Liven' the Dream in AK

Champs

2011-02-07T13:23:00.001-08:00

They did it. The Packers climbed to the top of the NFL mountain. As a life long Packer fan February 6th was a good day.

Local Gems

2011-01-31T16:28:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was packed with fun ski outings just outside of Fairbanks. The winter trails in and around Fairbanks seem to be an endless resource that provide us with recreational opportunities, exercise, adventure, and nostalgia. On Sunday Ann, Luke and I skied from Cleary Summit to the Chatanika Lodge. The ten mile trip was a wonderfully relaxing; mostly down hill route.

None of us had taken this route before so there was a little map reading at a few of the trail intersections. We managed not to take any wrong turns.

Friday night Cassie and I headed about 30 miles out of town and skied into Nugget Creek Cabin. The temps were pretty reasonable for January in Fairbanks but the little cabin was still fairly difficult to warm up.

We enjoyed a late breakfast and a great ski out in the sunshine.

Cassie and Josie head down the South Fork of the Chena River.

Back at the truck we were all smiles. Another good weekend in The Great Land!

Open Heart Surgery

2011-01-16T04:30:00.001-08:00

An oil spill responder heads into the basement to work on the cleanup.

One of Alaska's main arteries sprung a leak. The Trans Alaska Pipeline spans 800 miles from the North Slope to it's terminal in Valdez and it started leaking at mile 0. Pump Station #1 is the location where Alyeska Pipeline Service Company receives crude oil from North Slope producers including BP and Conoco Philips, it gathers the oil, then starts it on its way south. A small section of buried pipe at the booster pump building sprung a leak and the crude was found spilling into the buildings basement. Once the leak was identified the pipeline promptly shutdown which subsequently caused the North Slope oil fields to follow suit. With frigid arctic temperatures creating concerns over freeze-up Alyeska was able to restart the line for a short time while they collected the oil from the leak and fabricated a bypass line that would allow production to continue. The resources and personnel that were used during this response were very impressive and before long things should be back to normal and the artery that provides the lower 48 with energy and the state of Alaska with royalties should be operating at full capacity.

The pictures above show work being done on the bipass line.

This is just a random shot of a drill rig on an unidentified pad.

Lunar Eclipse on Solstice Eve

2010-12-21T10:51:00.000-08:00

It was a spectacular night in the Interior. The full moon lit up the surrounding landscape and little by little the earth snuck between the sun and the moon creating a total Lunar Eclipse on the Eve of Solstice 2010.

Swan Lake

2010-11-16T10:28:00.001-08:00

This September I was lucky enough to get a trip in with a few great buddies in some of the most scenic country that Alaska has to offer. While we were planning for the excursion we had fishing, fun and goat hunting in mind. It looked like Swan Lake would provide us with all of the above and it certainly did. The soggy weather that Southeast Alaska is known for did not disappoint and served up rain that seemed almost biblical at times. We struggled with the wet weather for the first five days but on the sixth day the weather broke and gave us an opportunity to explore in much more comfort. All in all I would say that Swan Lake is a place that anyone who gets the chance should go and visit some day.

Luke casting for rainbows at the base of a waterfall leading into Upper Falls Lake. The countryside surrounding Swan Lake is littered with waterfalls shooting off of cliffs and spilling out of glaciers but this falls was absolutely spectacular.

A newish cabin is available for rent on the Lake.

We ate like back country kings. Here Luke is flipping a Mountain Huckleberry flapjack. Mighty tasty!

The water levels were up a bit from all of the rain. We had a few interesting river crossing in route to Upper Falls Lake.

Nathan and the nicest Rainbow of the trip.

We had plenty of boulders and different terrain to negotiate just to get into Mountain Goat habitat.

Luke pictured on a snowfield in the high country.

Looking out over Thomas Bay.

Brian descending with a half of a goat in his pack.

Nathan looking over some potential goat country.

Nathan and I with an un-named glacier in the background.

Brian on a snowfield next to the site of Luke's goat harvest.

Processing goat meat in the cabin.

Teriyaki goat kabobs...very, very good! We ate about a half of a goat during our time in the field.

Looking down on Swan Lake.

This is the only group picture. From left to right: Nathan, Brian, Myself and Luke. Cascade Creek is in the background.

And on the last day the weather broke and provided us with stunning views of the surrounding terrain. Pictured above are a couple low lying clouds and their reflections hang in the Swan Lake basin.

Summer 2010

2010-10-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

Well the Summer of 2010 has already come and gone. As usual the Interior's long days had everybody working and playing at a frenetic pace. I have not made the time to enter any blog posts but figured that I would document some of the good times that were had.

Halibut fishing with Captain Al and the gang-

Pack rafting on Windy Creek-

Floating the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk River with my dad and Brett-
Sheep Hunting with Bernie-

Fishing the Kenai with Magan-

Moose hunting the Chatanika River with Luke-

Ptarmagain hunting on the dome with Luke and Jeff-

Princess Kathleen

2010-05-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

In 1952 Princess Kathleen went aground on Point Lena, approximately 15 miles north of Juneau Alaska. Not long after grounding she flooded with the incoming tide and slid back into 120 feet of water. The vessel has been stationary for almost 60 years but there had been increased reports of tar balls on shore and sheen in the water off of Point Lena so the US Coast Guard and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation implemented a plan to extract the fuel oil from the cruise ship and mitigate the potential for a major release.

Global Diving and Salvage are the contracted diving company tasked with the underwater operations. They are a well travelled group with a ton of talent and a pretty interesting job.

This is the work platform that we are using to dive off of and house the oil that is being extracted from Princess Kathleen.

I had not done any work on marine responses before so everything was fairly new to me. The barge on the right will ultimately accept the old oil and haul it down to Seattle. When I left we had recovered over 10,000 gallons of oil and it looks like there could be as much as 50,000 more gallons to go.

This is one of the divers getting prepped to do some work on Kathleen.

This is one of the divers coming out of the water after working inside of the vessel.

We had deployed harbor boom and absorbent boom around the work platform in an attempt to catch the majority of the oil that escaped with the divers or from the fuel tanks.

The "Neka Bay" was one of the response vessels that was always on site prepared to assist if there was a major release while constantly assisting with booming operations.

Deploying boom away from the work site. This was a secondary layer of protection and picked up the remaining oil that escaped the first line.

After a long day of setting boom in the rain and wind we were treated to a rainbow pointing out our last anchor point. Overall this is a fairly technical operation that I was not exactly trained up on, but I certainly learned a lot about maritime operations and I think the Feds and the State are doing a real service to Alaskan waters by removing a large threat to the area.

