17 Days of So Much Fun- Homer and Adventure Camp

Day 13-
This morning was another early one for me between the fishermen and the birds.  Since it was a cook day for our group I went ahead and got up to shower early.  Even then it was too early so I sat in the truck and wrote.  Eventually I got everything out and Ulli helped me get the stove started.  The campsite next to us looked like a scene out of "Birds" this morning.  I guess the guys had a bit too much fun last night and forgot to put their food away.  The birds helped them with that by making a really big mess.  Entertainment with our breakfast.  We finished eating, packed up and were ready to leave 10 minutes early.  Our group rocks.  On our drive back toward town I spotted an eagle sitting on top of 3 poles in the water.  Fortunately, David and Natalie correctly interpreted my, "Wow, check that out!" to mean wildlife sighting.  We stopped for 10 minutes or more to watch and take photos.  The eagle just sat there and posed for us.  David said he was majestic and he knew it.  I said he looked like he thought he was too sexy and he knew it.   (Sorry, my humor is goofy at early hours.)

Eagle sighting as we left Seward

Just outside of Seward we stopped at Exit Glacier for a hike.  The goal was to go to Marmot Meadows.  If people still felt good they could continue to the cliffs overlooking the Harding Ice Field.  It was 1.5 mi up to the Meadows and 1600 vertical feet.  At the bottom of the hike you have to sign in so the Rangers know who is out there and if they came back.  We loved the sign that told us what to do in case of a Black or Brown bear attack.  Under grizzly it tells you to play dead.  But if it starts to eat you, fight back.  Cripes, who wants to wait until it's eating me to fight back?  As we set out, I knew that Ulli and Evie wanted to hike fast.  I was startled though when Mary told Ulli to set the pace and we'd follow.  With Ulli setting the pace I knew I wouldn't see them until we hit the meadows.  As expected, I struggled and fell behind early.  I hiked with Natalie and Thorsten which was a good group for me.  Natalie asked at one point if I wanted to pass her and go faster.  I told her I needed her to pace me and if we could go slower and still be moving that would be fine.  Toward the end David dropped back to check on us.  That was fine until he got behind me.  He called it adding pressure to keep me going.  I never doubted I could get to the meadows.  I just did not see myself keeping up with the pace set by Ulli, Evie and Mary.  I knew that they would keep going and I've learned my short legs and I will not be keeping up with them.  I hate to miss things, but I also know my limits.  If I had all day, I would have continued on.  But with the time we had I decided to just enjoy the hike to the meadows and call it good.  It took the slow end of our group almost an hour to reach Marmot Meadows but it was worth it.  Everyone but me and Thorsten opted to continue and David said he would stay with us.  Thorsten wandered off taking photos.  I hung out on the big rock with David that overlooked the glacier.  A group of Italian couples came up for photos.  They were having fun and were entertaining.  Before we left we saw the super couple who had passed us on the way up, running down from the cliffs.  They might be nuts.  David calculated when the others would hit the cliffs and we headed down about then.  Down was almost as hard as up.  On the way up my calves and glutes were sore.  Going down it was my knees protesting.  There were a lot more people coming up so we had chances to stop and step out of their way.  I had my IU soccer hat and an IU basketball shirt on, which received a few comments.  We even chatted with three girls, one of whom was wearing a Purdue shirt.  She didn't actually go there, but she is from Fort Wayne.

Exit Glacier

We stopped in the visitor center at the bottom and I got a stamp for today.  Outside we saw on the sign that we missed seeing a bear by about 30 minutes.  We headed to the truck to get lunch ready.  I wasn't real hungry after the exercise, but had some chips and a drink.  Natalie and Renee showed up about 20 minutes later.  They made it to the cliffs before turning back.  Ulli, Evie and Mary went to see how much further they could get in the 20 minutes Natalie gave them.  While we waited I walked over to recycle some of our cans.  A nice older gentleman asked me where I was from and we started chatting.  He lives in Colorado Springs now and was OSI in the Air Force.  He told me he trained with the CIA and had different identities for use.  I even learned one time he thought his double agent might have messed up so he slept with his gun under his pillow that night.  It was interesting to hear his stories until his wife returned from her hike.

The rest of the group made it back, the rest of us had lunch and then we prepared to head to Homer.  Before we left, some of us ate our lunch on the sidewalk in the sun.  A ranger warned us about dropping crumbs for the bears.  Natalie also went in the visitor center and earned her Junior ranger badge.  She is very proud and has a video of the Ranger giving her the oath.

I dozed off on the way to Homer.  We stopped at Moose Pass to drop postcards at the post office.  I hope the postmark says Moose Pass.  We also stopped at a Fred Meyer for groceries.  We had 20 minutes to run in.  This place was a super store on steroids.  I used the restroom and then decided it would be easier to ask customer service about maps.  After waiting a few minutes it was my turn.  I explained to the guy that I needed a fold up map of Alaska, not a book of maps.  He walked a couple feet over to the check out line next to the desk and grabbed a map.  Talk about tired, I hadn't even noticed them as I stood in line.  It was what I wanted so I grabbed one along with a Dr. Pepper and headed out to Atka.

The rest of the drive to Homer was really pretty.  We had a nice view of the Aleution Islands and Mount Redoubt.  I needed the map to figure out where we were.  My geography up here needs work.  Our campsite is at the end of the Homer spit right on the beach.  We all opted to put our tents up in between the dunes as protection from the wind.  The views were beautiful.  We had a great sunset and a beautiful view of the moon for awhile.  Natalie made a nice pasta, pork and veggie dinner for us.  Between sunset shots I helped put things away.  Then I took off down the beach for a bit of a walk.  David was back when I returned.  I handed him a skipping stone with a comment about how perfect they were.  He took it and then I told him that now he was dead.  It was worth missing my chance on Fox Island to see his face now.  That leaves me, Natalie and Thorsten in the game.  I have Thorsten.  I have to get him with mosquito spray while eating.  Not sure which one of us should be eating but hopefully I will find a way.  

View from our campsite on the Homer Spit

Tent on the rocky beach.

Sunset and a Memorial for those lost at sea

Since we had a campfire we pulled out the marshmallows.  I made one s'more and roasted a 2nd marshmallow.  Mary tried roasting a marshmallow and  an Oreo together.  We joked that would be called a Mary Special.  Evie roasted one of her many marshmallows with the piece of chocolate stuck in the middle.  She had tried it at home with M&M's.

We have an early morning tomorrow for both groups.  David, Mary and Renee are going fishing.  The rest of us will head across the bay to Adventure Camp.  Time to go see how sleeping on rocks will feel.

Day 14-
This morning a strange flapping sound woke me around 3:30am.  It kept moving so I was not sure who or what was trying to get in our tent.  It didn't seem to bother Mary any.  I finally decided it was the wind messing with our tent, but not before I was fully awake.  I tried to use my ipod to drown out the sound, but it didn't help much.  It sounded like Ulli was having a rough night on the rocks next to us since I could hear her shifting, but she said later that she was fine.  Then the alarm went off for Mary to leave for fishing.  I waited for that group to leave and then I got up.  It backfired on me since the truck was locked and the key was not in the usual hiding spot.  Somehow we all managed to get ready, take down tents, have breakfast and still make it to the water taxi on time.  The other three would head over after fishing on the 1pm taxi, while five of us took the 8am taxi.  Along with our gear we couldn't forget the essentials, the beer and wine.  It was a beautiful morning for a boat ride.  I saw at least one sea otter and lots of birds.  We arrived by 8:30 and were greeted by Kyle (he works for the camp) at the beach.  We used a ladder to get from the bow of the boat to the beach.  Poor Kyle had no idea he would be helping us get a cooler of beer to the camp.  At the camp, Tony (owner) met us and gave us a tour. It is a fabulous place.  The girls had an option of a 4 or 3 person platform tent.  Evie and I grabbed the 4 person near the beach.  We were surprised, but happy when Ulli came in since she has had her own tent.  I was afraid our surprise hurt her feeling when she went off to the other tent.  After putting our stuff down we went to the main building for hot drinks or a soda in my case.  I was so tired that I just sunk into the couch.  We had free time until lunch at noon.  Some of the group decided to go out and walk, I decided to nap in our tent.  It felt so wonderful, but I did manage to drag myself up again for lunch.  It was a delicious spread of chicken salad sandwiches, veggies, fruit, chips and salsa. 

