GUNS. So we went for a few big hikes last weekend to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. On one of them, there was a gal who pulled into the trail head at about the same time as we did. At first glance, she looked like a hip happening Hood River-ite... lululemon yoga pants, trendy headband, lab on a designer leash... however a few other things stood out: namely, she had no water, no snacks, and was carrying a massive rifle. And there we were feeling pretty darn prepared with our bear spray at the ready on the back of my pack (which, mind you, included lots of water and snacks... I still count dehydration as a big consideration, even if it doesn't have claws and growl). Regardless of our lack of packing heat, we managed to survive. Here are a few pix and maybe even some videos of the scene if I can figure out how to add that to my post. (Ah, it was easy... nothing too exciting - just giving you a feel for the scenery.) Speaking of figuring things out: I think I changed a setting so that now everyone can make comments if they wish... go crazy.
J and Indigo on Summit Creek Trail
BERRIES. Indigo and I went to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge this week for a free lesson on edible berries. Amazingly, the program met the needs of both a thirty-six year old and a three year old! We played identification games, ate berry snacks, read berry books, followed the tracks of native animals that eat the berries, painted with berry juice and went on a hike to actually find all the berries. Save for poisonous Alderberries and Devil's Club (Jesus Stick is okay), we could munch everything around: Trailing Raspberries, Blueberries, Lowbush Cranberries, Highbush Cranberries, Bunchberries, Watermelon berries, Crowberries, and Cloudberries. Yee ha! I see a pie in our future.
Indigo fills her bucket in our neighborhood after class
BERRIES AND GUNS. Apropos of our class, some new friends invited us to go blueberry picking. Most of us have done this, right? You get your bucket or your baggie and you head to a patch on a hill, or to a blueberry farm, and you can wear your old sneakers and act sort of leisurely about the whole affair. Ha! Apparently not so in Alaska. I ended up being extremely flattered that this family thought we could hang with them. The picking "site" was several miles up the side of a very steep mountain, the climbing of which involved clambering over fallen trees and kick stepping into mud while grabbing at prickly vegetation in an attempt to stay upright. Near the top, I got an on-the-spot rifle loading and shooting lesson "in case" I needed to use it while I was picking (okay, red flag - who needs a gun when they pick blueberries for goodness sake?!). Bullet, shell, magazine, chamber, pump... not usually a part of my blueberry picking vocabulary. Indigo just stared. And, they loaned us these hand-held blueberry picking tools to be more efficient about things (ie less chance of getting eaten by a bear). So there we were, tin pails, picker tools, guns and all. Did I mention these friends brought their 10 month old baby? Once again, we did not encounter a bear, although a herd of mountain goats did visit our patch just as we were leaving. Honestly, a GREAT trip, but oh so very Alaska Adventure.
The amazing blueberry picker
Our new friend Jodie extreme blueberry picking
Indigo goes for it
VOLCANOES. In other news, J has one more element to his daily weather monitoring: volcanic action. For those of you who don't know, J is an official weather buff who spends quite a bit of time checking various websites and comparing forecasts. This used to be limited to factors like temperature, precipitation, wind direction, etc. He can now add to his list the color alert for active volcanoes in our area... For example, orange alert: "Volcano is exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain, OR eruption is underway with no or minor volcanic-ash emissions [ash-plume height specified, if possible]." (a la the Alaska Volcano Observatory website - you too can follow the action!) Do you have an ashfall preparedness plan? Stay tuned for ours...
FLASHBACK. And in response to some inquiries about scoot biking, Veronica's, Ice Cream Newton, tenting with child, and the stuffies, sparked by my last post:
If don't have pictures of the heavily publicized bears, a shot of J toting firearms would be great for those of use who only know how to look at the pictures...
If don't have pictures of the heavily publicized bears, a shot of J toting firearms would be great for those of use who only know how to look at the pictures...
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