Invite Life!

Hi Everybody!

"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it." ~ Danny Kaye

Greetings! From the already getting darker every night land of the midnight sun! They say summer goes fast and apparently they aren't kidding. Since solstice we lose about 4 minutes of light per day and we are definitely noticing it. We almost have total darkness from about 1 am to 2:30 am. Our endless daylight is melting away! But we got to see the full moon, I forgot about the moon. Wow time is flying, it has already been one month since I left and I leave for Quinhagak in 2 weeks.

So what have your neighbors to the north been up to lately???

Hum, Mom and I have continued to check out local hiking spots such as: Potter's Marsh - http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/index.cfm?adfg=alaska_guide.potter (not my personal favorite). I found you pretty much fight foot traffic on a 1/2 mile long boardwalk built over the marsh, while trying to avoid bumping into the die hard bird watchers who occasionally forget to look beyond their binocs, granted there are many avian friends to spy so I don't blame them one bit;)

We cruised around Eagle River Nature Center http://www.ernc.org/ which also happens to be the finishing point of the Crow Pass Crossing Race that Sam and I are hoping to get into next weekend. So many flowers! I thought I'd share them with you. Unfortunately I can offer no names as I have no idea what most of them are called so feel free to let me know;) A lot will look familiar to all ya'll in WI and MN.


This is the Alaska State Flower

Captain Skylar paddled me around Mirror Lake one hot day!http://www.cer.org/prkncamp.htm What a treat! Even though we had to keep one eye on the float plane landing strip which coincidentally happened to be most of the lake. Still not sure what our plan was if we found that someone was landing? Praying for observant pilots I guess:)

Mirror Lake

We attended the Bear Paw Festival http://www.bearpawfestival.org/ this weekend in Eagle River. They had everything from a 5k race (I jumped in about 10 mins before the start), a fair, and all kinds of main stage events to the community parade (in which Skylar skated with his hockey team). The whole town comes out. Reminded me of home.

Hockey Player Skylar (Above) The Video is a Sample of the Local Talent at the Bear Paw Fest

Finally we decided tonight we should probably check out the first 3 uphill miles (everyone warns that part is the toughest) of the Crow Pass Crossing Race we might (I hope please pray) be running this weekend. So with full camel backs and Drew as our guide off we went to Girdwood to trek up those first 3 grueling miles to the Crow Pass http://www.aktrailhead.com/crowpass/crowpass.shtml. Since announcing our desire to attempt this race we have heard urban legends that we need to make it there within an hour or we will be disqualified from the race. Even if we don't make it I think we should keep going, the views this evening were gorgeous:) From there we hit the Moose's Tooth for the best pizza in town! If you ever get up this way I highly recommend the 'Backpacker' pizza;)

"What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with wisdom at Your side, made the whole earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalm 104:24

All Over a Bowl of Granola

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
~Albert Schweitzer, French Theologian, 1875-1965

