An Overnight

Thomas and Aaron on the top of Bear Mnt. about to switch out their snowshoes for their snowboard (much quicker) and head back to the trees. Gorgeous day, sunny and beautiful, not a cloud in the sky as far as the eye could see.

Chloe emerging from the tent after a 10 hours, not so restful nights sleep.

The beginning, here is the gang about to hit the trail.

You can only handle so much salty almonds and dried mangoes. Here is some trail food I whipped up before heading up the mountain, it is always important to have something yummy to look forward to.

I have always said I would live outside if I could. I love fresh air, wind, rain, sun, the elements and being out in them. Everyday I spend as much time outside as I can, but it is never enough. My friend Hannah says the Swedish poeple call themselves "free air human beings" which in Swedish looks like this friluftsmanniskor. I definietly resinate with the term.

So this weekend I was able to spend a little more time than usual in the free air. Thomas, Aaron, Chloe and Chloe's sweet pup took an overnight snowboarding trip up Bear mountain.

Here is a list of things that I packed: snowboard, snowshoes, cramp-ons, icebreakers, ice-ax, base layer, fleece, wool sweater, down booties, tent poles, cook stove, fuel, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, gatters, and other necessary enmities such as water and food, no I could not put my pack on without help. Total elevation gained: nearly 4000 ft. We were slow going but going. We even took a video of us snowboarding off the top. Here are some pictures that tell the tale better than I could with words. And if you notice I am not in any of the pictures. I, for once, took the pictures. And for you bird lovers out there I am trying to become more knowledgeable of birds, but on this trip I did not see or hear even one! So bizarre...

Deliciousness

A basic veggi-licious stir fry being enjoyed with friends... no none of these veggis were local, but maybe this summer if Emily and I have more success with our garden... we are going to be a little more basic this year.


Sourdough bread, this is something that I have just dipped my fingers into... delicious, and easy. I used to bake cookies, now I still bake cookies, but I bread is climbing the charts.

This yummy recipe my mother gave because she knows my love of sweet potatoes, sweet potato chili... mmmm I can taste it now (on a homemade chopping block table made by my buddy TJ for my birthday last year, isn't it beautiful?)

Food, something designed for pleasure in a world of hurry up and go. Here in Sitka eating isn't rushed. I love that about this town, people cook and enjoy meals together all the time. One of my my roommate Em and I when we aren't busy climbing mountains can often times be found doing our other favorite thing: cooking together, and then of coarse, eating. We make beautiful, when I say beautiful I mean delicious meals all the time. I have been trying to capture some of my creations on camera so perhaps they will inspire others to to take time to stop, relax and enjoy good food with good friends...

Bear Mnt. Snowboarding

" Look at those big boulders, they appear to be coming towards us. " - Aaron Routon

Well those big boulders were coming towards us but they weren't boulders...

This past weekend Aaron, Thomas, and I decided to take a trip up Bear Mnt. to do some boarding. I've been up Bear Mnt. several times but this is a first for boarding. Bear Mnt. is a 4,200 ft. mnt. and is much more difficult to reach than my typical snowboarding mountain, Verstovia which sits at about 2,700 ft. However due to the ideal conditions we decided to make the trek. Four hours into our hike we had an interesting turn of events. Our ultimate goal was the summit, which if reached would of allowed us a sweet 2,000 ft. drop in fluffy alpine powder, however the dreams of the summit was thwarted after Thomas realized that those boulders that happened to be moving towards us looked an awful lot like bears! We changed our coarse of action. The summit wouldn't be attained today anyway. Instead we were forced to board only the lower half of the mountain, allowing for a 1,000 ft. drop, still pretty sweet. I have a video that Aaron took of one of the runs and I will try to post it soon. We will be going back. I love winter, even if bears are out of there den, Weird!

