End of Week Celebration

I have finished my first week of work, post-training and I am celebrating with my favorite kind of beer. It has been a week of many highs and some challenges, faux-pas, and times of elation. I have learned a great deal and am "gettting" the fine details of the job.
I am glad it is the weekend!! I am planning to visit Denali National Park for the next 3 days for long day hikes, participating in their ranger led programs and films, and visiting my former co-worker, Cinnamon, who I worked with at Brooks Camp during my second season there.
Joy to all!!!!!!

Kesugi Ridge

I had my  first days off and took myself backpacking here in the state park along a trail atop the Kesugi Ridge. Kesugi means "the ancient one" in Athapaskan. I have to say, this was one of the most wonderful backpacking trips of my life!!!!! The views of the Alaska Range and "the high one" along with wonderful treking along long miles of tundra overflowing with mosses, lichens and tiny flowers made my heart sing. It was a challenge though!!! Lots of elevation gain, freaky steep muddy downhills, slippery snowbanks, muskeg (bogs) with hungry insects, losing the trail for a half mile and bushwhacking through alders and willow and hellebore (gasp),  sometimes very windy, and sometimes toooooo sunny (since it never gets dark).
It was a joy to be able to walk "home" to the trailler 29 miles later!!! I am beat and will rest up before taking visitors out on a long hike tomorrow!!!!

Home by the Lake

Hi All!
I have moved from the River House to a trailler on Byers Lake, where we do many of our hikes. It is quiet and comfortable and affords me more access to the trails, lake and animals.

Here is a photo of Byers Lake showing the Alaska Range in the background. I took out my first group today and it went well. It has been rainy and there are no views of the mountains, unfortunately. My co-worker told me that last summer it rained every day! Yikes!
Sending much love!

Day One at my new job

I accompanied another co-worker, Freddy on a half day nature walk he was leading. We picked up 11 people from the Denali Princess Lodge and drove them to a viewpoint, then on to Byers Lake. There was not one cloud in the sky so the view of the mountain was absolutely spellbinding. Everyone was thrilled  and took numerous photos. Apparently it has been cloudy up until today, and there were zero mountain views for the past several weeks. Such happy luck! I enjoyed the hike he led and have every bit of confidence I can successfully lead that hike immediately, since I know the info already and have only to orient myself to the trails at hand. Highlights included a wonderful sighting of a trumpeter swan as well as a close encounter with an angry ermine. She was scolding us for stepping too close to her burrow and making warning shouts, as only an ermine can. I was quite entranced with her.

Did you know that the trumpeter swan is the largest native North American bird?  Males can weigh up to 38 pounds!! (that's like almost 2 Beanies!) These beautiful birds were almost driven to extinction by hunters who sold their feathers to make into quill pens!

 After the tour, I drove to Talkeetna to meet my boss. (at last) We hiked to the edge of the Chulitna River and chatted. Then I rambled around town, one of my very favorite Alaskan towns. I went to the museum and learned more about mountaineering history, visited the NPS Ranger Station, and a few shops.

It has been a very very good day. Joy to all. By the way, if you are reading this, I have no idea. (except for you, Steve and Mom)  Please shoot me an email sometime and tell me how you are doing.

Tok to Denali State Park, June 16, 2011

June 17, 2011

Such a long drive and such vast wilderness! I arrived yesterday evening to my summer home in Denali State Park after driving a total of 3,394 miles! Yow!

It rained much of the day yesterday but my car is still coated with thick dust. The route down from Tok gave views of the Chugach Mountains, giant glacier carved valleys filled with spruce, willow and alders, ponds, wide rushing rivers and eventually, the massive Matanuska glacier.

I made my way north on the Parks Highway, awed by the perfectly clear views of Denali all along the way. It really is a staggering site, cloaked in white and rising heavenward. I have been reading so much about the mountain during the past months, and seeing it once again after many years, made me reflect on the many who lost their lives up there, and whose remains still lie buried unseen, in icy crevasses. I was also awed as I thought about how all points in my life have led me to this present moment, and how beautiful the path before me is.

I made my way to the Guide House, which my boss, Howard Carbonne, has been building since September. It is still under construction, but is large, lovely and clearly a special place. The outhouse could win an award for creativity. My co-worker/housemate Stephanie, showed me around and we chatted quite a bit. She is very friendly and made me feel very welcomed.

I have a couple of days to train before leading my first hikes. My back is tired from sitting in the car for so many hours. I long for lengthy hikes in the wilderness.............................

Much love until next time.

Inspiration

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”

                                                                  John Muir

I am off to Denali today. I begin work tomorrow.

Alas!!

Essential Ingredients:
1. Determination
2. Stamina
3. Good Music (yes we are all entitled to our opinions)
4. Caffeine
5. Stalwart automobile

Watson Lake to Tok, Alaska!!!!!!