The Wilderness Classic (Act II)

2010-04-20T16:30:00.001-07:00

The Alaska Mountain Wilderness Ski Classic is, by most standards, a significant physical and mental challenge. Since I first became aware of the Wilderness Classic it has challenged me more than anything else to attain the skill set needed to successfully complete this race. My Midwestern agricultural background educated me about how to read a soil sample and how to calibrate a corn planter but I never knew what a climbing skin was and had never touched a crampon.
Two years ago Ed and I competed in our first Classic in the Wrangell Mountains. Prior to that the only real information I had came from Daily News Miner articles and from a few conversations with friends that had competed in the event. The 2008 Classic in the Wrangell Mountains was a great experience and afforded us the experience to prepare more adequately for the 2010 Classic. This year’s race started and ended at the same point that the race did four years ago but this traverse was longer and allowed the competitors more route choices. There was a checkpoint about 80 miles into the race at the Native Village of Aniktuvik Pass. This year I was fortunate to be a part of a four man team of friends. We have all skied and trained together for a handful of years and have the unique luxury of knowing that we all travel at a similar pace and really like spending a lot of time together in the backcountry. This race was much different than the route through the Wrangell’s but the challenge was just as significant. The unbelievable Glaciers and huge mountains that created an awe inspiring traverse in the Wrangell/St. Elias National Park were replaced by night skies filled with dancing northern lights while wolves howled in the naked mountain valley. We had spectacular views of the actual Gates of the Artic that Bob Marshall named during his early travels into the arctic on the Koyukuk River. In a nut shell this race was filled with challenges and fun, but most importantly it was filled with a week of enjoying the freedom of the hills and the spirit of the Classic!

Many of these images were taken by Ed Plumb or John Shook.

The field of racers is filled with a great group of adventures, athletes, and most importantly characters.

We were treated to some phenomenal visual entertainment for the first few nights after we set up camp. Apparently there was some extreme solar activity coinciding with the start of the race which made for some of the best Aurora displays that I have ever seen.

This is a series of pictures taken while we climbed Peregrine Pass. It proved to be the most difficult part of the race for me, but we enjoyed the short time we spent up high.

We spent hours a day melting snow to provide us with enough liquid water.

Ed had an ugly wipe out –which is very rare- and he bent his pole in the wreck. After a minute of retooling he had his gear back in order and powered through the rest of the course.

We made it to the check point in Aniktuvik Pass and enjoyed an hour and a half in the National Park Service building before skiing off into a fairly cold headwind.

We bumped into Dave Cramer and Rob Kerher on the “out and back” stretch of our route. Dave and Rob were bucking a stiff head wind but drove on to Aniktuvik Pass that night. Dave has been the race director for years and is a man that I truly respect. He homesteaded in bush Alaska years ago and has carved out a great life, family, and business since. His race organization is first class, and I hope he continues to be the director for years to come.

John skis down into the Valley of the Precipices. We had a blast ripping though the 3% grade and the twisting icy creek.

Dan skis down the Koyukuk on our way towards the finish.

We saw thousands of ptarmigan throughout the race. It was pretty awesome to see the huge coveys moving across the south slopes enjoying the open tundra after the long winter.

We hit a few patches of bare ground that forced us to drop our skis, but for the most part we were locked into our boards.

Four happy campers just skied into Wiseman after a tough twenty hour push; we covered about fifty miles to reach the finish and grabbed a quick self portrait to put an end the 2010 Classic. 5:30 A.M.

A member of the winning team, Luc Mehl created a fun video that gives a great feel for the Classic. That video can be viewed through the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuxAAaFwciQ

Below is a link to the Article in the Fairbanks Daily News Miner:
http://www.newsminer.com/view/full_story/7080445/article-From-bears-to-aurora--this-year-s-Wilderness-Classic-had-it-all?instance=home_lead_story

Spring Harvest

2010-04-13T17:12:00.001-07:00

Early March always brings with it a case of cabin fever. I have found that one of the best remedies for this annual ailment is a trip up to the north slope in search of some caribou and some sun soaked adventure with my hunting partner Luke. This year, like the couple before proved to provide us with everything we hoped for: plenty of exercise, plenty of stories and plenty of red meat.
This year we invested in a new lightweight wall tent along with a folding wood stove. After a few modifications we were living large in a warm and spacious dwelling.

The trip into our normal site was a little brutal this year. We bucked a fairly stiff headwind that brought the windchill down in the -35 degree range.

Our new tent was pitched and Luke was dressed for action. Goggles and face shield for protection from the wind and cold, and the trusty Tyvek suit for winter camo.

This photo was a little staged (we had already shot a few caribou out of the herd behind Luke) but it is still pretty cool to see the herd of caribou moving away from us after we thinned the herd by three.

Luke with a nice mature cow.

There is just something spectacular about this hunt. I think it is a combination of solitude, good success, the time of the year and the memories that are created from each trip. I am already looking forward to next years outing.

A Welcome Change of Scenery

2010-01-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

Magan and I had the good fortune of trading a week of sub-Arctic winter for a week on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. We gave up about 42 degrees of latitude but gained about 110 degrees of ambient temperature. The vacation was great and entailed a week of enjoying the sun, good food, fishing and each other. Some friends gave us a great deal on their time share so we uncharacteristically lived in posh comfort and spent a fair amount of time around the pool and the swim up bar.

Just a few days prior to leaving I was regulating hazardous substance clean-ups on the North Slope oil fields. It was a welcome change of scenery in Cabo.

The second day in town we got out on a charter and had good success catching Dorado...when the day was done we had hooked 8 and put 5 in the boat. We saw whales, porpoises and marlin to go along with our catch.

On the way back into the harbor we threw the rest of the live bait to the well trained local birds.

This friendly pelican thought that he could get one last Mackerel out of us...no such luck.

Once we made it back to the harbor we took most of our fish to get frozen and packaged. We took one nice fillet to a local restaurant where they made us fish tacos and blackened Dorado...mighty tasty!

We enjoyed a few of libations throughout the week.

The local entertainment was fun and made for an even better dining experience.

We had a hot tub on our front porch that got a fair amount of use...all we needed was a sunset or a cocktail or a cup of coffee to make for a nice soak and a great vacation.