Taking the essentials to Adventure Camp

Elephant rock

Our tent (similar to my Girl Scout camp days)

After lunch Evie and I decided we would walk but first she wanted to read her book that she almost had finished.  I settled in with mine while I waited.  She finished about the time we saw the water taxi pulling up with the rest of our group.  Since we sat talking about books and authors we were still there when they came in.  Mary guessed she had about 25 lbs of fish after they cut them down.  As we were looking for the path to the road we saw David and Renee.  David's guess on weight of fish they will receive was 40 lbs.  Who is downplaying or exaggerating?

On our way out we asked Ulli if she wanted to go.  David pointed us toward the steps up the hill to the road.  He joked about doing them a few times as a work out.  Once was enough!  Wow.  They are built into the hillside and go straight up forever.  You go up through the trees and there are ferns everywhere.  It's really pretty but a tough climb.  When we saw the van at the top we discussed whether we thought there was a pulley system for moving gear up and down that hill.  Or maybe everything comes in from the water side.

The road is a wide, hard packed dirt road.  We chose to go left for the more forested area.  I had two ziplock bags to use if we found berries.  Good planning since we found lots of Salmon berries along the way and some blueberries a bit higher up on the hill.  Salmon berries look similar to blackberries but red.  Mostly they are sour, but addicting after a bit.  We filled our bags with some of both types.  It was a nice mix of eating some and collecting some for later. 

It was a really nice walk.  We talked about traveling and our families.  Ulli and I have similar stories about our families and the type of travel they want to do.  We aren't sure how far we walked.  It didn't seem like very far on the way out since we meandered and picked berries.  It took awhile to get back and involved hills that hadn't seemed like much on the way down.  When we got back Evie and I wanted to head for the beach to walk some more.  While I was in the bathroom she got distracted by the rowboat on the lawn.  The vote was unanimous to sit there and enjoy the sun while we could.  David, Natalie and Thorsten worked their way up to us from the beach.  Natalie and Thorsten had been trying to get a picture of a fish jumping while David trash talked.  While we chatted we lost the sun so I convinced Evie to head to the beach for a walk.  It didn't take long before she was cold and hungry so headed in.  I turned and headed for the spit.  Ulli and Renee were headed my way so I waited for them.  Along the way we saw a bald eagle in a tree above us.  A bit later we saw it move into a tree near by.  Ulli had seen juveniles earlier so we started watching for them.  Down the beach a ways we found three juveniles lined up in a tree.  As we walked past, one moved into the nest.  I have some photos, but since they match the nest it's hard to see them.  We went a bit further before turning around for dinner.

What a delicious dinner.  We had salmon, a broccoli egg casserole, potatoes, salad and bread.  For dessert we had a yummy rhubarb cake.  Some of us had a manners discussion at lunch so they laughed when David requested the pepper and I also gave him the salt.  We had to explain that was one of those things we had been taught as kids, that they get passed together.

Earlier today we ended up playing musical tents.  Evie and I had dumped our stuff in the 4 person tent near the beach.  Ulli had put hers in the 3 person tent.  When the fishing group showed up both Renee and Mary put their stuff in the 3 person tent.  I never did see the tent but it sounded like 3 was really a crowd.  Ulli ended up bringing her stuff back to the 4 person tent to hang out with me and Evie.

After dinner we enjoyed the main room.  Some people were on laptops, others chilled and Thorsten beat Mary repeatedly at chess.  We also got two great quotes from our wall from Thorsten.  My favorite was when he said, "If I zoom (his camera) and you zoom on my display and Renee zooms on your display, then maybe we can see Russia."  It was also entertaining to see David rocking out to the heavy metal someone pulled up on their phone while wearing a granny blanket on his lap.  We had a nice, relaxing evening.  Tomorrow is kayaking.  Praying the weather is gorgeous again.

View from our tent

Evie enjoying some sun in the rowboat

Day 15-
I finally slept past 3:30am.  I didn't make it to the alarm but it was an improvement.  I love sleeping in a platform tent.  It was cloudy when we got up but seemed like it would be okay for kayaking.  Evie and I finally dragged ourselves out of bed about 20 minutes before breakfast.  We had fruit, cereal, toast and hard boiled eggs.  It was all yummy and filling for our active morning.  Before we left I "killed" Thorsten by giving him bug spray  while he was eating.  I had gotten my bottle of spray back from Ulli for a few minutes and put on a drop while telling him that I was getting eaten so he might need some.  I think it was too early for him to be thinking about whether I was up to something.  Now it's just me and Natalie left in the game.  I have to kill her with a cup or glass in the back locker of the truck.  So I have a day to figure out how to do that.  Renee had such a look of glee when she saw me walk in with the bug spray this morning.  We had discussed yesterday what I had to do to get Thorsten.  So now I refuse to tell anyone how I have to get Natalie.

At nine we met Kyle out at the boathouse to get gear.  Evie decided to partner up with Renee this time.  I immediately turned around and asked Natalie to be my partner (she had been Renee's canoe buddy).  That left David and Ulli together again and Mary with Thorsten.  Mary Jane also joined us for our kayak adventure.  All three days that involved paddle trips it has been fun to watch David and Ulli as partners.  He sits in the back to steer and she does the majority of the paddling.  And they still are ahead of most of us.  Doing most of the work does not seem to bother Ulli.  I think it keeps her from going crazy if we are going too slow.  It was drizzling as we left but not too bad.  We followed the shoreline for a bit before they made a decision on where to go next.  Mary Jane was telling us about the Marine Bio class at the NOAA facility we kayaked past that is for high school teachers.  It is offered by UofA Fairbanks.  I definitely have to tell Nora (my favorite h.s. science teacher with a marine bio degree) about that and the organization Renee will work with in Indonesia.

After that they decided that since it was calm on the bay that we would cut across the bay to an island 3 miles away.  Going across didn't seem so bad and went quickly.  When we reached the other side the end of the island was a high rock wall with red rock worked through it.  We worked around that end of the island enjoying eagle sightings, sea otters and coves with cave cut outs.  It was starting to rain again so we opted to take a quick pee break and head back to camp for lunch.  (Side note, we had packed our lunch along with us and it was stored in the kayak with me and Natalie.  Made things seem heavier on the way back.)  We pulled up on a beach and went to find a tree.  Natalie and I were back in our kayak quickly, but had to wait for the others.  I opted for my green windbreaker today, which was very wet, but at least this trip I was mostly warm.  We worked our way around the whole island before we could cut back across toward camp.  It was raining a bit harder but not a downpour.  Getting back seemed to take way longer than going over.  Isn't that always the way?  Natalie and I had a nice chat with Kyle.  I had him point out which dot on the shore was our goal.  Turned out the easiest thing to spot was our tent near shore.  We asked how long our total kayak trip would have been and Kyle decided 9+ miles.  We rounded it up to 10 miles.

