3 days
We took Moose Creek up and started early. Good idea to check with the people who live back here that you can park in the pullout, and leave a note or tell them where you're going. They keep an eye on the road. For the first few miles the conditions were perfect. Packed down snowmachine track, cloudy so a good temperature but not precipitation. We water proofed everything because we had been rained on the few weeks before in PNW and Homer. The creek crossings were great. Eventually the weather moved in and it was whiteout, but we were able to hug the creek up the valley. We only had one mishap where I completely walked off a burn. After 12 miles we reached the hut.
The next day we hung in the hut. My wisdom tooth that was barely coming in through the front of my gum began to swell and become very painful. Also, the visibility wasn't amazing and with the amount of snow we had the day prior the avalanche conditions seemed questionable. We read books in the hut and I ate food one small piece at a time. The Dnigi Hut is in good condition and was pretty roomy, we also were able to use the stove for our melt water. Dnigi means moose in Dena'ina, a name more rooted in place and the right kind of history than the other huts. There was a cool windscoop around the hut as well. We saw one other winter entry in the book from February and they went up and over elbow pass.
The next morning was beautiful and we headed back to the car. Near the end the snow was very isothermic and we were very hot. I timed my ibuprofen and food weird, and ended up not wanting to take ibuprofen on an empty stomach but also not being able to chew with my pain and swelling. So for the last three hours I just shuffled shuffled. Luckily the story ends with antibiotics ending my tooth problems enough to be able to ski in Valdez the next weekend, and get it out the following week.
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