Chistmas in the Whites

2009-12-29T17:58:00.000-08:00

Me, Magan and our two dogs enjoyed Christmas eve and Christmas day in the White Mountains Winter Rec area. We skied into Colorado Creek Cabin under a beautiful moon and starlight sky making the use of supplemental light optional. The starlight sky and light breeze on the way in made for about as nice of a ski as could be asked for.

We spent the night at Colorado Creek Cabin and enjoyed the very warm wood stove and a bunch of tasty food.

Once we were back on the trail the winds were really howling up on the open ridge where we were starting from. Nothing a little activity could not combat thought. Above is a picture of Magans set-up...Jack up front, Magan with backpack and skis and a pulk full of gear in tow.

The trip out was great, the trail is a fairly gradual downhill grade, the snow was fairly fast and the breeze was either to our back or blowing sideways. I could not have asked for a much nicer Christmas.

Fall Fun In and Around Fairbanks

2009-10-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

It has been a very graceful slide into winter this year in Interior Alaska. September and the first part of October have allowed everyone to finish up all of the outside chores that usually get left until next spring thanks to warm weather and no real snow. This mild fall has also let us enjoy some fun activities that don't include ski's or snowshoes.

Working in the Western Village of Gambell-

Gambell is located on St. Lawrence Island, west of mainland Alaska. It is actually closer to Russia than the U.S. It is an interesting village with strong ties to the local marine mammals, using them as subsistence resources. It was nice to hear them speaking their native Yupik language more than English which is something that I have not experienced in the Interior villages that I have visited. The picture above shows a pile of whale bones and a skin boat used for hunting and fishing.

Dried seal and a few dried dolly varden char.

I bought a nice pair of seal skin mittens from a local woman.

Gambell is located on a spit and was always blanketed by fog in the mornings when I was there.

The Equinox Marathon-

The annual Equinox Marathon is truly a highlight of every year for me. This is the second year that team BIZP has run the relay together. We still have not broke the speed record, but we are shooting for the worst facial hair mark.

Luke is ripping up the course on his way down Gold hill Rd.

Liz hosts the annual "sinners and winners" support booth. You can enjoy a cold Gatorade or a cold Pabst if that is what you need a the time.

Magan ran the last leg of the relay for her team. Although she claims to hate running I think she enjoyed this race.

Test Ride on the Clearwater-

I recently pulled the trigger on a new/used inflatable boat. So Magan, the dogs and I went down to the Delta Clear Water for a trial run.

Magan is trying to hook up with a late season Silver Salmon. We did not catch any fish but had a good time on the river.

Establishing the Garden-

We got the future garden site tilled up and our soil samples pulled before things froze up.

Angel Rocks with darleen-

And just this past weekend we got together with a great friend darleen and hiked the Angel Rocks trail. We even got to enjoy some home grown chicken with Mike and darleen at their place after the hike.

I'm Done!

2009-09-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

Well at least as far as the bank is concerned I'm done with my house building project. I have a multi-year plan that includes many upgrades such as: landscaping, a garage, a sauna, a garden and too many other small improvements to include in this post. The bottom line is the major construction phase is over after about 18 months. Now that the house is done, the wild game is in the freezer and the woodpile is big, I invite winter to start creeping into Goldstream Valley so the work can finally end and the skis can come out along with long nights and good times at my new home.

My driveway looking out across Goldsream Valley and up at Ester Dome.

I still have a large deck to build on the front of the house but for this year I am satisfied. This piece of land has changed a bit since my June 2008 post Building for the Future.

A shot of the front of the house.

The Kitchen

The living room...a rocking chair, a wood burner and a good dog. No complaints here.

This is a custom railing built from local birch with a inlaid piece of metal work. My Mom and step dad helped finance the railing and Magan helped with the construction.

The bedroom

A view from a side window into the parking area...in a couple of years I will build a garage where the vehicles are currently parked.

My wood pile...I will make many trips to this stack throughout the winter months. I am actually looking forward to whittling through the stack.

Blue skies and golden birch leaves make it hard to leave my little homestead and drive into Fairbanks for another day in the cubicle...I guess I'll survive.

Hunting 2009

2009-09-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to take two more trips up to the Brooks Range this August. Both trips were walk-in backpack hunts for Dall Sheep and both trips provided me with memories and lessons learned. I must say that the weather was less than desirable but the quality of the company and the sheep meat in the freezer will be tough to trump.

Luke and I walked in during a blizzard on August 9th. Once we made camp we were tent bound for the next 30 hours due to crappy conditions.

Once we started sheep hunting we realized that finding white sheep on snow covered mountains might be a bit challenging.

We ended up moving camp to get us in a more huntable location. It was a great valley but the sunshine did not melt the snow quick enough for our liking.

The bright sun and fresh snow was creating concerns for Luke and I. Neither of us had brought sunglasses and feared snow blindness. We created these sweet mesh masks from the ventilation panels from his hat. We also used a little duct tape for sun screen. I'm pretty sure we are not going to get accused of having too much extra gear on this trip.

We could not find any legal rams on that trip, but we certainly had some good laughs and a good time overall.

My buddy Shawn Verhulst came up from Wisconsin a couple of weeks later to chase caribou and I was still looking for sheep. We walked into the same place and found very similar weather...cold, windy, and mixed precip.

Shawn and I were enjoying a little down time on the tundra before we glassed some nice rams a couple miles away. From where we were sitting in this picture, we began a stalk that ultimately yielded a nice legal ram.

A nice 9 year old full curl ram.

I shot the ram almost ten miles from the road. We were able to get the field dressed animal back to camp at around 1:30 in the morning...it was not too late to have a few celebratory sips of whiskey. The next day we packed the ram and camp to the rest of the way out to the road. It was a heavy load on the way out. It was a good heavy though!

After giving up most of our elevation we were able to enjoy some of the colors of the late season tundra.

After Shawn and I got back from the Brooks Range we teamed up with Luke to do some trout and salmon fishing on the Kenai River. The weather was fantastic and the fish kept us very busy.

Luke had us totally outfitted. Here we are on our way back to camp after a day of floating and fishing. His rig looked pretty sweet stacked up with the camper and the boat.

We had a grizzly follow us for a few hundred yards one day. It was a pretty cool experience. He was just out for a nice swim and some salmon fishing too.

Luke hooks up.

This deformed catch really should have won fish of the trip but Shawn ended up with the title by landing a chubby 24+ inch Rainbow trout. (pictured below)

Our last day on the Kenai we took a little time to pursue Silver salmon. We had a couple on the stringer at the end of the day but several other fish showed us up by denying final capture after we set hooks into them.