Fun kayak trip

When we returned to shore and had taken our gear up I ran for dry clothes in our tent before lunch.  The bottom half of my layers were mostly dry, but the top half was soaked like in Valdez.  Lunch was salmon salad sandwiches, very yummy.  After lunch five of us headed into Seldovia for a bit.  This involved us climbing that hill up to the road again.  Killer work out.  Kyle drove us into town and showed us the highlights before letting us out at the historic boardwalk.  There is only a small portion left after the 1964 earthquake.  From there we walked over to the Native Association Visitor Center that has a small museum.  It had some interesting displays about the history of the area, people, marine life, etc.  It also talked about the 1964 earthquake and how much they lost from that.  I really enjoyed the display of native dolls.  By the time I finished in there I had lost the rest of the group.  I wandered past the little craft market and headed toward Tribal Cache at the other end of the town.  I couldn't resist buying some salmonberry jelly, fireweed jelly and some postcards.  I'm a little nervous about the fireweed since that is a flower.  The young man working there said they were good.  He was chatty and funny.  Guessing he is still in high school.  Kyle told us that K-12 has 40 students.  I can't imagine a school that small.  From there I walked back toward the middle of town snapping some photos on the way.  Everyone else was already at Perry's Cafe.  I ordered a drink to take with me as we headed back to camp.

Seldovia view from the boardwalk

Natalie was nice enough to let me use her laptop to check email when we got back.  I had over 300 to clean out.  There was some good news that I had received a scholarship to cover registration for the NACWAA Convention in San Diego this October.  Everyone from my IAA class last year in Denver was emailing about meeting up for dinner when we got to San Diego.  I'm glad I can go this year.  After checking emails I went over to check Facebook.  That's when I got a shock.  One of my closest friends from college had a status about her mom passing away during the Perseid meteor showers.  She decided that her Mom had ridden a shooting star to heaven where she was met by loved ones with a cocktail party.  Now every August we can wave as the meteor shower passes.  It was a lovely way to put it, but hard to find out that my New York Mom was no longer with us.  I met my friend and her family on move in day freshman year at Towson University.  Over the next four years they became my East Coast family.  There were quite a few weekends or holidays during those years when they took me in.  I have been fortunate to find myself on Long Island the past two summers to visit with my New York family.  I am even more grateful now that I had that time with them.  Future visits won't be the same without my New York Mom.  I finished up online and went back to the tent to call my friend.  I was not much good in being supportive, I ended up a crying mess as soon as she answered the phone.  She held it together better than I did.  She had sent me a Facebook email shortly after I got to Alaska telling me to call when I got home since the news about the tests had not been good.  I didn't see it until today after I saw her status.  I was told you could see her Mom decline by the hour after the test results came back.  She had passed away Monday morning and the funeral was Wednesday since Thursday was a Holy Day.  We chatted and cried for awhile before she had to go.  I was amazed that my friend hadn't wanted to call and leave me the news while I was in Alaska alone.  Here I wanted to be supportive of her and she was taking care of me.  I never thought to consider myself alone since I had made such great friends on this trip.

I managed to get myself back to the main building for dinner without letting on to what had happened.  I was still trying to process everything.  Dinner was delicious again.  We had chicken with artichokes, rhubarb chutney, cooked veggies, bread and Spanish rice.  For dessert we had a spice cake that was divine.  We sat around the table chatting for awhile afterward.  It was nice to be full, warm and relaxed.  When I moved into the main room David came by and I asked for a hug.  He knew something was wrong so I told him the news.  After giving me a big hug he sat down and talked to me for a bit.  I am definitely not alone on this trip, I have old friends and new friends around me.

Tonight we all picked out one favorite photo from the trip and Natalie posted them as a contest on Facebook.  I chose my kayak photo, Thorsten submitted an eagle shot, Evie used her sea lions on the buoy, Renee gave a glacier hike photo, Mary's was of sunlight over a lake and Ulli opted to use her sunset photo from MacLaren.  It was fun with all the debate on which one we should use.  Some of the group members have been playing games at the table while the rest of us lounged around relaxing or writing.  Tony made us popcorn which was perfect.  I really love this stop just for a chance to chill.  I think everyone needs to stop here for a visit with Tony and Mary Jane.

Thorsten trying for another jumping fish shot

Tomorrow is our last full day before the trip ends Sunday.  We lose Ulli when we get back to Homer.  She is off to McNeill to spend 3 or 4 days viewing the bears up close.  We are all a little jealous and sad to see her go.  She won a lottery to have this opportunity.  It sounds amazing.  Tomorrow is also Renee's birthday.  I believe we will do lots of celebrating.

17 Days of So Much Fun- Valdez and Seward

 Day 10-
Today was sea kayaking and a cook day for me and Thorsten.  We talked him into a simple dinner when we went shopping.  Our suggestion was beef stew since it would be warm and filling after a day of sea kayaking.  Thorsten kept saying he didn't know how to make beef stew.  I think we ruined his life when we pointed out that it came in a can and made him buy it.  For breakfast it was chocolate croissants and cereal for the early risers.  Lunch was a sandwich, so I donated trail mix and chips to the cause.  Then David, Ulli, Evie and I headed out for sea kayaking.

It was looking to be another rainy day.  At Pangaea we got ourselves waivered and paid for, then went out to meet Meg and Zach who would be our guides.  It appears I don't know my foot size for boots, but the 3rd try was the charm.  They also tried a couple jackets before they found one not already really wet.  We also had to pull on our kayak "skirts" and lifejackets to make sure it all fit.  Then they take you for a bathroom break.  Meg encouraged us to leave it all on so we wouldn't forget anything.  I think it is really for the entertainment of everyone up early enough to see us walking around like that.  At least the rubber boots were more comfy than the ice climbing boots, just not that warm.

Eventually everyone in both groups was ready so we headed over to the boat that would take us all out.  Tim was our captain and gave us a safety talk as well as an explanation on how to use a marine head for a toilet.  Then we were off.  At least for a few minutes.  Then some debris got caught in the system and took awhile for Tim to get it out.  On the way out we saw a huge waterfall, 3 eagles and some sea otters.  When we reached the cove where we would land we were greeted by a bunch of sea otters in groups.  David thinks he counted about 30.  I opted to say we saw "lots" or "a shit ton".  (So for anyone wondering, a shit ton of otters is approximately 30.  A shit ton of trees would need to be a much higher #.)  They were cute and we enjoyed watching them as we slowly slipped past them.  I loved their faces as they watched us go by.  We all unloaded and got out of the way of the guides as they got the boats and other gear down.  All three of us girls opted to find a tree before we were stuck in a kayak with no bathroom.

Loved all the waterfalls we saw in this region.

The welcome committee.

 Before we could head out, Zach had to show us how to paddle, get in and out, what to do if we flipped out and how to seal ourselves in.  Then it was finally time to pick a kayak and get in.  Evie and I went with a turquoise kayak, with her in charge of steering.  She had some issues with her pedals, so it was a few minutes before we could leave.  Zach was nice enough to sponge the rain off my seat for me.  It was still raining so I was hunkered down in my coat and life jacket.  I had on long underwear, rain pants, smartwool socks, UA base layer top, UA 3/4 zip shirt, rain jacket, winter hat on and hood up.  It was still chilly.  At one point David said I looked like a turtle.  I told him that if I had a shell I'd be in it.  Don't get me wrong, sea kayaking was great.  I was just cold.  Our trip started out near a cool waterfall before taking us by some huge and very blue ice bergs from the Columbia glacier.  (Sadly, I put my camera in the dry bag but didn't situate it for easy access, so no photos while we were on the water.  On the bright side, there was no chance my dry bag would float away if we flipped.)  Due to the fog and clouds we couldn't actually see the glacier.  But we did see some harbor seals checking us out.  Zach kept checking up on us and told me to let him know if I hit extremely cold levels.  While we were in the ice berg field we stopped for lunch.  Our fabulous guides provided us with hot chocolate and tea.  It helped enough that I was able to get myself to eat my sandwich and a Snickers I threw in my bag.  I attempted to find a spot for a bathroom break and discovered a beautiful view of two really blue ice bergs behind where we had stopped.

