you have a strong stomach, give it a shot: Nike #2 (skip to 1:15 for the tundra obstacle course skiing)
- U.K.