I had some great conversation today over a bowl of granola, right after about a 6 mile run with my new friend Drew, along the infamous Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (http://www.akhs.atfreeweb.com/Hikes/CoastalTrail.htm) from Earthquake Park (http://www.anchorage.net/822.cfm). I met Drew or rather Drew met us (the whole crew) hiking up Mount Baldy the other day. Turns out he runs too and was up for showing us some new trails. We ran today around 10 am to 'avoid' the heat of the day. My confession? I haven't been getting up here until around noon. I know, I know, but I stay awake until 3 am! Yes, this is my problem. Anyway, his suggestion that we run at 10 am sounded like a great way to help me reverse this sleep cycle I've put myself in. What an interesting and inspiring person he is. I love how God just ushers people right into your life when you need them, He always seems to be doing that with me and I'm so humbled and grateful. Oh, but the more amazing people He fills your life with, I'm learning the deeper and larger you feel the loss and pain of leaving. A funny thing, the other day I took down the pictures of friends and family that I had temporarily set on the mantle of our completely unfurnished apartment, and packed them to send on ahead to Quinhagak. Well, as I was mailing the 10th box!! which contained the pictures I nearly jumped across the counter to grab it back wanting to plead with the postal lady,"No! Wait! Not that one it has all my pictures! I'm not ready to let them go!" I refrained from making a spectacle but felt a little sick to my stomach. Later that same day while visiting with my high school friend Ang (we go waaaaay back and I'm soooooo thankful to have her here) I got a package! Aren't packages wonderful, don't they just make you feel like a little kid Christmas morning?? Well, that's how I felt, it was from my sweet friend Amy, a picture of us with the word "FRIENDS" at the top. Holding back the tears I blubbered to Ang about how one of the pictures I had hesitently sent on to Quinhagak earlier that day had the word "FRIENDS" on it, and that one in particular made me think of everyone back home and smile when I looked at it. So it was as if God quickly replaced what I had to let go. He sometimes does that in life. Meeting Drew has been like that. It has reminded me of how blessed I am to have hands down, the absolutely most wonderfulest bunch of truest, lovingest, inspiringest, amazingest friends and family a girl could ever hope and pray for. My cup overflowth! Just when I was missing yas so much He planted another wonderful person in my path, I know to help ease the hurt, and I hope He's planting wonderful people all over your paths! Whether a friend from long ago or from just today everyone one of you is near and dear to me. I shared this with my precious friends at school before we all parted for the summer, it is true for all of you: "I'm not going on this wild northern journey alone...I'm taking everyone with me!" It is why I have this blog:) So I can take you with me. I smile knowing that if it weren't for you, whom God has so perfectly placed in my life, I wouldn't be the person I am, able to do the things I'm doing! This is sorta a sappy one but I just have to say it cause I miss and love you guys. Thank you for pouring each of your unique gifts into my life, I cherish each and every one. I thank God for email, cell phones, pens paper, beautiful decorated envelops and Raisin Bran cereal boxes (thank you Lauren;)

"Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to a prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart." Philippians 1:3

Breaking Records!

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or gazelle - when the sun comes up, you'd better be running." - Inspirational saying on a T-shirt

We hit 85 today in Anchorage, broke a temp record yesterday and today! We also have a hazy blanket wrapped around us, I'm told because of some forest fires in the Yukon and NW Territories. Hiked Mount Baldy a couple times as Sam had to try out his new running shoes for the big race I've coerced him into running July 18th. http://www.akhs.atfreeweb.com/Hikes/CrowPass.htm -this links to the trail guide

http://www.anchorage.net/events.html?eventid=17447 -this links to the race information

We don't know for sure if we got in but we, well at least I have my fingers crossed;) Thanks to my trainer Geri last fall trying valiantly to get me qualified for Boston Marathon (missed it by only 8 minutes) but ran it in less than 4 hours which unbeknownst to us was good enough to qualify me for this race up in Alaska! Neat how that worked out. Thanks Geri:) Now to get Sam in we (yep, it was a group effort) had to write a letter stating why he should be allowed to run the race since he doesn't have a qualifying marathon time due to never before running one. This is what we came up with:

Crow Creek Crossing 2009 Hopeful: Sam
Age: 27
Physical Condition: Excellent
Call In case of acceptance: XXX
My sister is making me write this letter. She wants to run this race really bad and apparently so do I. I haven’t qualified by marathon time but my sister has and every time I’ve run with her I beat her. She gets mad because I don’t ‘train’ as much as she does. What she fails to realize and what may get me in to your race is that:
#1 I have youth on my side
#2 I work construction 6 days a week therefore I’m constantly in ‘training’
#3 My foreman is a real slave driver so I run all day at work, I consider him my coach
#4 This summer I’ve worn through 2 pairs of boots and its only been 3 weeks (I used to think Carhartt made a quality product)
#5 I received the Presidential Physical Fitness Award 3 consecutive years 4th, 5th and 6th grade
#6 I know my limits…Crow Creek is not one of them
#7 I have hiked several of the so called mountain passes Bird Ridge, Flattop, Pioneer Pass I laugh in the face of them all, McKinley 3 weeks?...that’s for people without jobs
#8 If you don’t allow me to race this with my sister, she’ll make me do it anyway, might as well give me a number so you can track me
#9 I considered Sherpaing as a career choice for a time
#10 My sister is a certified Wilderness First Responder so I’ll be running with definitive medical care. It’ll be like running with On Star.
Since the only way to get a prior marathon time is to run a marathon I believe this is a good place to start as I have no other marathon to run.
Please consider me as a participant in the Crow Creek Crossing Race 2009.
Thanks for your time,
Sam