Warming up at lunchtime.

 After lunch I was still cold but marginally more upbeat about it.  We were entertained watching David and Ulli going in circles while we waited for all the kayaks to be loaded.  Evie thought she left her water bottle on shore so we headed back in, but it wasn't there.  She eventually remembered it was in the hold behind her.  It was taking forever to load the family that was in our group, so somehow David and I got into a debate on how athletes are portrayed based on their gender.  No recollection on how that started.  I think in the end it was decided that we would agree to disagree.

Evie bundled up for kayaking.

I found it possible to smile after warming up some.

 We spent a bit more time in the ice berg field before heading toward our pick up location.  The size of some of the ice bergs was amazing.  Zach told us that we should look at how high an ice berg sat above the water and then stay double that distance away from them in case they rolled over.  Sometimes that was kind of hard to do.  Fortunately, none of them chose to roll while we were in the area.  It would have been interesting to see how far we could have gotten with a smaller group.  I think Ulli was ready to kayak back to Valdez.  On the way to the pick up location the tide was coming in, so our guides were able to show us the "secret passage".  It is only visible to kayak when the tide is high.  It was really pretty even in the rain.  The passage is between the main land and an island.  The high tide allowed us to paddle down between the two pieces of land.  Everything was so green and there were some little waterfalls.  We kept hoping to see bears but none showed up before we had to turn back.  I enjoyed how peaceful it was as we headed back out.  Evie and I hung back a bit to enjoy it longer.  Then it was time to head for a nearby beach so Tim could pick us up.  They sent all of us onto the boat so they could load the kayaks.  It was a nice feeling to take off the wet layers.  Even with the rain coat we were soaked past the elbows.

Loved the color on a gray day.

 On the way back everyone was huddled down for warmth, snacking and sleeping.  I saw another bald eagle and closer to home we saw 3 sea lions on a buoy.  Two of them were huge and one looked more seal size.  I enjoyed the mountain and fog contrasts even though you couldn't see much of the mountains.  It was also fun to watch for more waterfalls.  When we got back to Valdez we returned our gear, thanked Meg and Zach and headed for our camp.  Since both of our guides today have ties to SLC I told them to look me up if they are in the area.

Some lazy sea lions.

 Thorsten was just setting up to make the stew when we got back to camp.  That was fine by us since we all wanted hot showers.  It was so nice to be warm again.  For dinner we had beef stew or chicken noodle soup, salad and bread.  But the Germans took exception to it being called French bread or even bread.  David told me not to bother arguing with them.  I tried to explain that we bastardize all good things when it reaches our shores, but they still wouldn't call it bread.  I've been invited to Germany to learn what real bread is like.  I guess I have a lot to learn about Germans, that was the last group I would have expected to object about something like bread.  After dinner I did dishes with Ulli drying.  I was able to use the outside sink with hot water which was lovely.  Good thing since we'd been left with the breakfast dishes as well.  Apparently going sea kayaking doesn't get you out of dishes.

The rest of the night was spent hanging out and trying to get things dry in the heat of the laundry room.  Ever since our hike in Denali members of the group would break out singing "I Will Follow Him".  At first they thought it was a religious song.  Then I realized what chorus they were singing and starting singing the rest of the song for them.  That's when we realized what it was.  Evie finally looked it up on Youtube so we could get all the words.  I think someone should use it for karaoke in Seward.

Day 11-
We had a very early start today.  Mine was even earlier due to some loud noise at 3:30am.  It sounded like someone took a large rock to a metal stake.  It only rang out once, but it was super loud.  I felt like I sat straight up in bed from a deep sleep, if only mentally.  Then at 4am the idiot next to us started telling a story about losing his cell phone.  At one point he said sorry for being so loud, but kept on going.  The other tour group was also up and packing their stuff at 5am.  It was actually a relief to have the alarm go off at 5:30am.  Mary and I quickly took the very down the very wet tent.  Once again, our group was on time or within a minute of our departure time.  Even more impressive today considering the early start and weather conditions.  Fortunately, what had sounded like a lot of rain from inside our tent, wasn't too bad when you got out.

The lighting of sun through clouds hitting mountains on the way out was gorgeous.  Definitely made it worth the early start.  I got a couple of good photos through the windows.  David stopped at Thompson Pass for those of us awake.  Evie swears she sat up long enough to take a few pictures. Hard to be sure since she looked very passed out by the time we got back on the bus.  Natalie, David, Ulli and I all got out and enjoyed the gorgeous views we had missed due to rain on the way in to Valdez.  It was a better day for seeing the mountains, even if some were still missing the tops in the clouds.  While we were standing there David told me that this is where they did extreme or heli skiing in the winter.  I jokingly asked if I was looking at a Warren Miller movie.  I found out when I returned to work that one of my athletes had been injured at Thompson pass while filming a segment for a Warren Miller movie.  What were the odds my comment would be so true?

Sunrise through the windshield.

Thompson Pass- love how clear our shadows were.

We had some different stops along the way today.  There was a breakfast stop, but I had already eaten a leftover chocolate croissant, so I just grabbed a banana.  While we were in Glenallen we stopped near the IGA again.  (Still forgot to get a photo.)  I took advantage of that stop to hit the Wells Fargo and use a restroom.  While I waited on the others to be ready I stood outside and enjoyed the sun.  Coming down the road toward us was a whole line of cars.  It seemed odd since Glenallen isn't that big of a town.  I realized that it was a military convoy passing by us.  I stood there and waved to all of them.  Some even waved back.  We also stopped for a photo and restroom break at a state park with a glacier view.  A guy in the parking lot greeted Ulli and me when we got out.  She commented on how nice everyone in the USA seems to be and how we take the time to say hi.  I told her that isn't normal everywhere, but I detected he had a southern accent.  Turned out he was a southerner on a mission (religious).  I think Natalie almost sold him Atka, but he didn't have her asking price in cash on hand.  Our truck is way more comfy than most of the vans we see people using for their trips.

I just love that this is the DMV in Glenallen.

We stopped for lunch by the Knik River outside of Anchorage.  It was pretty with some fog rolling across it.  While lunch was being prepared I called mom to catch up on the news.  I also wanted her advice.  We didn't really come up with answers, but I have some ideas.  I also found out there are fires in Utah, so maybe I'll just stay here when the trip ends.

Pretty place to stop for lunch.

By the time we reached Anchorage I needed sleep.  I did rouse myself for the beluga whale searching, but did not see any.  We stopped at a view point for a few minutes.  I enjoy the history lessons we have been finding at the different view spots.  Just before Seward we stopped once more to see a Salmon Weir, which is where they collect the eggs to help stock other areas.  We saw salmon but no bears.

Our campsite in Seward is more open than Valdez since we are up front in a grassy area.  Across the drive is the water.  W also have close proximity to the shower house.  It's a little less wet than Valdez so we popped up the tents and wiped them out.  Glad there wasn't video of me scooting around the tent on my knees, pants pulled up to my thighs and my feet up so I wouldn't get dirt on my pants or add any from my shoes.  It looks a little better in our tent now.  Mary and I always struggle getting the top cross pole in at the end.  So this time I suggested we start with that pole in and then add the side poles.  So much easier!  Glad those future problem solving classes paid off.  It only took us four camp sites to figure it out.

Since we spent all day in the truck we had voted to go out for dinner.  We went to a place voted to have the best Halibut.  It was out of my budget, but Renee gave me a bite of hers.  When we were choosing a table they said we could have one closer to the tv but Natalie said no.  Normally that would be fine with me, but they had preseason football on.  Didn't even know I was missing football until I saw it.  I sat at the end of our table so I could turn that direction and check the score.  I got the turkey sandwich special with the salmon chowder.  The chowder was so good, I highly recommend it.

