Nature: Random Thoughts & Observations

While hiking in UT, in the red sand in between the mighty rocks and canyons, I've noticed small plants and flowers blooming. I've never witnessed Spring so slowly and closely come alive before. Being in nature so consistently, you start noticing tiny things around you.

Many times while hiking, solo and while w/ others, the song titled "Enjoy the Silence" pops into my mind, and I have been trying to do so.

In the silence, you discover a new world of sounds.

My two constant scents consisted of dirt and smoke (camp fire of course).  Have not done many fires, but the smell lingers in my clothes. And now while being on the boat almost every day, I feel salty :)

Memorial Weekend: Hike, Kayak & Sunset

It’s strange to take a boat to go hiking. Rubber boots are needed for the boat and rain pants. Then bring your hiking shoes and of course bear spray. As I got dropped off the beach, I luckily quickly remembered I left my hiking boots on the boat. Agh, so much gear to remember.  I hide the boots by the trees and headed up the Grace Trail hike. I knew I would not be able to finish the 9 mile 6-8 one way hike as the boat was picking me up in 6 hrs.

I did not expect the snow though. I made it through some snow, even a steep part. Right after that I got the view that I was looking for of the mts and islands. But coming back down I got to unintentionally slide on me bumb; kinda fun. I never hiked alone before AK and it’s given me a lot of time to think. Ideas of what I should do, where should I go this winter have been running through me mind.   

So many options, but need to research them a bit to see what make sense. I won’t mention them till I have a better idea, but I think Peace Corps is out of the picture. Since it’s been such an internal battle, I figure it is not right for me at this time. 

The next day was a sunny, dry day and gotta another good sunset night. We went kayaking with Rick's sons and their wives who were all visiting us.  Click here for more pix.

Hiking Solo & Salty Dawg - Homer, AK

Finally I did my first hike in AK. And my first time hiking solo, which I have been wanting to do for the past few yrs. And not to worry no bears were around :)

Been dying for a hike as it's been about 2.5 weeks since me last. Don't get me wrong, I get to walk around on Little Kayak Island, but the weather has been chilly and I've been tired from working to do a full on trail. 


I woke up to the sunshine; such a great feeling. I even had an odd dream related to it last night. I was given bear mace just in case and most of the time I even had cell reception, believe it or not.

Got a little lost here and there as there are tons of loops and trails. It's spring so still too early to see the wild flowers, so the hike was not majorly scenic. But found huge, hard mushrooms on a tree and what I though was a homestead, but could be wrong.

Overall good day. Then we headed to the famous Salty Dawg Saloon est. 1957, with an interesting history and where all the boat peeps hang out by the docks. Click here for more pix.

Kayaking Adventures

One would think operating your own kayaking business is a sweet job, but man there is so much work that goes unseen. From loading the kayaks down, setting up the gear, cleaning and putting everything away to preparing lunches, cleaning the trails and hauling water and food from the boat every week. Then there’s the full day kayaking excursions itself, which doing it every day can get tiring.

Rick does a great job describing the sea life, plants and the nature that surrounds us and some AK history as well. He's just made to be a guide. But don’t forget there’s also the booking, scheduling and inside business stuff to deal with also. They have two small log cabins that people can rent to stay overnight, which is not booked w/ every tour, but just maintaining the grounds, chopping wood, editing/printing brochures, sending photos, and fixing equipment, one can never be bored.  They work so hard mentally and physically, but they really love nature, love interacting with new people and sharing this place and info with them.

In two weeks, I have been on three kayak trips. We have two trips this weekend. Due to weather, winds, and tide timing, we explore different sections of the bay and coves. We also see different wildlife each time. Dorle had to work at the radio station on my 3rd trip, so I was in charge of lunch, which is a yummy salmon soup and the sea veggies and plants we collect that day.

It’s awesome to do something new every day and be in the fresh air, even though it’s still cool and cloudy. My first trip, it was a little drizzly and very cold. It sucks that as I get older, my hands and toes go white and numb with pain even with 2 pairs of gloves/wool socks and heat pads. But as Rick says, "it's the price we pay to live in paradise."

Click here for more awesome pix.

Boating & Bird Life

We caught five 10-pound Pollock fishes within 2hrs, 120 ft deep. And no, I am not gaining a weight, just wearing tons of layers and a huge life jacket/rain coat hybrid. It's mid 50s here but on the water u get splashed by the waves while moving and the wind can pick up.  It is still cloudy and rainy here, just like PDX. Actually lots of people have OR/PDX connections; it keeps coming up in conversations.