When all was said and done Shawn got to go home with some fresh salmon fillets and a few prime cuts of sheep meat as well as a few memories I would suppose.

Doin' the Hulahula...A Packrafting Trip Through ANWR

2009-08-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

Ed's planning, great weather and some of Alaska's finest country made our 140 mile arctic traverse one that I won't forget soon. The traverse began in the upper Sheenjek River drainage on the south side of the Brooks Range and took us up and over the continental divide and down into the headwaters of the Hulahula drainage. We walked along the Hulahula until we thought that we could put our boats in the water...which proved to be a bit premature. Once we reached the confluence of the Itkilik and the Hulahula we had an eventful float into the arctic coastal plain. From there we hiked across some open tundra to position ourselves for a paddle across a small stretch of the Arctic Ocean and over to Barter Island for one last hike into the Native Village of Kaktovik. Enjoy the pictures...I know I enjoyed the adventure and the company!

many of these photos are taken by Ed Plumb

I am feeling really good about the week ahead of me...nothing but hiking, paddling and enjoying the north for 8 days. Big medicine.

The hiking was really nice for the most part but we had a few challenging river crossings once we started to gain elevation.

This one of the nameless glaciers in the upper Sheenjek Valley.

This is my attempt at Arctic Art...I call it "Sheep Turds on Purple Rocks"

Descending off the back of the continental divide.

Ann gets a good stretch in in the morning before we break camp and head down to see the Hulahula for the first time.

Robin looks mighty happy while she enjoys the blue skies and nice hiking.

We saw this big old bruin while we were enjoying a break. Once he came across our scent he spun around a headed in the other direction.

A couple of caribou antlers in a great valley.

Once we reached confluence of the Hulahula and the Itkilik it was time to inflate the boats again start the paddle towards the coast. We had attempted to float ealier but the water was really fast and we ended up pulling out.

Ed's having a good time.

I'm enjoying some quite water on the river.

Ann powers through a big hole.

Chris and Robin dry off some cloths after a day on the river.

A Dall Sheep lamb and ewe.

Chris rides a wave.

We took a few hours and went on a day hike to see if we could get some better views of Mt. Mikelson. We did not get quite high enough to see the big mountain but the hiking was great and it was nice to break up the paddling.

Ed enters the supposed canyon.

Ann and I scout out a rapid toward the end of the canyon.

A good looking red sun.

Some cotton grass on the tundra.

I think this was the first time that any of us had ever paddled in the Arctic Ocean.

The Brooks Range loomed behind us as we walked along the Barter Island coast.

We walked into the Village of Kaktovic ready to find the diner and enjoy a greasy breakfast made to order.

The two white blobs in the middle of this picture are Polar Bears. They had been napping and cleaning up the bones from a recent Buluga whale harvest.

Here is a beautiful shot looking south at the North American continent. The last night of the trip was spent on Barter Island. Although it always feels good to accomplish the goal that was set back in the planning process, it is always hard to leave the carefree nature of a pack trip behind.

Road Trippin' with Magan

2009-08-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

Magan and I had a couple of great three day weekends in July. It started with some hiking on Donelly Dome, rafting on the Gulkana River, fishing on the Klutina River and camping all along the way. A few weekends later we were able to sneak out of the country for some good times in Dawson City, Yukon at the annual music festival.

On the way down to the Gulkana we stopped at Donelly Dome and hiked up to the top of the booblike feature. It was a really nice evening and paved the way for an excellent trip.

We blew up the packrafts and enjoyed a nice paddle down the Gulkana River.

We ultimately paddled across the Klutina River to a super secret spot in search of King Salmon. It was another beautiful evening but the Kings did not cooperate. We did avoid being skunked by landing a grayling on the last cast of the night.

Two weekends later we landed in Dawson City. Dawson is one of my favorite places in the circumpolar region...and it did not disappoint on this visit.

This is one of the many sweet venues offered at the festival.

Magan and I went for a hike along Moosehide Slide and up to the top of the dome. We ultimately had to hitch a ride back to town after we took a wrong turn somewhere.

The fireweed along the Top of the World Highway was in full bloom and the berry picking was not too shabby either. All in all those were two of the best weekends of this quick summer for me.

Mother Nature Flexes Her Muscles

2009-05-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

The small town Eagle was hit hard by an ice jam and subsequent flooding from the Yukon River. Ice bergs backed up against fast ice in front of town and the water levels continued to jump until the jam finally broke loose. But not before the old native village of Eagle was totally destroyed and many other homes and businesses in the newer town of Eagle met the same disastrous fate.

The second story picture window of Charlie House's B&B was smashed out by this ice berg. All of Charlie's handcrafted buildings were displaced and ruined. He plans on cutting them up with a chainsaw and burning them in place.

A displaced cabin in amongst the jumble ice.

The folks that put up this memorial lost their home and all of their vehicles.

This was were first street used to be. It was totally covered in ice and had pushed all of the homes up and off of their foundations.

The Eagle school wore many hats...it acted as a homeless shelter, chow hall, supply exchange, Op's office and the meeting hall. I was very impressed by the quality of leadership in the school and the way the community hung in there.

The scope of work that I dealt with was spill response and tank recovery. Here we were extracting an over turned fuel truck tanker.

My co-worker looks on as Great Northwest contractors begin to work their way through the jumble ice on their way the the Holland-America Cruise ship.

The multimillion dollar ship was jammed into a precarious position. Holland-America is spending a ton of money to get the ship dislodged and ready for the tourist season.

Our contractors work at extracting a tank that was located out in the ice field.

I found this poem nailed to an old cabin and thought that it was fairly fitting for the current situation.

Back to the Slope for Bou

2009-04-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

Early April usually has some time blocked out on my calander for a trip up north of the Brooks Range to hunt caribou. My freezer had just run out of wild red meat so the timing could not have been better. Luke and I postponed the trip to try to elude some really cold weather, but when we finally arrived the temperatures where still not exacly warm with the lows in the -20's we were more interested in harvesting caribou than going for a ski tour.

Long shadows on the wind slab

We harvested four caribou out of a small herd. Pictured, is Luke and I with a nice cow.

Part of the herd skidattled once we started shooting. This photo gives a decent perspective of the enormity of the country.

A blade of icy cotton grass.

We made it back to the truck with our load of caribou before the sun set on our third day of the trip. This gave us enough time to get to Cold Foot for a Trucker Special before midnight.

The Slope did not disappoint once again!