Today has been a very long but gratifying day. I woke up at 4 am under a beautiful light sky with pink wispy clouds. It was 37 degrees and time to hit the road. Traveling at this time has obvious benefits: no other drivers, and some special wildlife viewing. My first gift was watching a porcupine lumber up a hill on the side of the road. It looked like an over confidant tank. Not long after, I saw some snowshoe hares along the road, then a bigger gift: an arctic fox with a hare in its mouth. (sorry, hare) The fox had some sort of problem and was using only 3 legs to walk, but was quite effective nonetheless.
 I enjoyed watching the mountain scenery change while listening to the Jackson 5, (no, I am not kidding), Ferron, (Driver), John Denver (Windsong), Don McLean, Queen (Greatest Hits) Tracy Chapman (Crossroads) and back to Fleetwood Mac.
There were a couple of dumfounded looking Canada Geese, and several arctic ground squirrels. (some road kill, some not yet)
I was excited to see the mighty Yukon River later on, and walked down to greet it. Another gift awaited: a beautiful beaver swimming! I delighted in its presence and the heavy flow of the river was very interesting.
There is major evidence of the spruce bark beetles havoc, as many acres of trees are black and standing dead.
Everywhere, I saw dwarf fireweed, aka "river beauty". Lovely!!
I stopped at the Takhini Hotsprings outside of Whitehorse and floated around in the hot water. I prefer Liard, but this was relaxing until the hoard of school kids came with their noises and pool games.
Afterwards, the sight of the Kluane Range from afar, then approaching closer and closer was quite a spectacle. I had a veggie burger in Haines Junction, (very good pickles) and marveled in the beauty of the snowy mountains even closer. I wish I could have stayed there, but had to push on.
The last part of todays arduous trek was a bit of grunt work. The last 200 miles going into Alaska from Yukon are the most challenging. The road is often like a roller coaster--has huge potholes and unevenness, loose gravel, dust, etc. It goes on and on and on....I feel sorry for the motorcyclists and bike riders.
The scenery is so spectacular, however, especially mystical, Kluane Lake.

Alas, after 700 miles on the road, I met my goal of reaching the Great Frontier. If I wasn't so tired, I would be ecstatic!!!

June 15, 2011

Fort St. John to Watson Lake (553 miles)

June 14, 2011

What an extraordinary day it has been. It was a wildlife lovers dream come true!

I am on the Alaska Highway now, so the road is more rough in places that the Provincial Highway. But all is fine—just some places with loose gravel.

Thank God for Caffeine, Music and a good air cooling system! Today I sang with and listened to Train (Drops of Jupiter), the Dixie Chicks (Cowboy Take Me Away), Madonna (Like a Prayer), Brandi Carlisle (Give Up the Ghost) and Cat Stevens (Tea for the Tillerman). Then, in between, I listen to my tape recordings, aka "study time." Thanks again, Susan for helping me research the wonders of digital tape recorders!!!

I drove through some spellbinding areas with aquamarine colored rivers, black bears chomping with gusto on grasses, and “thin horned” sheep licking minerals off the road. There were some wonderful babies and moms. I enjoyed some humorous names like Muncho Lake and Toad River. Endangered wood bison graze in groups or solo and they were abundant and easy to spot. I also saw caribou and 4 moose, two guys and two females. I had to REALLY be very alert and focused to drive safely, since I didn't know what I might find around each twist and turn.

A big highlight for me was visiting the Liard River Hotsprings. You walk along a boardwalk trail to the sulphuric springs. A bull moose was happily devouring willow and grasses as I walked by quietly, not to anger him. The whole park is filled with flowers which love the warm water and the springs themselves are deep, beautiful, and totally natural, and surrounded by decks. There were mostly folks my age or older there who were very friendly, and of course the water made all my cares from driving and the stress of avoiding ramming into wildlife melt away. I am so pleased I was able to float around, watching the heavy rain clouds above.

I finally got to the Yukon Territory 9ish and walked around the Signpost Park. I am camping at the Watson Lake Campground. The mosquitoes are in full force, unfortunately, but no problem, I am ready to drift away into slumber land.

Peace and Joy to you all.

(PS I took all the photos on this post.)

Cache Creek to Fort St. John

British Columbia is soooo beautiful and varied! I saw quite a bit of it today, while driving 580 miles. I could barely remember the scenery from when I did this same drive 20 years ago when Jesse and I came to Alaska for the first time. Jess was a wee lad of 7 years, in those days. We loved camping and exploring together. He always was kept amused watching vehicles and motorcycles, so the long drive didn't bother him.

This morning, I was intrigued by the "Badger Crossing" sign I saw early on, but did not see any real ones.

I did see my first bald eagle of the season, reminding me of Denise and her affection for them!!