After dinner some of the group went straight to the Yukon bar while the rest of us went to walk off dinner with David.  As we started walking we realized no one had seen Mary go with the other group.  David texted Natalie to see if she was with them, but she wasn't.  As we started up the hill she joined us, so at least she found us after making a stop in one of the shops.  We headed to Wells Fargo for those that needed an ATM before returning to the bar for karaoke night.  We had a good spot thanks to our early arrivals.  Natalie and Thorsten went up to do a song in German but ended up with the English lyrics.  Natalie sang it in German anyway, but Thorsten just looked lost.  David went up and did a good job with Folsom Prison Blues.  I tried to talk him into "Baby Got Back" without success.  Some people were good, some were great, some were bad and others were painful.  Overall it was fun and loud.  When David said that Ulli wanted to go, I opted to go too.  Not sure why since the campsites on either side of us were still going strong.  I put my headphones on and tried to drown it all out.  Still need some sleep.

* I didn't make note of it in my journal, but I think today is the day Natalie introduced us to the truck murder game.  Everyone had to pick a name, then an object and then a location.  We are supposed to "murder" the person we drew by getting them to take the object from us.  Once you kill them off they have to give you their person/object/location.  If they had you, then you end up committing "suicide" and are out of the game.  I was very tired when we were told about this so I was not super excited.  Maybe someone will kill me off early.  It could be interesting to see how it turns out.

Day 12-
I couldn't sleep very well so I decided not to fight it and got up early to shower.  The showers at this site take tokens.  Each token is worth 2 minutes.  I managed to shower with only 2 tokens, but did let a minute go by with no water running.  I tried to hurry since I knew a line was forming.  When I headed back to the truck I saw Mary standing in the middle of the tents looking half asleep.  As I opened truck door I asked her what she was doing.  She said she couldn't get in the truck.  I guess we had never shown her where the key was hidden.  Then she said we would be having cereal since Renee wasn't up yet.  (Mary and I were not the cooks in our cook groups.  Fortunately we had talented partners.)  I wasn't sure what time it was but felt sure it was still early.  We figured out that she thought breakfast was an hour earlier than it was supposed to be.  When I told her otherwise she went back to our tent.  I decided to use the quiet time to catch up on writing.

David and Natalie dropped us off near the tour office and told us to meet them at 11am.  It gave us about 80 minutes to wander.  I made a loop to check out shops and then circled back for purchases.  Mostly I bought postcards and then a moose ornament for my tree.  There was an ornament that would have been the perfect souvenir for Thorsten and some of the others, an ornament that looked like a 6 pack of Alaskan Amber beer.  I also made sure to stop at the Nat'l Park center for my stamp.  I fell in love with the books, "Alaska's Three Pigs" and "The Salmon Princess: An Alaskan Cinderella Story".  I managed to talk myself out of getting them for my nieces, at least for now.  It only worked until we got back from the cruise when I talked myself into getting them as Christmas presents.  As luck would have it, the Nat'l Park center didn't take AmEx so I took it as a sign that I wasn't supposed to get the books right now.

We lined up early for our cruise and I had a nice chat with the people behind us.  I can hear my sister saying that is so typical of me.  When we boarded our group headed up top and grabbed a table together.  Of course as soon as we started out most of us were outside to see things.  We did the half day so we started out with lunch right off the bat.  We did get to see some Harbor seals on the way.  There was even a really young pup, so cute.  We also saw some eagles on the way in for the landing.  The all you can eat salmon and prime rib buffet at Fox Island was really good.  There was a ranger named Jenny who did a presentation on the area.  Thorsten took a shine to her, so he was disappointed it was so short.  Natalie went to talk to her and introduced the two so Thorsten could get a photo with Ranger Jenny.  I swear while standing in the buffet line I saw an eagle swooping down, but can't prove it either way.  After lunch we took silly photos with the orca cut out and went to try skipping rocks since they have a beach full of the perfect stones for it.  Mine went plop but David had some good ones.  I enjoyed listening to the waves hitting the stones on the beach.  It reminded me of high tide in Nice, France.  Eventually it was time to head back to the ship.  I drew David for our truck murder game and I was supposed to kill him with a stone while on water.  Sadly, I didn't fully understand the rules on how you let them know they were dead.  So I used the skipping stones as a way to let him get used to me asking him if he could skip different stones.  I did hand him one while we were on the dock (on water) but didn't tell him he was dead that time.  Still hoping someone kills me before I have to finish this.

The after lunch portion of our trip was nice.  We saw more harbor seals, some sea lions, more birds than you can imagine and lots of pretty coves.  It had cleared up a fair bit so we had some good views.  David really wanted to see a whale.  Not that I blamed him, I love seeing whales.  Most of our group was hoping for an Orca.  We had come up with some pretty impressive ideas of what we'd like to see the Orca doing and projected it in hopes it would happen.  I got the impression David might consider our day a failure if we didn't see some whale.  Fortunately, another boat told us of a whale sighting, so we got to see a humpback.  No breech or tail flip, but it was cool to see.  I loved the puffins and the scenery along the way.  It was a really lovely trip.  On the way back everyone went inside except me and Ulli.  We chatted quite a bit.  I think I'd like traveling on some of the trips she has done, but I'd never be able to keep up with her.

Harbor Seals- smallest to the right is a baby.

Puffins- The tall and the short of it

When we got back to shore, some of the group wanted a coffee stop.  They chose a shop near the Cover to Cover bookstore, so I ran in there.  She didn't take AmEx either, which probably saved me.  There were quite a few Stabenow books available and I would have wanted to buy the ones missing from my colleciton.  The woman working there explained to me about the first publisher not letting Stabenow reprint, so there is a fight over the rights.  That's why it's hard to get the early books.  (Which will make it that much more fun for Katie to replace my copy of the 1st in the series if she doesn't find the one she borrowed.)

Since it wasn't our cook night I took my postcards to the campsite office porch.  I had addressed them before the cruise, but needed to write them.  It was nice to sit on the porch in a rocking chair with a great view.  I had to remind myself to look up every so often.  Later I returned to our site to write and watch David cook.  Thorsten just can't help himself and started helping when David walked away for a moment.  Earlier Renee had questioned everything and made some fun faces at David.  After the BBQ success, you would think that she would have more faith in David's cooking.  After awhile we noticed that the fishing group had come in and were displaying the catch over at Miller's Landing.  Evie said she was too lazy to go.  A few minutes later David noticed and pointed out there were different fish than yesterday.  Some of us decided to go see after all.  As we walked away I asked if this is how he gets rid of volunteer cooks.  There were rock fish (red snapper), salmon and a huge halibut.  they were measuring the halibut when we were there and it was 68 inches long.  I'm only 60 inches!  Don't think I've ever seen a fish that big before.

My view while writing postcards.

68 inch Halibut.

Dinner was burritos and David was nice enough to make some of the meat as non-spicy for wimps like me.  They were delicious of course.  After helping Mary dry dishes, I sat at the picnic table to write and listen to conversations around the campfire.  And of course watching the marshmallow roasting is always fun.  I had one s'more but got the stake crackers.  It was Evie's first time having more than just the marshmallow.  I told her they are better when the cracker is not soft.  David went and got a fresh box.  When the colors on the mountains got nice I walked over to the table by the water to take photos and enjoy it.  Very pretty clouds coming in across the water and mountains.  It was amazing how fast the fog moved in as the sun set.  I enjoyed the view for awhile and then went back to sit with Ulli and Natalie.  We ended up getting into a great debate over what should be called bread.  We also discussed the random things they throw into salads.  Things like cottage cheese that I wouldn't have considered.  I believe after all that we are still friends.  Just firmly established that I have no food knowledge or appreciation.