96 Miles in 69 Hours

2009-02-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

Back in January Ed talked me into taking some time off from the building project and getting out on a ski. It seemed like a great idea, but a wild chinook blew in and brought with it some extra challanging conditions. The trails were icy, my conditioning was horrible, but the trip was great.

Skiing up windy gap

Enjoying some time inside after a long day on the trail.

We got to enjoy a few miles of fast overflow on our way down this drainage.

More overflow...there was no shortage of ice on this trip.

Once we got back into the limestone peaks of the White Mountains the surrounding landscape was phenominal.

There were some failry long stretches of very boney trails...it did not feel like interior Alaska in January.

The conditions on top of the pass were incredible...no wind and the temps hoovered around freezing.

Melting snow and drying gear in one of the cabins

John is melting in some binder wax in an attempt to get his wax to stick around for longer periods on the icy trails.

It has been a while since I have posted anything and the recallection of the some of the details associated with this trip have already left, but I do recall being refreshed by the challange and time spent with good friends in some great country.

Long Time, No Blog.

2008-12-12T16:37:00.001-08:00

It has been a while since I have updated my blog. Life has been good and steady progress is being made on the house. The photo from above is how things looked when I left for my brothers wedding in mid-October. The next few pictures bring the place up to date. I still have a ton of work to do before I can call the place finished, but I can certainly see a light at the end of the tunnel. I just had the last of my electrical work finished and should be installing kitchen cabinets around Christmas. Once the cabinets are in I can get the water system started...no more outhouse by mid-January!

Utility closet.

Carpeted stairs, painted kitchen, partially finished floors, dry wall...things are moving along!

Ptarmigan on the Dome-

Josie retrieves a snow chicken for us as we finish up an afternoon of bird hunting.
We have had a few fun outings and we have had enough success to experiment with some fun ptarmigan recipes.

More Fun at Tolavana-

Dayna, the dogs and I walked into Tolovana Hot Springs to meet up with some friends. The weather was fairly brutal, serving up wind chills below -50 degrees. It was certainly a adventure and I think we all had fun.

Dayna is trying to protect her exposed skin on the dome.

We were treated with some great views and a nice sunset as we headed out of the back country.

Wedding Bells in Wisconsin

2008-10-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to be my brothers best man last Saturday as he and Heidi said their vows and tied the proverbial knot. I made it back to Wisconsin a week early so that our fishing club could get together and celebrate with my brother on his last weekend as a bachelor. The weather was grand, the company was top shelf and the wedding was a hoot.

This is just a picture of a random country church in Western Wisconsin.

I almost got choked up when I was able to pull over for a Brat Fry at 10 A.M.

I stopped into Louie's Finer Meats for some award winning brats to grill up at during the fishing weekend.

I should have known that I would not need to supplement the brat inventory there were already dozens of these tasty sausages ready for the grill when I got to the party.

The Master Baiter Fishing Club in full plumage. Time of photo...unknown.

Tony is trying to find a willing musky while we shoot the bull in my old boat. The fall colors were a real treat.

These Bloody Mary's warranted a picture. Not only did we get the customary "wash" behind the drink but we also got a boiled egg to round this into a healthy meal.

The larger than life personalities of the bride and groom were nearly matched by the size of the beer glasses at the wedding. Needless to say, good times were had by all.

Home Building Update

2008-09-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have documented any progress on the construction project. July was a tough month full of rain and unseasonable weather which really hampered my productive work time. But once my Dad came into town to hunt and help on the house Mother Nature gave us a break and we made the most of it.

On Labor Day I was able to round up a group of friends to help put on the metal roof. It was a huge relief to finally have the house sealed up. Now I have to contend with dark evenings and the fear of freeze up in a few weeks.

A Few Days on the Delta River

2008-08-20T14:52:00.001-07:00

After we got everything taken care of from our trip into the Wrangell's we turned right around and and headed out to the Tangle Lakes/Delta River for a nice three day float, some blueberry pancakes and some good arctic grayling fishing.

The fishing at our first campsite was quite slow but there were some great blueberries for pancakes in the morning. That evening we soaked up scenery and a little whiskey around the campfire.

Once we got through the Tangle Lakes the paddling was a blast, there was lots of class II water to keep us interested.

I finally was able to use my new packraft on this trip. I think that I will have many fun trips with this little craft in the future.

Our last campsite provided us with some good grayling fishing...and ultimatly some great grayling eating!

Good Times in a Ghost Town

2008-08-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

After our initial plans for a fly in sheep hunting trip were thwarted by a crooked deal from Copper Valley Air out of Glennallen we were able to regroup and turn some lemons into lemonade. A little brainstorming and some previous scouting landed us out near the old Nebesna Mine site for base camp. We stayed at the mine site the first night in the field and just enjoyed the history of a place that almost seems frozen in time.

When we walked through the different buildings and cabins it was amazing how good the condition of everything was. There was original material there from the 1930's as well as other dated goods from squatters, explorers and researchers. One thing that remained consistent throughout the decades of use is that when people left the facility, they felt no need to bring anything out with them.

A fiscal report from the Nebesna mine company in 1934.

After our stay at the mine we hiked out and found an area for a spike camp and started glassing for some legal rams.

We found a pair of legal rams the following day, but had to wait them out in some interesting mountain weather. Mother Nature served up sunshine, rain, sleet and snow over a matter of four hours.

Once the rams came back out to feed a couple of accurate shots was all that it took to dispatch the noble critters. Recovering the animals took hours of difficult climbing, but after another long day we were able to get back to base camp and enjoy some sheep loin over an open fire.

A couple nice sets of ram horns back at the mine. Lady luck was on our side after all!

Got Walls?

2008-07-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give a quick update on the progress that has been made over the past few weeks.

After a crummy 4th of July weekend I finally had my footings and piers level and ready to support a house. Luke and Holly came over to lend some assistance in lifting and setting beams.

Once the floor joist were laid out I ripped and placed OSB in between the joist to reduce moisture and prevent rodent intrusion.

I spray foamed any voids in the OSB , laid out the fiberglass insulation and capped it off with an inch of polystyrene. I should be sitting pretty with a R-Value of about 40 on my floor.

Last night I got a pretty good sized crew out to help raise the walls. Allen, Rene, Steve, Ann, Luke and I made up the crew.

Once the last wall was raised we moved over to the saw horses and enjoyed some great Wisconsin Brats and a few cold ones to finish off an exciting night.

The Land of The Midnight Sun

2008-06-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

On Solstice I dropped my tool belt around 8 PM and headed for the hills to enjoy the Midnight sun and get Josie some exercise.