Got to visit my first oyster farm. We got the freshest and yummiest oysters and mussels. So much work and steps go into it that we just do not realize. They have wwoofers there too, too bad it's a bit of a boat ride away from where I am at .

 

Also saw several eagles flying when we feed them left over fish. Hearing the sound from their wings as they swooped down was just so cool. Also seen a blue jay and humming bird by the house, man are those guys zippy. More pix, click here.

The Alaskan Way

A few things that Rick has said, that I thought were cool: Live in the moment to be in the moment. Don’t have high expectations and welcome what nature brings you. “Always getting ready” native saying for the next season.

Lots of things are big here: tomatoes, berries, and fish. They just grow rapidly with all the daylight. People have their own planes to get around and land on lakes to fish. Prices seem expensive to us Mainland people, but there is oil money to be had; some people get paid well to live here. Residents get $1,500 from the oil companies.

Dorle has been teaching me how to make homemade bread. She also makes ”better butter” (half of soft butter and ¼ olive oil and ¼ canola oil); so darn tasty. We collect sea lettuce, then air dry it before dehydrating them in an oven for a few hours. Crush it up and it’s great for soups and even on popcorn. It sounds easy, but you got to find the good pieces on slippery, pointed rocks and stand in the 50 deg water to rinse with salt water.

It’s been neat hearing how Dorle traveled all over the states 30 yrs ago and ended up in AK b/c South America was in turmoil at the time. Her and Rick have been friends for over a decade but after their divorces (six years apart), they ended up getting married three years ago. It’s been refreshing hanging out with such a loving couple. They kid around a lot and laugh things off.

The first few days I was so tired, though sleeping about 7 hrs a night. Just need a night eye mask; no pills. Even after I drank Green Tea, I took a quick nap. Maybe my mind and body has been over stimulated and I was just excited to be here. I’ve been in Alaska for a week now and I felt at ease by day 3. It’s just so tranquil here. The water is calm and quiet, at this time and the air is fresh and crisp. You don’t need a lot to get by here; you live simpler sans TV, electronics and all that other modern distractions) and you get to appreciate nature. Take time with your family, chill time. People also reuse and trade with each other a lot to save money, which also conserves waste. When you work hard for things like carrying in your own water, propane, cutting wood, you become more aware of what it takes to get it and automatically conserve your consumption. Definitely something we are missing in these modern times, a folly in our society that has evolved too far away from nature.

Homer is a small, friendly town, where everyone knows everyone and it’s easy to run into friends. Something I slightly experienced in PDX, but never experienced it as this small scale as an adult. There’s a lot of small business owners and they barter with each other. People keep telling me how they ended up here unintentionally and Rick & Dorle tell everyone how they adopted me. It's all just so cute. No photo album for this posting.

From Red Rock/Dry Desert to Snow Cap Mountains Surrounded by Wat

When I saw all the snow-peaked mt from the airplane, I could not believe I was here, in Alaska. Just so amazing. Since last Wed, I have been working and staying with Rick, a native Alaskan kayak guide and his charming German wife, Dorle. They have a small cabin near the main town of Homer. My first job was to split wood for the wood burning stove that heats up the main cabin on the island where Seaside Adventures does their kayak tours. 

 

On my second night near Homer, I saw a moose from their house. There are two bathrooms: one is a compost toilet for #2 and a small kid-like potty for pee b/c they are too far away from the town and don’t have a septic tank. I am their first wwoofer this season. Apparently, people move to Homer for the lifestyle, scenery, and artist community. I thought to myself, wow, it’s like Portland.  They have a huge week-long bird festival too. Some people end up visiting Alaska by accident and some fall in love with the wilderness and make it their home, like Dorle.

Friday morning, we headed to Little Kayak Island, as they call it, where I will mostly be for the next three-four weeks. On the way here, we saw 60 otters and an Eagle, close up. We hauled a lot of supplies and equipment, as their busy season will begin soon. I admire them for their hard work at ages 59 and 57. But they love this island and the wildlife.

The island is only a few hundred yards wide. It takes 40 mins by boat. They order a water taxi when their guest comes for a kayak tour. There is no road or water system and there are only a handful of neighbors. They have a sauna that is used in lieu of a shower. They collect rainwater and have outhouses. Apparently, pee makes outhouses smell bad, so peeing in the woods is best.c

I really lucked out with this group. They really know and love AK. They are already booking up for the summer. They could expand biz, but they want to keep it small and intimate. By day 3, I’ve already taken 120 pix and will have lengthy blogs as there are just so many exciting news to report. I can see why you need to spend more than just a few days here. Internet is painfully slow on the island, so will only post when in Homer. Click here for more pix.