Also, if you are at all interested in looking at the video Aaron took of the snowboarding experience it is well worth checking out, my computer is much too slow to upload it but here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-jddJOY50k&feature=channel_page

Crossing Baranof Island

Here I am with a map and compass shooting a line across the glacier.
Crossing one of the ridge lines in the fog and mist.
Here we are hurrying to take a picture during a 5 minute, period where the clouds have broken.
The journey has ended we are about to hop on The Beaver, leave Baranof Warm Springs and return to Sitka.
Here is just a shot of an assent. This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip, it captures the journey well.

So I am an island dweller. Now you probably wouldn't compare this island to Maui or Jamaica, but it is an island none the less and in my humble opinion it much more delightful than the tropics. And this summer I was lucky enough actually to hike across the island. It was a coveted trip, more delightful than I could have ever imagined, even with the weather worse than typical. This means even though I was hiking across long gorgeous ridge lines and beside glacier lakes all I saw was a gray fog. I had to make those mental images of nature and its beauty in my mind.

However thanks to a friend of mine, Marty Manes who recorded his trip, made a video and posted it on teacher tube I can forever remember the experience and share it with others. He also had better luck with the weather. Marty no longer lives here in Sitka unfortunately because he was a great part of the community here. But he is still off doing wonderful things, this fall he and his wife moved to Arctic Village:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Village,_AK
So if you have 5 minutes and would like to see the island I call home I would recommend you watch this video:

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=bd4ab51e9b50ff0a1a88

Rewind

Weeks after my trip home to the Carolinas for Christmas I am finally ready to share the events. Out of the 400 hundred, that is right 400 pictures, taken these were the chosen. I didn't take any of them. Typically I don't take pictures for numerous reasons, the main one being they are bad. This is one art form I have given up on completely. Instead of learning to be a photographer I just I like to position myself around others who are documenters. Typically on my blogs I put the 3 pictures up that I took, or better yet have my incredibly gifted photographer roommate upload her pictures on my computer and chose from them. But in this case in a house with 8 other individuals, many of them being trigger happy, I had endless options. All of these pictures have been looked through infinite times by myself reminiscing.

Christmas even after the hopla of not getting home until midafternoon after endless hours of travel all said and done was delightful. It was sunny and warm, and I was able to be surrounded with the best company any girl could ever ask for. Goofiness and laughter were as abundant as the delicious food. I even have the pictures to prove it!

Welcome to Town

So last Thursday a person from my past became again a person of my present. This time however in the form of a peer and friend. Sitka has just recently welcomed to town Thomas Gibson and he is fitting right in to the Sitka summer camp life: hiking mountains, post church whiffle ball, music jams, the list goes on.

Thomas was one of my youth kids at Trinity Presbyterian Church where I was a youth leader for three years. Currently he is a junior at Appalachian State getting a degree in Sustainable Agriculture. This semester he decided to take off for Alaska to be a kayaking guide at an outfitter where he will be taking multiday trips (why didn't I find that job when I moved to AK?). That job doesn't begin until April however so he called me up asking if he thought I could find him a place to live and/or job until that point. Done. He is living with some friends of mine and working as a sub in the school district here.

When we went hiking on Saturday I don't think I have heard the word unbelievable more times in my life. When we reached the top of Gaven he spoke the words I think everytime I go hiking here in Southeast " I have never seen a more beautiful place in my whole entire life. " Welcome to Southeast I said. I don't know if he is going to making it back to App for that Agriculture degree. I warned him.

I'm back....

Well after what I would call a disastrous trip home, no offense all people that I saw and hung out with, that part was amazing, for the holidays, I made the return flight last night. What was to greet me was a foot of fresh snow, friends, and a sushi party.

After the party late last night Emily looks and me and asks the anticipated question of what adventure I was wanting for my first day back. The answer was simple, what else do you do with a foot of fresh powder, snowboarding. So that is just what we did. Here are some shots. We were sidetracked for awhile and made self portrait snowmen. My snowman needed a little trim, but at least I don't have horns like Em's.

It is good to be home.