There were assorted alpine flowers in bloom which added some nice color to the landscape.

I hiked in on Quartz Creek Trail until I felt like stopping and pitching my tent. The temperature was perfect and there was a fairly strong wind to keep the bugs at bay. Both Josie and I enjoyed getting away for a little while.

Aroused Over My Progress

2008-06-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

I found this excitable fugal body next to my building site. It seems as excited about my progress as I am.

The cabin with siding

Josie approves of her new dog house.

Building for the Future

2008-06-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

The content of my blog is probably going to slow down a little over the next few months. I bought a piece of land last fall and construction has started. I fear that weeknights and weekends will be booked through November. I am almost finished with a small cabin that I will live in while I build my house. The cabin is certainly a no frills structure, but now that I have a doghouse, an outhouse, and a cabin I guess I can start referencing my land as my home.

Here it is...at 8 x 16 I don't think that I'll have to worry about getting lost inside.

Josie had a good day...she has been running off as of late, but this time she returned with a prize. Rotten leg of moose anyone?

The interior

The living room will someday become a sauna.

And this clear space will be converted into a 26 x 28 house. I hope it happens before Christmas.

Wurst Meister Wannabes

2008-05-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the sweet science of sausage production! Last Saturday Luke and I loaded up our caribou trimmings and headed over to Ed’s to go through the entire process. Ed is known as a true Wurst Meister and was kind enough to share his wisdom with us. So, on Saturday we were simply interns at the School of Sausage.

Luke with a nice roll of freshly stuffed garlic ring sausage

Ed demonstrates the delicate dance between the hog gut and the ground meat during the stuffing process.

The students are graded on their sausage handling techniques.

Turning the gut is a tricky operation. It requires patience and skill. Once the end of the gut is turned, water is injected into the pocket of turned intestine and hydraulically pushes the gut inside out.
We had lots of gut to turn.

Luke and I stand proudly with some of the spoils…bratwurst and garlic ring sausage.

My Favorite Place to Run...

2008-05-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

Generally, I would have to say Fairbanks is my favorite place. The running community here has provided me with lasting relationships, constant motivation and hundreds of hours of recreation. Specifically, I would have to say the trails and roads on Murphy Dome. I guess I am a bit biased since this is where I live, but once ski boots get replaced by running shoes it does not take too much prompting to get people to make the drive out to my place for a nice twelve mile trot. The chosen route this time provides some great views and a soft gravel road. The barbecue and the beers afterward probably don’t hurt either.

After a rather difficult three mile climb you get treated to a great view of the Tannana Hills and a gradual eight mile decent.

Fernie takes a break in the back of her truck after the run.

Sarah, Steve, Michele and Suzanne chat over a beer or two.

Some Alaskan bounty: Copper River Red Salmon, and some Central Arctic Caribou. Yum!

It was nice to have people over for a run and some fun. I would have to say that this marks the start of spring for me.

White Out

2008-04-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to have one more chance to head up to the North Slope this spring and try to fill my other caribou tag. Last time I went, I had to go it alone because Luke’s back had locked up on him. This time around Luke was as pert as a rutting buck and ready for the challenge of the slope. Luke’s friend Scotty was also joining in, and would be the third person in the hunting party. It was time to strap the skis on for one last time this spring and see if our efforts could provide some more red meat for the freezer. After about a mile we found ourselves skiing into a fog bank that reduced our visibility down to dozens of yards. The inability to establish any type of horizon had had me feeling the effects of vertigo.

An old caribou antler was some of the only relief in the seemingly featureless landscape. Scotty skis by in the background.

Here we are approaching Atigun Pass. Negotiating this pass is always a bit of a white knuckle experience.
Luke and Scott seem to have been cut and pasted onto a blank canvas.

I can say with a high level of certainty that we did not take the most direct route to our ultimate camp site, but the important thin is that we made it. We estimated coordinates off of the map and plugged them into the GPS to give a reference point.

We set up camp behind a small rise. It helped break the prevailing wind that evening.

We tried to hunt a little that evening but it proved to be a fairly fruitless endeavor. We would wait for the fog to lift before we would try again.

By 9:00 the next morning the fog had moved out of the area and we were able to enjoy our beautiful surroundings and have a much better chance at spotting some caribou.

Luke looks for some animals off in the distance.

We initially got busted by a small a group of three bou while on top of a small mountain. They were cooperative enough to run in the direction of our campsite, so we concocted a plan and made a sneak that yielded two nice animals. We were able to get the animals quartered out; camp broke, and ski back to the truck by 8:00 that night. We celebrated in Cold Foot with a big supper and a couple cups of coffee and landed back in Fairbanks around 5:00 the next morning. It was a bit of a push, but well worth the effort.

Nebesna to McCarthy...One Hell of a Classic

2008-04-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

Three years ago I opened the Sunday paper and read an article about a race that places the competitors against not only each other, but against some of the more rugged terrain in Alaska. Once the race starts there is no support for the racers and they essentially had to cross the Brooks Range from north to south by using their own power, wit and previous wilderness experience. I read and re-read the article fascinated by the concept and the toughness of the competitors. The race was called the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Ski Classic and I wanted to do it.
I still have that article and the two that followed in the next years. I met different people that had competed in the race and listened intently when they spoke about their experiences, and finally last winter I talked my friend Ed into participating in the 2008 Classic. The route no longer traveled through the Brooks Range (it changes routes every three years) now the routes take the competitors through the Wrangell Range. The race director, Dave Cramer says that even though the temperatures are not as extreme in the Wrangell’s (he has a shortened ring finger on one hand from a -50 day in the Brooks to prove it) that this route is much more challenging. Now after months of training and planning, Ed and I stood at the end of the Nebesna road ready to ski off into the wild hoping that after about 150 miles, 2 glaciers, countless unknowns and about 7 days that we would end up at John’s Bed and Breakfast in McCarthy. It was time to test our metal!

This would be the last time that group would be together in the race.

Ed and I at the starting line.

Dave and Chris skiing up the Nebesna River. There was a strong headwind through throughout this stretch but Ed proved early that he was ready for the challenge and double poled through the wind like a champ.

After the river we had to ascend Cooper pass. Cooper Creek became wall to wall ice after a while, so we donned our crampons to climb the ice and combat the headwind.

Whenever we found an open lead on a river we would dip some fresh water to help minimize the amount of snow that we needed to melt and conserve fuel.

