For the majority of the month of June I was back home in the great state of Alaska. I will break up the time in the land of the Mid-night sun in several sections.
The Fjords!
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| Kayker's Cove (Andrew Bosela) |
The first weekend back in Alaska I had the awesome opportunity with some friends to take a Sea Taxi service out of Seward down Resurrection Bay (a fjord) and stayed one night at a hostel on Kayaker's Cove. I had never been sea kayaking before but quickly fell in love with it. I was in a tandem sea kayak with a friend as we glided over the calm protected waters of the fjord. The first day we were there was some of the best weather one could hope for on the fjords. The sun was shining and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. We got to take turns with a fishing pole and caught several types of fish which became dinner and breakfast for the next day. We also kayaked up another cove and explored a fantastic water fall full of the spring run off. That evening after returning from a foray to Fox Island we prepared dinner and had some marshmallows around a camp fire. The following morning the usual cloud cover had rolled in over the fjord and we all had a lazy morning staying in our sleeping bags and talking about a whole bunch of random things. That afternoon several of us went out kayaking again for a short time and I decided that I wanted to try using a single instead of a tandem. I quickly discovered that for guys my size finding a single that fit long legs and big feet in rubber muck boots was a difficult proposition. Due to cramping in the legs and feet, I was the first one back that day.
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| Water Fall (Andrew Bosela) |
A great aspect of staying at a hostel is meeting people from around the world. There was a couple staying there from Tasmania who were finishing up a three month trip across Europe and America; an elder gentleman who was the caretaker and has explored the world in his day including climbing many peaks in the Himalayas; a group of guys from Tennessee who travel to various locations for a different adventure every year since graduating from college together. All in all, the time out on the water next to amazing peaks inspired me and helped me see a new side to the beauty of Alaska.
Clamming!
So to me this doesn't seem like much, but in talking with friends in Colorado, clamming is definitely one of those unique coastal things. My family has been going clamming since I can practically remember and, while there was a break in going for a couple of years due to a "red tide," it is essentially a yearly tradition. (Red tides are due to a type of bacteria that reproduces quickly in the right conditions and such tides make the clams unsafe to eat.) Our favorite sight is down on the Ninilchik beach just north of the harbor by the second coal seam along the bluff. On what is called a very radical negative tides the water line is so far below the normal sea level that one can walk out of the sandy benches and dig for razor clams pictured below. On the east side of the Cook Inlet the limit is usually between 45-60 clams per person. While this may not seem like many, cleaning this many clams is quite a chore let me assure you. While they can be small, 4-6 inches in length, full grown razor clams are between 9-12 inches long and 2-4 inches wide.
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| Bucket of razor clams (Andrew Bosela) |
Digging for the clams involves waiting for the clams to make their way to the surface of the beach just above the surf line as the tide is on the way our and coming back in. Once they are close enough to the surface you see tiny little round blow holes on the surface of the beach indicating where a clam is underneath. You have to dig very quickly and carefully if you want to get them while not breaking their shells into shards, which will tear your hands up. (hence "razor" clams) While you are digging, they are also working their way back down into the soft sand with their digger foot. If you are using a shovel to dig for them, you will sometimes have to get down on your hands and knees to pick them out. This involves sticking your arm somewhere between elbow and armpit length into the watery sand hole you have just dug and pulling them out. Oh, and the neck of the clam will be squirting water into your face when you are pulling them out of the sand.
Once you have reached your limit or the incoming tide chases you off the beach you take them home and clean them. This can take just as long as digging for all them and makes going clamming an all day event most of the time. The reward though is that evening as you fry up freshly cleaned and breaded clams sizzling away in the skillet. Then it is time to chow down. So good!
Hiking!
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| The Glenn Alps (Andrew Bosela) |
This last winter in Alaska many places across the state received record snow fall. As a result, many of my favorite hiking trails in the Chugach Mountains still had snow down below tree line for the first several weeks that I was home. However, I did get out with my dad and then with my room-mate from college on two different hikes. The first one was up a trail that I have wanted to climb but had not had the opportunity to do before. In Alaska there are many old mining roads and this one was to the top of one mountain to what we had presumed was a hard rock mine. While we were not able to get to the top of the mountain on account of the run off stream in the pass, we, my dad and I, had a very enjoyable walk in the sunny meadows of the alpine. Along the way we passed mine portals which some of them dated from the the early nineteen-hundreds. (Sweet!) The second hike was up in the Glenn Alps, east of Anchorage with my room-mate, his mom, and my dad. As we had a different pace, my room-mate and I forged ahead of our parents and made it to the top of Flat Top mountain rather quickly. The beauty of the mountains was spectacular. It was easy to picture the glaciers carving the sides of the steep rock faces and forming the "U" shape valley floor below arrayed with the rich green of early summer. Epic.
Family and Friends!
The best part of being home though was the time spent with family. My family is very fun and funky, we are peculiar to say the least. After 3.5 weeks together, we definitely made some memories, from working with my dad for the family business or doing odd jobs around the house, mom teaching me about essential oils, and my sister and I talking about Harry Potter, books, movies, and music. (I finally read the fourth book.) I am going to miss them a lot.
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| At the airport (Sister) |
Seeing friends and catching up with what is happening in their lives was also wonderful. It can be difficult to meet up with everyone though in just a couple weeks time, especially when it is confined to the weekends and evenings. However, playing disc golf, meeting up for coffee or lunch, sitting around a campfire with friends is very important and I had a blast doing so. It is interesting to be gone for more or less four years with coming back only a couple of times and being able to pick right back up with people and sharing life together. Doing so teaches one about intentionally making time for others and pursuing friendships. One lesson I learned was that there is never enough time to spend with everyone as I might like, so make the most of it, now.
Thoughts;
My time in Alaska was very relaxing and refreshing. I slept in a lot as I didn't have classes or work to get to, and I would stay up late watching netflix or reading. I got to listen to several podcasts of sermons which were quite good and had some excellent time studying the bible. While it was nice to just relax with nothing pressing to do for the most part, I was getting anxious to get to work by my last week in Alaska. Work is good, and I am the type person that needs to stay busy and focused on tasks. Learning how to actually relax when it is time to relax is something I don't do readily. How do you rest well?
"So lift you your glasses ye lads and fine lasses,
To the travelling people wherever you be,
May the road rise to meet you and old friends,
To greet you and may all of your rambles be happy and free.
..... (Irish la-la lines for the first half of the chorus)
With my pack on my back, down the road I will stray,
For the ramble from [Sterling] is ramblin' away." - An Irish Tune ~
The Rambler from Derry
