Skiing Bears, Helpful Orcas, and a Move for Team Leslie!

CATCH-UP. This time I will spare you the plea for forgiveness and sob story about reading Harry Potter. We've simply been living and loving and having fun in AK and beyond! A brief review of our late winter and early spring in pictures:

We skied, of course.

We backpacked.

We explored jungles.

We snorkeled with sea turtles.

We surfed.

We scored goals.

We danced.

We performed.

We paddled.

We celebrated holidays.

And we went swimming in caves.

Okay... Now that you know we are still playing and traveling maniacs, let me get to the goods!

"I'm on top of the world, ay..."

SKIING BEARS. So J and a few friends spent some time climbing and skiing in the backcountry last weekend (No, they are not "the bears," although in years past, J's beard and long hair did make him rather bear-like, in a lovable cozy sort of way). On part of their tour, they came upon bear tracks and were able to follow them backwards to their source - a den!

A small hole for some BIG animals!

What's more, they also saw what looked like ski tracks in the area which was actually odd because the pitch and conditions were not safe; they were surprised to see that anyone had been playing on that particular slope. A closer inspection was even more mysterious because the ski tracks weren't particularly elegant - why would a novice skier hike all the way out here to try out the sport? Unless... Skiing bears! Seriously. Apparently they need to get down snowy slopes in a controlled manner too, so sliding back and forth rather than straight down makes sense... cool!

I spy swooping tracks in the snow, made by bears!

HELPFUL ORCAS. On the marine front, one of J's students was out halibut fishing after going on a bear hunt across Kachemak Bay (near Homer) when an orca came up to the boat. (Yup, I used halibut, bear and orca in one sentence - this must be Alaska!) So the folks on the boat decided to throw the whale a halibut. What happens next is probably best told from the orca's perspective... 

"Awe...the humans are trying to be nice! I better show them I can hunt those pretty easily myself before they waste their whole catch!"

Dives down and brings up a live halibut - lets it go.

"Poor guys have to use all those long lines and shiny gear... Think I saw a piece of it on the bottom just now..."

Dives down and brings up a lure and line that had just been accidentally dropped/lost.

"Here you go humans..."

Nudges the lure forward with its nose until it catches on another line and can be retrieved.

"See ya humans..."

Swims away.

I will try to track down the video (which I watched on their iPhone - it all really happened!) and add it... stay tuned.

A MOVE. We've been in Kenai for four years and it's been an awesome launching point for our adventures... and it has a damn nice sandy beach! But those snowy mountains and classic Alaska seascapes have been calling our name for awhile now. So we're making a move to Seward! J will be teaching at Seward Elementary, Kim will be keeping her district distance science teaching job and be based at the high school, while Indigo will start 2nd grade in her dad's building. Seward is about 2 hours from where we are now and is still a part of the Kenai Peninsula, just on the Eastern side. Kenai Fjords National Park, Exit Glacier, the Harding Icefield, the Alaska Sealife Center, Mt. Marathon, Caines Head, the Alaska Railroad... the adventure continues!!!

https://www.travelalaska.com/destinations/communities/seward.aspx