Nordic skating overnighter at Skilak Lake

January 25, 2024

A 39-mile epic on the Kenai Peninsula’s second-largest waterbody

Most skaters remember their first time on Nordic skates: the unfamiliar gear, the uncertainty, and the baby-duck wobbles progressing into confidence and the realization of ‘wow, this is fun.’ There’s a second milestone, though, that may be just as memorable: that first big exploratory long-distance trip. For many, this marks the mental transition of Nordic skating as an enjoyable activity to a true life-changing backcountry sport.

From January 25 to 26, 2024, Karaline Ragula, Allie Heaslet, Daniel Volland and I completed a 39-mile overnight loop on Skilak Lake. The trip took us over moonlit plains of frost crystals, through cliffy passageways, and past towering minearl-dyed waterfalls. Think less oddball outdoor fun, and more only-in-Alaska Odyssey.

Day 1: Lower Skilak Campground to the Doroshin Bay Cabin

We arrived at the Lower Skilak Campground parking lot with the winter sun already flirting with the horizon. We weren’t sure whether we were starting out a little too late, or whether our timing might, in some unexpected way, be perfect.

Setting out across the frosty ice on Skilak Lake

After about six and a half miles of skating across the frosty ice, we reached the steep, craggy headlands below Upper Skilak Campground. These headlands, part of a geological formation that spans the western edge of the Kenai Mountains, are one of the most distinctive and memorable parts of Skilak Lake. We skated under towering cliffs, past little islands topped with lone trees, and along pebbly beaches tucked into sheltered coves.

Kara skating Skilak

Eventually we lost the sun, and the sky lit up with a dusty rose light that I strongly associate with winters in Alaska. Then, to top it off, the moon rose over the mountains and we continued on, skating by natural nightlight. The ice remained frosty, but luckily it didn’t seem to have many cracks or other hazards. The going was steady, if a bit slow.

Skating (and sometimes dancing) in the moonlight

Kara making use of of the last light on Skilak Lake

After about 15.4 miles of skating, we were thrilled to finally reach the Doroshin Bay Cabin. By this point it was very cold, and the small historic trapper cabin was not exactly well-insulated or tight. Nevertheless, we soon got a fire going in the woodstove and warmed the space up as well as we could.

It was still early after dinner, but it was too cold to do much else so we retreated into our giant billowy winter sleeping bags. Kara put on a playlist of downtempo electronica, and for the next twelve hours or so we all drifted in and out of conversation and consciousness. The combination of bitter cold and cozy warmth, and the indeterminate boundary between sleeping and just existing in the cabin together without any demands on our time or attention, has remained one of the most special and memorable parts of this trip.

Night at the Doroshin Bay Cabin

Day 2: Doroshin Bay Cabin back to Lower Skilak Campground

This trip was actually my second to this cabin. During my first skating trip to the Doroshin, last year, we’d woken up to thick blue overcast and wet falling snow blanketing the ice. Today could not have been more different. The morning was crisp, cold and bright. I stood outside the cabin and watched coyotes trot across the ice.

Ermines resting in the snow at the Doroshin Bay Cabin

After breakfast we headed back out on our skates, rounding the head of the lake before arcing back along its southern shore. We skated through the Irish Channel, a narrow (and shallow) passageway between the mainland and a rocky island. The headlands were draped in waterfalls, and the shore alternated between sheltered coves and wave-battered rocks.

Waterfalls and craggy rocks on the southern side of Skilak Lake

As we continued west the terrain flattened, and the shoreline smoothed out into a series of large bays. The ice was exceptionally ‘talkative’ between cabin-dotted Caribou Island and the shore, and we stopped for some time to listen to the richocheting underwater ‘bwwwwwip!’s, ‘bwwoooooooo!‘s, and ‘brp!’s.

Listening to ice sounds on Skilak Lake

We skated an S-shaped path around Caribou Island and Frying Pan Island, and then followed what appeared to be a flagged route between the islands and our starting point at Lower Skilak Campground. By now we’d covered about 36 miles with heavy packs, and we were all feeling the distance.

Finishing our trip on Skilak Lake

On a lot of outdoor trips, I’m secretly (or not-so-secretly) relieved to get back to the cars. But this wasn’t one of them. The sunset over the ice was becoming more and more intense, and it didn’t seem right to finish in the middle of the grand finale. We dropped our packs and skated a few more loops, tracing the edges of the small backlit pressure ridges. It was a spectacular end to a spectacular overnighter.

Eventually the sun hit the mountains and rolling hills west of the lake, and the sky and the air turned cooler. After two days of adventure, the lake had finally bade us farewell. We pulled off our silt-dulled skates, crammed our backpacks into the car, and headed for home.”

- Paxson Woelber has been a dedicated Nordic skater and advocate for wild ice skating since 2016. In 2021, he founded Ermine Skate, North America's first Nordic skate company. Today, Ermine offers a range of premium Nordic skates and Nordic skating products designed for wild ice.