Winner Creek near Girdwood

The weather man said we were supposed to have sunshine on Saturday so we got up early and hit the road to go on a hike up Winner Creek.  It was looked overcast when we left the house but the sun wasn't quite up yet so we couldn't tell for sure.

It had been raining quite a bit for the past month (or more!) so things were a bit soggy as we started our five mile hike--2.5 miles up a hill and 2.5 miles down the other side.

The prize at the end of the hike was an incredible gorge with a river of blue-green water running below.

A little hike further over a small mountain brought us to the hand-tram.  You get in this swaying basket and using pulleys, you pull on the rope and that makes the basket go across the gorge.

Did I mention that you are about 100 ft. above the rapids?

As we began our walk back up the mountain, it started snowing.  The forest was so peaceful and quiet and the snow was just MAGICAL!  I loved it!

The forest was so thick that the snow only made it to the ground in the more open parts.  By the time we made it back to the car there was about an inch of fluffy white snow covering the ground.  What a beautiful day!