17 Days of So Much Fun- Wrangell St. Elias

Day 7-
Another cook day for group 3.  Since it was an early departure of 7:30 we just did toast and cereal.  I can handle these easy cook days.  We were actually ready mostly on time despite having issues getting bathroom time for all of us.  Natalie ended up knocking on the lodge door with her toothbrush in her mouth.  They let her in.

The drive was mostly bumpy road again today, but great views.  The clouds covered the 16,000 footers but the rest of the mountains were pretty.  We stopped for lunch at a road side stop in Chitina.  Thorsten made a spinach salad with tomato, cucumber and feta cheese.  We also had grilled chicken and leftover pasta.

Earlier we stopped in Glenallen for a post office and grocery stop.  When I saw the IGA sign I had to laugh and said something to David.  He made a comment along the lines of wanting to tell someone every time he sees it.  I haven't seen many IGA signs since the one near our high school closed.  I was going to be doing dinner with out Thorsten but David had offered to help.  I quickly found some meat, corn and potatoes for our meal.  Then I worked on snacks for myself.  With prices so high I ended up with a bulk box of trail mix packs and a case of cherry coke.  Then I ran over to Wells Fargo.  I tried to catch up on texts and calls while we had service.

While David was driving I sat up front and chatted with him for a bit.  Ulli came up and talked to us too.  She works in solar power but used to be a landscape designer.  David had to tell me to slow down when talking.  He said even he can't understand me at times.  I thought I was making an effort to be careful, but guess I have to try harder.

As we got into Wrangell we saw a lake with two beavers, a swan and some ducks.  We also stopped at a roadside ice cream and espresso shop.  It was a cute little place.  We lucked out that it was even open.  Another group had called ahead to let the owner know they would be stopping today if she was there.  We caught the tail end of her being open.  I didn't buy any of the ice cream but the others were enjoying it and I got a bite.  Eventually we reached the "end of the Road" campground near McCarthy.  We picked out tents sites and got those set up so half the group could go flight seeing.  Out tent has a great view of the glacier.  I washed our dishes so we could get ready for dinner.  Since it was an area with a high risk for bears we had to go further from the campsites and dig a hole to ditch the dishwash water.  Ugh.  Renee helped me but I'd prefer to skip doing that again.  Time to learn to scrape dishes before washing so we can avoid that mess.  David and I planned a BBQ of steaks, pork, corn on the cob and potatoes.  Since we had some time before starting, Renee and I were working on our journals.  Suddenly, David starts yelling about a black bear on the ridge across the river bed.  I wasn't fast enough with my camera before the bear dropped down behind the hill.  David, Renee, Mary and I took off past our tents with the other tour group camping near us on our trail.  It was a few moments before he appeared again.  This time I got a couple of photos.  I hope he stays on the other side.  There is only a dry river bed between our tents and where he was walking.

Our first black bear sighting.

Our dinner timing was not perfect but the meal was good.  Our neighbors shared some of their leftover baked potatoes which was good since ours weren't done.  After dinner I scrapped the dishes so we wouldn't have to bury our wash water again.  I don't think David was messing with us about burying the water that had a lot of food scraps in it.  Hard to be sure though.  Clean up was faster after dinner since Evie, Mary and Renee all helped with the dishes.

After dinner I hung out in the truck talking to the girls or working on my journal.  It is always entertaining to listen to Evie and Renee.  They also agree I talk too fast so I'll have to work on that.  I blame my time out East where everyone talks faster.  David and Ulli went bear tracking and found fresh piles of bear poop.  It was on the other side of the empty river bed.  I really hope he stays there.  Natalie figures she would sleep right through it even if he came near our tents.  I told her if he comes near ours we'll scream and wake her up.  Time for bed since we have ice climbing tomorrow.

View from our campsite.

Day 8-
Today was the big ice climbing day.  I never considered this activity until I got to Alaska.  David sold it as such a great challenge.  Natalie, Evie and I signed up for climbing, Ulli did the all day glacier hike and the rest signed up for a half day glacier hike.

Our adventure started with a van ride up to the Kennicott area.  It was so full that some guides were sitting anywhere they could safely fit.  We all made it safely.  At the top there was a mob of people filling out forms and paying.  Our group covered our activities for today and the mill tour for tomorrow.  Then we were sent to meet our guides and get our gear.  For climbing we had to have boots, crampons and a harness.  My backpack didn't seem heavy until you added all of that.  Our guide was Bryan D.  He seemed quite young but very knowledgeable.  Besides the three of us girls, we had Martin in our group from one of the other tour companies we'll keep crossing paths with.  Martin is from England.

Somehow when David sold me on this adventure I missed the part about the 4km/2mi hike to the glacier, plus the hike across the glacier in climbing boots and crampons.  It was hell, both parts.  There might have been some internal cussing at David.  None of it was helped by the fact that I was having a bad day with my sinuses and needed to stop a lot to blow my nose.  Hard to do all that and keep up with the group, especially when you already have the shortest legs.  We also layered since we would be on ice, but it made for a long, sweaty, hot hike.  I kept telling myself it would work out and I could do it.  I pretty much had to at that point.  God love Bryan, but I was also starting to doubt his ability to figure out time and distances.  It always seemed to be further than he led me to believe.  Eventually we reached the edge of the glacier where we switched into the climbing boots.  We left our hiking boots behind, turned upside down in case of rain.  After what seemed like forever, we reached our first climbing location.  Walking on a glacier is not easy.  you have to duck walk up hills, baby step down hills and walk like a cowboy on flats so you don't catch a crampon on anything.  Anyway, Bryan took us out further to avoid the hiking crowds.  It didn't work.  Ulli's group came into the area as we finished our lunch and watched Bryan setting up.  They sat down and prepared to watch us climb.  I said no spectators and their guide said they would cheer and jeer.  We told him spectating required that they pay a fee.  Fortunately, Bryan took awhile with set up so they only saw Evie climb before they continued on their hike.  She volunteered to go first.  So our wall started out gradual and got steeper.  When you started needing them you hammer swung the pick into the wall above your shoulder.  Then you follow that with your feet and have to make sure you get the front and 2 side spikes into the ice.  No big deal right?  Sounds easy?  Evie made it look easy.  Martin also made it look fairly easy.  I joked that I would lower the bar for Natalie.  When it was my turn I explained to Bryan that my boss' daughter had an accident at a climbing wall before my trip.  He was nice enough to take the time to explain the knot he was using and why.  Then he showed me how tight it was and how it tightened if I started to slip.  I was still nervous but it helped.  Bryan was very encouraging as I climbed.  I needed it since a couple times I slipped back down a little or lost a grip with toe or pick.  I now know what it feels like to have a dry mouth from fear.  Finally I made it to the top, or so I thought.  Bryan pushed me to go a smidge higher so I could see the glacier flow off in the distance.  Once I could, I told him I was ready to come down.  The view of the Chugatch mountains on the way down was awesome with the clouds and light.  Natalie went last for her climb.  Very impressive for being afraid of heights.  Then we had a choice to climb this wall again, try another sport or climb a moulin.  We voted to try the moulin after Evie did one more climb where we were.  I considered it but wanted energy for the moulin since that is the last place you want to mess up.  Evie took her last climb while I took photos and Natalie and Martin attempted to get the little stove going for hot drinks.  Ulli's guide had left it behind for us along with tea or hot chocolate.  A hot drink on the glacier really helped.

Lake in the glacier.

Preparing to climb.

That's me climbing!

Still can't believe I did it.