There were a few fun signs today--

a sign in front of a Baptist Church read:

"Who dies with the most toys is still dead."

A Community Safety sign said,

" If you're the kind of person who doesn't like getting tickets, lift up your right foot now."

and a homemade sign said:

"May Greed Fail and Common Sense Prevail."

Driving alone, I get a kick out of this sort of thing.

All day I listened to Joni Mitchell (Blue)

Justin Hines and No Doubt.

 Excellent, and lively.

Some unexpected delights:

Roadside patches of purple lupines, salmon and scarlet colored paintbrush and buttercups,

heavy rain from time to time,

TWO different black bears,

A sign for a town called "Horsefly", (I didn't visit since I dislike them)

(plus it was out of my way)

some beaver lodges,

black billed magpies,

log cabins,

and best of all, towards the end of the day in the beautiful Peace River Valley,

two female moose, grazing in the woods near the road together! Gosh, were they ever tall and gangly!!

By the way, Googleimages is a much better photographer than I, so I put in my requests and usually find just what I need for this blog.

Happy June the thirteenth to all.

(Writing the Blog is good for me because it reminds me to take note of some of the subtleties I might forget otherwise.)

Goodnight!

Seattle to Cache Creek, British Columbia

I had the pleasure of having lunch with my friends Sheila and Paul, who moved to Bellingham a  couple of years ago. We met at my favorite haunt in the Fairhaven district: Avenue Bread Bakery, and it was a joy to catch up and feel their joy in moving from Berkeley to exquisite northern Washington! One day I may do something similar!

Crossing the border into Canada took an excruciating long time because of heavy traffic only inching along.
But once cruising north on Canada Highway 1, the scenery became more and more wild and dramatic: huge snowy mountains, giant, wild rivers, water pouring from cliffs, a sign warning: "Caution: Bighorn Sheep on Road." ( I didn't see any though)

The road winds along the Fraser, Quesnel and Thompson River Valleys. River rafting is apparently the rage. Crosby Still and Nash sang to me loudly all the way up, with hours devoted to Fleetwood Mac.

Interesting observation: No roadkill visible in Canada.

I am staying in a motel in Cache Creek tonight. It is pretty windy outside and my back is killing me from sitting so long.

I am feeling very grateful and very blessed.

Wishing you all a happy evening and much love.

Medford to Seattle

I awoke to a lovely rain. Having traveled this route, now 5 times sequentially since 2007, I will say, I had the most enjoyable time ever, high tailing it through Oregon. The temps were cooler than usual, and the scenery more remarkable. I saw a funny billboard trying to lure folks into a casino: "Only two bug splot exits away." Crossing the mighty Columbia River into Washington is always a thrill. I looked for sacred Mt Rainier in great anticipation, but sadly, the heavy cloud cover kept the sight of her hidden. I thought about my buddies at the Carbon River Ranger Station with pangs of wishful longing to return, ( my journey would be nearly ended) but reminded myself of the surprises that await in the Great Frontier.
In Olympia, I took a hike with my Katmai National Park ranger/tentmate buddy Amy, which was very special since we spent my birthday together last year hiking up to mega windy Tolmie Peak Fire Lookout, and Amy will be soon moving to Nebraska.
I spent the night in Seattle, looking often for a glimpse of the mighty volcano, with no luck.

Natasha Bedingfield - Wild Horses

June 10, 2011

I enjoyed the first leg of my journey: El Cerrito to Medford. The Peets decaf (??) mocha I had this morning (Thanks, Nancy!) put me in "conquer the road" mode.
Highlights:
Listening to Natasha Beddingfield (especially Wild Horses)
HEAT--!! It was 90 degrees just south of Willow along 505
Sights of beautiful Mt Shasta
Eating garlic foccaccia and chocolate w almonds--THANKS Stevish!!
Castle Crags--I've got to hike there someday--when I can restrain myself from going farther north
ABBA!
Some gorgeous hawks surveying the scene
Steve Winwood
Listening to the tape recordings I have made the past few months to prepare for my job at Denali
Nice, clear evening with no traffic.

I drove 370 miles and
I am in Oregon!!!

Crummy aspects:

A couple of bad accidents

Road Kill--especially raccoons and oppossums

Happy sleep and much love to all............................

Getting Ready

There is a great deal to do while preparing for 10 weeks away from home. Only a few items on the list include:

Clean the car, get it tuned up and fix curtains

Prepare books, info cards I've made, recordings to listen to along the way

See family and friends

Get everything needed for Beanie care 

Organize camping and backpacking equipment

Tidy up room and house

Pack clothes, food, books, Alaska information, computer, etc.etc.

Complete all school library projects

I leave on Friday after school. I feel less anxious now than I have for awhile. I look forward to the wildlife and stunning scenery.

I pray for a safe journey!