Stay tuned to see if it worked! Miss you all tons!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

Well, I Hope I'm Comfortable...

Josh and Mike Leaving the Landing

"She had the loaded handbag of someone who camps out and seldom goes home, or who imagines life must be full of emergencies."-Mavis Gallant

This quote is in response to the boys again making fun of my in case of emergency first aid kit. Hey, when you train to be a wilderness first responder you never think of camping the same again...always prepare for everything. Besides Murphy's Law provides perfect legitimizing of the fact that if I were to leave the first aid kit behind, that is precisely when we would need it.

Making the treacherous 'open water' crossing through Canoe Lake #1;)

"Well, I Hope I'm Comfortable.."

Those were Mom's parting words as we shoved off in Mike's friend of a friend's borrowed canoe for the weekend. Sam was in the back, Mom was wedged in the middle amongst backpacks and fishing rods and unsure of sufficient leg room while I was paddling in front. Josh and Mike had the lightweight, luxury compact version which sliced through the water easily passing us as we splashed along. It took Mom until half way across the first lake to simmer down and stop white knucking the gunnels. "Aaahhh, we're gonna tip. Whoa now okay, careful, oh this isn't fun, let's go back. Now good, okay yep, let's just stay close to shore." My thought as I glanced around the 1 acre lake we were paddling, "There is nowhere you could go in this lake that isn't close to the shore." It's all a matter of perspective.

Our destination this 4th of July weekend (By the way Happy 4th Everyone! Hope you all had very enjoyable celebrations!) was the Swan Lake Chain of Lakes in the Kenai Wilderness Area: http://www.northlite.biz/canoe/KCTBkgrd.html

It reminded me of the BWCA in Minnesota on a mini version with mountains. The exception being the portages which were equal length to the BWCA, no skimping there.The first night we paddled in around 10 pm- 2 portages and a couple 'canoe trails' or streams that supposedly get you to the next lake more efficiently than a trek on foot carrying everything. I'll let you guys decide;)

Josh (above) loaded w/gear. Sam portaging canoe.

Slogging through the "You won't even have to get out of your boat" trail according to Mike.

At this point Mom was relieved to be off the "big open water" of the pond/pseudo lake we had just crossed and was instead enjoying being dragged along the bottom of a 6 inch deep stream where, delighted, she found that both of her arms could easily be extended to touch shore on each side of her at the same time. So as Sam pushed and I pulled along the 'canoe trail stream' groaning with the weight of the loaded down vessel in which the Lady of Chalotte sat blissfully taking in her surroundings, her oblivious comment was "Oh, now this is a nice little stream."
We camped on a super little spot right on a creek (where Sam later discovered there are suckers) and next to Canoe Lake #3. It's still odd going to my tent to sleep in daylight. We fished for rainbow trout the following day and were quite successful as dinner pics show;) I voluteered (figuring I better get used to it) for the disgusting job of 'gutting' the trout so they would be ready to cook when we got back to camp, blah-ick, you leave them in the skin.

Me, not enjoying the trout gutting.