About fifteen miles after reaching the top of Cooper pass we broke onto the Chisana River. We would travel a few more miles on the river and make camp for the night. We had a nice fire that night, but it got a bit chilly that night dropping down well below zero.

We came upon the Solo Creek cabin around 8 o’clock and were happy to stop the day at this shelter. This cabin was used as a stopping point for freight haulers back in the 1930’s.

The outhouse was a pretty sweet bonus too!

We had to stop along the trail occasionally to work on our feet. Blisters, trench foot and precautions regarding frostbite were some important factors during our time on the trail.

Once we neared the Russell Glacier we knew that our gravy miles where behind us.

While climbing Skoli Pass we stumbled on this Dall sheep ram skull. At least he died in good sheep country.

I was suffering from a nasty cold and ran out of gas as we began to lose light. We made camp right on Skoli Pass…most mountaineers would probably consider this a poor choice but it proved to be a pretty good camp site after some modifications.

A view from Skoli Pass. Looking down on the Russell Glacier.

Ed skis through some great country.

Ed skiing through an icy stretch.

Waxing my skis on the backside of Skoli Pass.

Dropping into Upper Skoli Lake.

Reaching Upper Skoli Lake was reason for celebration! The icebergs frozen into the lake made this a really phenomenal place.

We were able to ski on some fairly flat land again…it was nice to make some forward progress again.

That night we made camp under the Golden Horn (not shown). Across the valley there were several unnamed hanging glaciers that were calving off into the powder below making an interesting baseline to accompany the chatter that the ptarmigan were making all morning.

Once we realized that we were going to be long on fuel we began using the extra BTU’s to thaw our boots out a little before we rammed them onto our feet for another day.

We started out the day with some tough gorge negotiations. Ed is kicking into some wind packed snow along the face of the first gorge.

Ed ascending out of another gorge.

These three pictures show off my biggest weakness in the race…descending off of the mountainsides. I found myself facedown in the snow more often than not but we managed to get down without breaking any gear or body parts.

Bushwhacking was another necessary evil of losing elevation. I would estimate that we cussed at a rate of around 100 to 1 compared to rest of our travel.

Once we dropped onto Skoli Creek we had a few small obstacles to get through before reaching the Nizina Glacier.

The Skoli River had cut a small chasm between the face of the glacier and the mountain. This was a very unstable area. The glacier was dropping bombs of stone as we tried to make our way through this area. We were forced into the river after getting shelled by debris and needed to get out of the area.

Here I am working through the gorge.

In the lower right hand corner I am skiing through the area. It shows the enormity of the glacier.

We camped on the Nizina River after we made our way through the glacier. We did not take the time to dip fresh water so we had to melt snow that night

It was an exceptionally cold morning and our feet had a hard time coming around…Ed stopped and put his mittens on his feet in an attempt to warm them up.

I tried to ski hard to get my hart rate up and get some warm blood to my extremities…instead I wiped out in some jagged ice and got some warm blood to flow out of my head.

We had to cross some open leads in the Nizina to finally get to the McCarthy Rd.

After about 6 days and 7 hours we reached the finish. Dave treated to a great steak and potato meal while we kicked backed with a couple of beers and told stories.

Ed’s feet swelled up a little but I would have to say that internally, my confidence and pride is nearly as swollen. This was one of the best experiences that I have been able to participate in the few decades that I have been wandering on the northern hemisphere!

To read more about this trip check out Ed's blog at: http://edplumb.blogspot.com/2008/04/alaska-wilderness-ski-classic.html

Playing around in my backyard

2008-03-12T18:47:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I was lucky enough to stay at home and enjoy the local trails in my backyard with some friends. It only takes a quarter mile of squirrelly single track trail to get through my property and finally pop out onto the Dunbar Trail.
The Dunbar is a winter trail spanning decades of different use. Originally it was a utilitarian travel corridor for trappers and bush residents to reach the Alaska Railroad or Fairbanks to get supplies. Now it still serves the same purpose for some; but for recreationalists like me it opens up interior Alaska for an enjoyable day trip or an epic trip to Nome if I had the gumption.

Once Luke, Heather and I made it to the dilapidated cabin it was time to hang a left off of the Dunbar and dive into a single track route until we finally cut the Fireplug trail which would ultimately take us into Ester where we had stashed a vehicle to get us back home.

On Sunday George, Brodie and Kiara stopped by for a ski-jor outing. We enjoyed the great weather and fast trails on the Dunbar.

Josie pulled like a champ for most of the day, but she did run out of gas after the warm sun caused her to overheat a little bit.

George is looking good while Brodie eats some snow and moons the camera.

We had to cut our trip a little short since I blew out a ski after trying to take a corner a little too fast…nothing beats the Interior in the spring!

Birkebeiner Rookies

2008-02-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

With the 35th Birkebeiner around the corner, I flew down to Wisconsin to compete in the race along with my mother, brother, sister and soon to be sister in law, Heidi. The Conditions for the race were premier and the field of nearly 7000 competitors were welcomed by cheering spectators on our way towards the finish line on Main Street in downtown Hayward.

This years rookie class: Myself, Heidi, Danielle,Nathan and Mary Ann.

I really enjoyed the race and finished in the top 20% in the classic division but my brother stole the show by blowing away the competition in the Carhartt class.

Danielle finishes her first ski race.

Ma hardly broke a sweat on the trail.

We were fortunate enough to stay with Heidi’s parents at their cabin on Island Lake in Northern WI. My brother Nathan and I got out ice fishing a couple times and had a few crappies flopping on the ice after each outing.

Once the race weekend came to an end we traveled south, I got to spend some time with my Pa and Katz at the Home Farm. I did not have much time, but we made the most of it. We played some ping-pong, kept the horses fed, poured some cement in the basement remodel job, got out on a great pheasant hunt, and caught up with friends and other family members.

I even shot straight for a change!

Nugget made several nice retrieves througout the day and we ended up with 9 nice roosters.

The Man in the White Pajamas

2008-02-19T17:35:00.000-08:00

My Buddy Luke and I had planned on hunting caribou on the North Slope of the Brooks Range together this past weekend, but when his lower back locked up on him he was forced to back out. The weather looked promising and I figured that this might be my only chance to put some red meat in the freezer, so I jumped in my truck and headed about 160 miles north of the Arctic Circle in search of caribou, or at least a good story.

I woke up because of cold feet; I got out of my sleeping bag because I was filled with anticipation. Once I knocked the frost off of my sleeping bag and crawled out of the back of my truck the first thing I saw was the pipeline illuminated by the moon. The slope provides a a truly unique landscape this time of the year.