I couldn't decide if I would need to pee or not after the first climb.  Natalie joked we needed to be able to say we peed on a glacier and mark it off our bucket list.  I pointed out that it involved taking off the harness.  When we got to the moulin (which only got my vote because it was on the way back to our boots) I decided to take a bathroom break.  Bryan pointed me in some safe directions, which pretty much meant over the hill by us.  I had to wait for a group to get out of sight and a plane to stop flying over.  I can now say I've peed on a glacier.  Before our departure Evie and I had asked Bryan how you went to the bathroom out there.  We were told #1 was no issue but # 2 you either had to pack out or go on a rock that you could throw into a moulin so it would be washed away by the water below.  I told David before we left that if I fell in a moulin to tell mom that I loved her and to have fun making that phone call.  He was not happy with me.

So a moulin is a scary thing to climb.  They actually drop you down in it and then you climb back up.  Below you is what looks like a bottomless crevass with water rushing through.  You have to be tied in with a chest harness so you can't get flipped upside down, since you might not be able to hear your guide giving directions over the water.  And if you fall in, you are done.  It's been nice knowing you.  No big deal.  Three of us opted to only go as far down as needed to see some of the craziness below.  On the video you can hear Bryan ask about lowering me 2 more feet and a long pause before I respond and tell him "one".  It was scary enough looking down.  I made it back up and called it a day.  I had followed Evie who went lower than the rest of us and kept slipping back down.  We'd see a pick come up and then it would disappear.  The ice was harder the further down you went.  I told Natalie if I didn't go next I wouldn't go.  We felt special afterward when Bryan told us there are groups he wouldn't even mention the word "moulin" to.  He said its about personality and skill.  So yeah for us!

Dropping into the moulin.

Coming out of the moulin.

 After that it was time to hike back to our boots and then back to the town.  Yippee.  I struggled across the ice and up the hills for the start of the hike.  Before we reached our boots I caught up to our group and Natalie told me to stick my tongue out at Evie.  I didn't get it at first but figured out she had been making fun of my age and being slow.  That's how I discovered Bryan is almost my age.  He told Evie that to be careful since he was going to take offense since we were close in age.  We reached out hiking boots which were dry despite the rain.  This time on our hike Bryan was kind enough to hang back and chat with me as we went.  He is a snowboarder who took up skiing in the last winter or two.  I also learned on the way back that he guides don't have electricity or running water where they live up here.  Talk about roughing it.  Not sure I could do that and lead groups everyday.

Our ice climbing group.

 I fully admit that today was tough for me.  It was wet, tiring, painful and sometimes hot and other times cold.  I tried to keep the cussing internalized and smiled on the outside.  The beauty of the glacier helped.  It was amazing to see water running in some areas but it was under the ice so you didn't get wet if you stepped there.  It was an adjustment to understand you weren't getting wet feet.  The other bonus was finding out that I climbed a moulin before David who hasn't climbed one yet.  I expect that could change on their next trip.

We were so cold and wet when we got back that we were begging for hot food and didn't want to leave the truck.  The only dry long sleeve t-shirt I had was the new one I bought from the climbing company.  Evie and I traded when we got back so I ended up with green and she got the black one.  David talked us into a photo in front of the truck with our climbing shirts on since he and Natalie have them too.

I didn't think anything but bed would get me off the truck but I was talked into walking to the bar with everyone.  Renee lent me a dry jacket and we headed up.  We were told there was a bear ahead along the path but we didn't see him.  The bar is a very popular place.  One motivation for going was the promise of indoor bathrooms.  The one latrine at the "End of the Road" campground left a lot to be desired.  Although we were entertained by the string that pulled up a flap on the door.  David later explained that in the past it was situated to have a view of the glacier, so you could pull up that board to enjoy the view.  I guess we can buy that explanation.  Anyway, our group squeezed around the "window" between the bar and restaurant.  I drank water since I was do dehydrated.  Everyone else enjoyed beers or hard cider.  The people watching was fun.  Instead of open mic night, they seemed to be having open art night.  They used darts to pin big pieces of paper to one wall.  Some guys painted a cactus.  Another girl was doing a cowboy on a horse, like the WY license plate.  David said he looked like Freddy from the horror movies.  At a big table was all of our guides.  Turns out they were celebrating two members of their group who were leaving for school the next day.  Bryan came over to chat and we introduced him to David.  We had a fun time celebrating our last night in Wrangell-St. Elias.  Just wish I could remember some of our conversations.  They were hilarious.  I was even sober, but my memory is just not that good.

Day 9-
Not too early of a start this morning.  We had to pack up before our mill tour but didn't need to meet the shuttle until 9am.  Last night when I got back to our tent it was half open and there was a gum wrapper on the floor.  I expected to discover that Mary had been dragged off by the bear.  Fortunately, she was still there.  This morning I found her toothbrush when she dropped it outside our tent.  Thanking my lucky stars that the bear didn't smell our tent.  I've seen what a bear did to a log at camp where the kids were spitting their toothpaste. Scary.  Glad the one we saw didn't visit.  Before we left I managed to get a hold of mom for the first time for a few minutes.  It was nice to chat even briefly.

On the way up on the shuttle we saw a black bear eating some berries.  The mill tour took about 2 hours and covered the history of the Kennicott Mine and all of the buildings connected to it.  Very impressive for the early 1900's.  They wasted very little and by the end had a 96% efficiency for getting all the copper.  Our guide was Jess and she had great knowledge of the area.  I was impressed.  At one point David picked up some green and blue copper stones in the gravel and was showing me and Evie.  I joked that it was too bad we were in a National Park.  Then we had to explain to Evie that it's illegal to remove things from our parks.  Something that Jess pointed out to the group a few minutes later.  The thing that amazed me was how much the glacier had changed in the past century.  There are aerial shots of the town but they were taken from the top of the portion of the glacier that ran by the town.  It used to be 200 feet taller than the town.  Now you can look down on the glacier moraine from the town bridge.  After the tour our super leader allowed us time to shop and then catch the noon shuttle down.  It was plenty of time to get me in trouble.  I raced to the visitors center for my park stamp and in this case a book mark since they didn't have a postcard.  Then I ran over to the jewelry store we passed on the tour.  It's in a little shack that doesn't look like much from below.  Doesn't look much better when you go in, but I found the prettiest blue copper and silver earrings.  Since he knicked one with the hammer they were even marked down.  And we discovered that he does take AmEx so those earrings became mine.  On my way back I went into the little gift shop where Jess started our tour.  The girl and I had a nice chat while I looked around.  I ended up with a couple of gifts.  Time to stop!  Some of our group had gone down on the 11:30 shuttle and started lunch.

Bunkhouse (in red), Hospital (in white).

Part of the town.

After lunch it was time to head for Valdez.  We had hoped it would clear up but it was cloudy and gray the whole way.  Ruined quite a few views I believe.  We did see a waterfall and part of a glacier. The new campsite was crowded but we each found a spot for our tent and put it up quickly in the rain.  Mary and I ended up in an alcove of trees.  I was climbing over branches to get stakes in.  It was nice to get a hot shower after almost 3 days of no running water.  I also ran a large load of laundry which meant a few pieces didn't dry very well.  Lots of fun trying to air dry things in the wet weather.  During dinner prep a little black bear came to visit us.  He didn't seem very old or very scared by all of us.  That could be a bad sign for him.

We ate dinner on the truck and hung out there until it was time for bed.  It was much warmer there or the laundry room but we dragged ourselves off to our tents.  We are in for some very populated camping areas going forward.  This will be interesting.

17 Days of So Much Fun!- On to MacLaren

Day 5-
This was moving day.  Before it was time to pack up Ulli and I really did head to the Beaver pond early to see what we could find.  The answer was nothing.  They didn't get the memo about being more active in the morning. So we headed back so Ulli could work on breakfast and I could change and pack.  (I decided going to the pond in my PJ's was fine at 6am.)  The goal was an 8am departure and we were on the bus by 8:10.  Not bad for the first time packing up the tents.