Unfortunately, in the rush to get out of Anchorage Friday, we forgot utensils and so you can see in the pics below, our make shift cutlery (spoons fashioned out of cut up water bottles with sticks as handles and plates out of tinfoil wrapped around cracker boxes). The boys were pretty proud of themselves and are currently devising a plan to market them (of course). Oh, yeah and on our way back from fishing in South Spruce Lake while squeezing our way thru one of those handy 'canoe trails' Josh (paddling in front of the first canoe) came nose to nose with a Mama black bear and 2 cubs apparently planning on crossing! She stared him down long enough for him to get a little nervous, gathered that was enough, turned tail and herded her crew into the woods. Whew! Wild country I tell ya. Saw a moose jogging along the shoreline as we paddled out Sunday morning too.
So here's the breakdown...

1. Supper over an open fire caught earlier that same day...delicious.

2. Fishing with family and friends on a remote wilderness lake...a blessing.




3. Hauling your borrowed canoe atop a 98 Monte Carlo on 2 sweatshirts and a couple of ratchet straps...priceless.

Not sure this set up is DOT approved and wouldn't recommend trying it at home but, te he, it got us there;) And yes, you guessed it, this is exactly what happens when a couple of engineers have to improvise.

"Oh, how sweet the light of day, And how wonderful to live in the sunshine! Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted. Take delight in each light-filled hour, Remembering that there will also be many dark days and that most of what comes your way is smoke. You who are young, make the most of your youth. Relish your youthful vigor. Follow the impulses of your heart. If something looks good to you, pursue it. But know also that not just anything goes; You have the answer to God for every last bit of it." Ecclesiastes 11:7-9

The Navigator

Kincaid Park

“If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.” -Lewis Carroll

There is no such thing as just 'a walk in the park' in Alaska, if the bears and moose don't get ya then the loyal attack dog faithfully jogging along side its master will. Today we hiked all over Kincaid Park http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kincaid_Parkrg/wiki/Kincaid_Park. No major wildlife encounters beyond the occasional mutt;)

Mom posing with a whale skeleton outside the Kincaid Visitor Center.

"Can you hear me now?" This is a pic of my friend Ann telling me about her getting a job in Bethel for the same district as I will be teaching in. Wild! She will be an itinerant counselor so I'm not sure if she'll be servicing the village I am in or not. We shall see. There are actually people swimming the lake behind me as training for local triathlons. Maybe I should be getting pointers from them eh, Geri?

How we ever get anywhere around this city with me driving is a wonder. I've had so many people tell me Anchorage is easy to navigate but I beg the differ. It remains a mystery to me. Mom just rolls her eyes and snickers when I give my 2 cents about which direction we should go. I've come to approach finding my way around here much like those artists who just throw paint at the canvas. I'm sure my trig/calc professor from college would suggest I attempt it much the same as I did my weekly tests as well. I just kinda drive into the city hoping for the best and figuring eventually if I make enough turns I'll get somewhere recognizable. I've made it back to home base every time, that counts for something. I admit I am not a navigational genius by any stretch, my internal compass is seriously flawed;)

"This is what the LORD says: Stand at the crossroads and look;

ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is,

and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16

Attempt #1 To Hike Campbell Creek Gorge: Unsuccessful

“If at first you don’t succeed, you’re in good company” - WSJ

I rallied my troop (Mom) around 6:00pm again tonight to embark on yet another exciting adventure. I found what I thought would be a relatively easy jaunt to Campbell Creek Gorge http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/Campbell_Gorge_0380.asp?friendly=Yes380.asp?friendly=Yes . Notice the "friendly=Yes" part on the end of the web address,...yeah well. We got to the trail head, I threw on the backpack loaded with the usuals: bananas, water, bear spray and camera. This time we took off into the woods rather than up the mountain. Plants grow bigger in Alaska, it felt like we were entering the jungle. The directions I had, warned me of the semi-unmarked trails but gave pretty good ideas of where we needed turn when there was a split. So we got to the first fork in the trail and found this sign:

Undeterred, I convinced us that the bears obviously stay to the right fork while the people appear to stay to the left. This is the point at which we dug the bear spray out of the back pack, I secured mine around my waist while Mom clutched hers in her hand: we had some kind of odd Alaskan rendition of Charlie's Angels going on. We then proceeded to leap into the air several times as passing bicyclists continually startled us. We pressed on through some very beautiful scenery. I'm in awe of how diverse Anchorage is, one minute you are speeding down a major freeway and the next you are buried chin deep in the wilderness.

As you can see Campbell Creek is breathtaking so you can appreciate my eagerness to view it from the 'gorge'. Well, what happened next was a series of events that (very ironically) went something like this:

Strolling along the trail, continuing to moving aside for the occasional mountain biker we loudly shared our deep thoughts to try and 'make noise'.

Me: Ha ha (nervously, still trying not the think about the extreme bear activity sign) I, I wonder if bear spray works on moose too.

Mom: I don't know, I don't see why it wouldn't. How do you even hunt a moose? I guess Uncle Billy and Grampa did but, hum (pondering) I mean do they sit in tree stands?

Me: I, I don't know I've never hunted moose, maybe I'll get into that sometime...(it's then that I think I feel another earthquake or maybe its horses galloping toward us??????)

Suddenly rounding the same corner as we were, but at full bore and in the opposite, head-on direction is Mama Moose with Jr. in tow! All four of us come to a screeching halt!

Me and Mom in unison: "Whoa!!!"

Clumsily stumbling over each other in a mad rush, we make a break for it off the trail and out of the line of fire, finding temporary shelter behind the nearest tree which Mom wastes no time pointing out to me in an accusatory hiss, "This tree isn't even alive!" "Then find your own tree!" I hiss back. The moose stays on the trail while I'm searching for the next closest live tree to hide behind. She listened in our direction for what seemed like an eternity, our lives hung in the balance while she decided if it was worth her time to trample us or not. She must have figured out we weren't much of a threat (or maybe she sensed we had bear spray???) because she continued on, digging in, she bolted down the trail with Jr. right on her heels. Mom and I, bug-eyed, gawked on from behind our dead tree refuge in the bushes and at that point I tried to snap a pic. This is what I got.

We stared at each other for a moment trying to figure out if that just really happened and maybe to verify we'd survived. Stunned we stepped back out onto the runway and kept moving toward the gorge. A few seconds later the sound of a gun shot ruptured the silence. At the same time we both thought it, wide eyed and in unison we declared: "Bear!"

Maybe it was our imaginations getting the best of us or genetics making our brains think up the same scenario but in that instant we knew, just knew it in our guts that, that Mama moose was running from a grizzly and some poor shocked hiker, much like ourselves was shooting to ward it off! Suddenly, the view from Campbell Creek Gorge was unenticing. An immediate 180 put us back in the parking lot pronto. Not before we snapped this pic of Mama's skid marks (seriously guys, she was moving). To see the view from the gorge, you'll just have to wait until I get brave enough to attempt that hike again later. Oh, yeah and P.S. Happy Canada Day, Eh!!!

Okay, I'm fairly certain God isn't referring to a moose in this verse, but I feel confident that my multiple first hand encounters with these behemoth like creatures, since my arrival to the Last Frontier, more than qualifies me to make this comparison;)

"Look at the land beast, Behemoth. I created him as well as you. Grazing on grass, docile as a cow-Just look at the strength of his back, the powerful muscles of his belly. His tail sways like a cedar in the wind; his huge legs are like beech trees. His skeleton is made of steel, every bone in his body hard as steel. Most magnificent of all creatures but I still lead him around like a lamb! The grass-covered hills serve him meals, while field mice frolic in his shadow. He takes afternoon naps under shade trees, cools himself in the reedy swamps, lazily cool in the leafy shadows as the breeze moves through the hills. And when the river rages he doesn't budge, stolid and unperturbed even when the Jordan goes wild. But you'd never want him for a pet-you'd never be able to housebreak him!" Job 40:15-24