We only had a few miles on paved road.  We stopped for gas and snacks right before things changed.  Then it was off on unpaved roads for 90 miles.  Atka is a real trooper.  I asked Natalie if she would have to check later to make sure she didn't lose any pieces of the truck.  The views along the way were amazing.  There was some traffic but not much, so we could stop as needed for photos.  We saw some moose and caribou along the way but mostly enjoyed the views.  At the big wood bridge, we got out to walk across and take photos.  I looked behind before I walked to the front of the bus, but was not far enough to see the car coming around before David yelled at me.  He laughed since the day before I had been cautious when we walked the road in Denali.  I told him that I am cautious but not perfect.  The thing that really had me in awe was how vast, open and unspoiled the land was along our route.  No sign of humans except the dirt road for further than you could see.  I could have sat there and enjoyed that for hours.  Shortly before we reached MacLaren River Lodge we added Trumpeter Swans to our list of wildlife sightings.

Posing with the view from the bridge.

Evie enjoying the sunshine in the middle of the bridge.

MacLaren River Lodge sits along the river (as you would guess by the name) and has more amazing views.  It was also the first time I saw the top of a high peak on a mountain.  We had lunch there before preparing to take the boat up to the glacier camp.  Since the big boat was having mechanical issues they could only take 4 of us up at a time, which meant 2 trips.  I went up with David, Renee and Ulli in the first group.  We dropped our stuff at the tent and headed out for a hike to the glacier.  It is a very flat hike but it is deceptively far.  We went out for 2.5 hours and still didn't reach the glacier.  We stopped at the little hill before that point.  We climbed up and sat there enjoying the view for awhile.  The best part of the hike was the dancing caribou.  He kept checking us out and prancing or jumping around.  He might have been courting a female, but we were entertained.  On the way back we found the rest of our group.  They opted to turn around with us.  It was a fun trip back crossing the creek multiple times, but we made it.  The funniest moment was when the boys started comparing the fashion statements they were making with their cargo and warm up pants and rubber boots.  Because they had the pants tucked into the boots they were making them look like they were wearing jockey pants.  Suddenly David said, "You don't have pants like this," at the same time he pulled off the warm ups.  He had shorts underneath but we all cracked up.  Our own Magic Mike moment in Alaska.

David greeting an old friend on our hike.

The glacier from our closest view point.

Some of us enjoyed the river view while waiting for dinner.  Then we moved to the other side of the big tent for dinner.  The girls put together a really nice pasta dinner for us with the limited supplies we brought up river with us.  After dinner we moved back to the river side for the campfire.  Some of our European members of the group had not tried roasting marshmallows yet.  We all took turns with the 4 "sticks" that Natalie had brought up.  I think Evie might have eaten half the bag of marshmallows and Natalie kept trying to get one that was perfectly toasted.  Since some of the group were drinking red wine from a box at the same time, the conversations quickly became entertaining.  I love the photo below of Evie trying to hold the marshmallows, her wine cup and the roasting stick.  She managed.  The best topic of conversation was about whether we could aim when we pee.   It was a fun night around the campfire.  We also figured out ages, kind of.  Evie is the baby, the majority of the group centers around late 20's/early 30's.  Then David and I are a bit older than them.  We also guestimated that we hiked about 10 miles today.

Best photo of that evening.

Day 6-
Last night was our chance to sleep out under the "stars".  Renee and I opted to sleep in the big tent at the campsite with the doors wide open.  Everyone else found spots in the weeds or the open space outside the tent.  We had a gorgeous view from just inside the tent, but went with the inside option since we were already cold.  I didn't take my sleep mat with me and the cold seeped in from underneath me.  Natalie told me last trip she went without the sleep mat and used a tent but was cold.  This time she brought a sleep mat but no tent and was still cold.  During the night I discovered it is very hard to sleep in a fetal position in a sleeping bag, but I pulled it off a couple of times in an attempt to warm up.  It was a slow morning so we were able to sleep in as possible.  My feet were ice blocks all night so it was a relief to get up.  I warmed up in layers in the sun while breakfast was being made.  We had the best pancakes.  Renee is an artist and even added banana or apple to each one.  I had to have two they were so good.  I even gave in and tried some toast with nutella but it's too sweet for me.

We were cleaned and packed up in plenty of time so we had time to enjoy the view and sunshine a bit longer.  You could hear the boat coming before you could see it.  They use a flat bottom boat since the river is so shallow.  It was impressive to see the boat carrying 4 canoes piled on top.  We unloaded those and put our gear into the big boat.  Evie and I were very excited and wanted to be canoe buddies.  David had mentioned splitting us up since we had canoeing experience.  Fortunately, we convinced him to let us lead instead.  We took off and got a huge gap before the others were in the water.  We decided to wait, which backfired since we ended up backwards and then stuck on a gravel patch.  Thorsten and Mary got past us and it was awhile before we caught them, but they got stuck and kept having issues.  To give credit, they started out strong.  We saw 2 caribou in the river along the way.  Evie and I made a good team, she steered and I navigated.  Eventually we got back in front and led the rest of the trip.  There was one point where I wasn't sure if we should go right or left.  We had been warned about tree trunks at one point.  Evie and I started right and then tried to turn back but couldn't.  It turned out okay and our way around the island was faster.  The part to avoid was later toward the end.  We had to swing right around some gravel bars, head hard left to get under the bridge and then immediately cut hard right across the currant to make it to the shore.  We nailed it without any trouble.  David and Ulli were right behind us.  Natalie and Renee would have been last but Thorsten and Mary landed too far over and had to try again.  We were cheering them all on as they came in.

Me and Evie leading the way.

We loaded gear in the truck down by the river so that we could move it and then reorganize. Once we were back up the hill everyone sorted their stuff and grabbed a room in the Fox's Den (dorm).  We enjoyed a nice lunch in some warm sunshine that felt like summer.  After lunch I borrowed Natalie's computer so I could check something that came in right before we left.  I also sent a quick email to mom so she would know I was still alive.  By the time I headed back out it was too windy to sit in the sun.  I tried reading inside until a large group came in for lunch.  Evie and I decided to try sitting in the truck on the sunny side.  She totally crashed and I ended up dozing off a bit.  Eventually I convinced myself to try running and went to get my stuff.  There is a mile marker by the lodge drive, so I forced myself to go a mile out and a mile back.  Not quite the time I should do, but better than none.  It was a very rocky road, which made for a difficult run.  After that I just had enough time for a shower before dinner.  We had a nice pasta dinner outside while fighting the most annoying gnats ever and they bit.  Somewhat better than mosquitoes though.

After cleaning up I went to sit in the lodge.  Eventually Renee, Evie and then Ulli came in and we all ordered pie.  Natalie and David were in the bar area being entertained by a new friend.  They finally came over to see if any of us wanted to go out back and look for the beaver in the pond.  David, Natalie, Ulli, Thorsten, Evie and I all went and actually saw one.  It was swimming back and forth to get grasses for the winter.  It was cool to see the beaver, but I was completely distracted by the sunset.  It was beautiful and even cooler to see it reflect in the pond.  When we gave up on the beaver and headed back to the front we realized the sunset had turned the mountains and glacier pink.  Natalie and I headed for the road/bridge for photos.  After the range went dark the clouds to the west lit up in a bright pink.  It kept getting better and better, so I just stood on the bridge enjoying it and thanking God I was there to see it.  The one car that drove by stopped on the bridge to take photos.  When I finally went to the lodge the others hadn't seen the red sky but all rushed out to enjoy it.  We sat around until they kicked us out.  Our rooms are cozy with two beds and blankets to keep us warm with the window open.  Hopefully the dogs across the river won't bark too much.

Sunset reflection

Ulli's amazing sunset photo