I started seeing caribou less than a mile off of the road. I was never alone after I spotted this little group; there was always a small herd within eye shot somewhere.

The moon was still visible at 10:00 A.M. This is a fairly representative picture of the area...wind blown exposed rock and fields of wind packed snow.

Once I got past the invisible "five mile marker", which makes it legal to harvest caribou with a rifle, I started reading some sign. Above are some caribou tracks, and below are some....

...caribou turds.

I made several unsuccessful stalks throughout the middle of the day but I was having a blast...the sun was shining, the temperature hovered slightly below zero and there was a light 8-10 mph breeze.

After dropping down into an expanse of lakes and moraines called "The Fog Lakes" I was able to make a successful stalk on a herd of about twenty caribou. One clean shot dispatched this young cow and it was time to get to work field dressing her. The wind picked up to 25-30 mph and made cutting her up a fairly painful experience.

Once I had the animal quartered out and loaded into my sled I made my way back to the Haul Rd. It took about three and a half hours of post holing and cussing to get back to the truck, but after I enjoyed my first steak last night it all was well worth the effort.

Left Behind

2008-02-11T13:02:00.000-08:00

The 2008 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race left Fairbanks on Saturday. It was a great day for most, but this pup did not make the final roster and was left in his dog box while the rest of the team started their 1000 mile odessey.

Luke volunteered to handle dogs at the beginning of the race to insure that everything went as smoothly as possible. Here he is helping a fellow cheesehead with his team of malamutes.

The temperature on the river was hovering around -30 F, so everyone donned their polar gear to watch the start of the event.

Lance Mackey gears up for an encore performance to last year's domination of the distance mushing world. He was the first person to ever record victories at both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod sled dog races in the same year.

I got to wish Brent Sass good luck while he waited under the Cushman Bridge. This is Brent's second Quest and he is planning on making some noise this year.

These next few shots are just some different images from the race.

After the field of 22 competitors rode down the river the crowd thinned and the racers left us all behind to go live out another normal week. Meanwhile they are just getting started on a fantastic journey that will make memories for a lifetime.

2007 The Year in Review

2008-01-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

I have to say that 2007 was one of the best years of my life! In this post there will be more images than narration but I wanted to post some of the stuff that took place over the past calender year.

NEW YEARS DAY WALKING OUT OF TOLOVANA 2007

CARIBOU HUNTING WITH LARS ON THE NORTH EDGE OF THE BROOKS RANGE

The black specs are caribou but they were only about three miles in so we could not shoot them...they needed to be 5 miles in to be legally harvested.

It was a great trip but we did not put any caribou in the freezer.

CHATANIKA DAYS OUTHOUSE RACE

George, Trevor, Ed, Melissa, and I geared up for the annual outhouse race at Chatanika, our outhouse did not show, but we were lucky enough to get to use "Old Faithful". It was a heavy beast but it certainly had character.

HIKING KASUGI RIDGE WITH TREVOR

This trip gave us the best of both worlds...we started out with phenomenal weather that allowed us to take our time and deviate from the trail. But then things turned really raunchy (like they tend to do in the Alaska Range in the spring) and forced us to put in a long day to get off of the ridge.

FLOATING THE DELTA CLEARWATER

This was a nice weekend that was set up by Lars and Sharon. This trip really let us feel like spring was here. There were thousands of migratory waterfowl moving through and the river was nearly void of ice.

BACK TO WISCONSIN FOR BRIAN AND JANESSA'S WEDDING

It was great to be back in Wisconsin to see family and friends. Sadly, I do not have any pictures of the wedding...but I do have some pictures from an ear candling party, bear baiting, and boating.

Mom and Kerry took me out on their swanky pontoon boat...we had a nice tour of the lake and finished with a nice landing by the retired pilot.

KING SALMON ON THE KLUTINA

Brett and I went on our annual King Salmon fishing trip. This year trip was a blast: we learned about a river that we had been unfamiliar with in the past, we actually caught fish, and we were witnesses to the biggest barroom brawl that I had ever had the pleasure of watching.

'BUTS IN VALDEZ

George and I met up with the Tonne's with hopes of filling the freezer with some halibut. We caught our limits, and although nobody in our party contended for the derby prize, George hauled in a bonus salmon shark.

George wanted to get a quick shower in before bed...he slipped on the rocks and and cut himself up a bit, but at least he was able to exfoliate.

SALMON SHARK OFF OF HINCHENBROOK

Brett and I joined Dad, Katz, Evan, and Gary on a salmon shark charter in Valdez. After a little looking we eventually got into these big predators. Aside from the four in the picture, we caught, tagged and released one and lost several others. It was one hell of a trip...these brutes weighed from 350 -400 pounds!

Blood in the water. Once the sharks were brought next to the boat they would get shot with a "boom stick". It was a 4 foot rod with a pistol cartridge in the tip that would get driven into the sharks head.

This was the big one from the day. It weighed over 400 pounds. I've been eating shark ever since: pickled shark, shark-ka-bobs, oven fried shark, shark fajita's, grilled shark, smoked shark...

$100 DOLLAR CAR

I picked up this sweet ride to help reduce fuel costs. Josie and I commuted back and forth to Delta Junction for work. It has already paid for itself a couple of times! I call it "The Shark"

FINISHED!

I tied up all of the loose ends associated with finishing my M.S. and headed for the mountains!

EXPLORING THE WRANGELL'S

I have been dreaming of finding a good walk in hunting area for Dall Sheep, so this year, after a bunch of map reading and head scratching, I finally attempted to punch into an area in the Wrangell Mountains. I really got my butt kicked on the first day and ended up getting cliffed out and sleeping in a fairly unnerving location. But after I backed out of my situation I managed to make my way back into sheep country and enjoy the rest of my time in the mountains. I saw one nice full curl ram that will have me back there in years to come!

This canyon got pretty tight and ultimatly dead-ended at a waterfall. I got to start this trip off with wet feet.

Kicken back with a good book or glassing some Dall sheep it was great to spend a little time in the Wrangell's. This trip was just what the doctor ordered.

FLOAT, SOAK AND HIKE...A TRIP TO KANUTI HOT SPRINGS

Ed hatched a last second plan to try to access Kanuti Hot Springs by paddling down the river to the spring and then breaking down our boats and hiking out. Ed and Dan both had Alpaca Pack rafts which weighed in around 5 pounds whereas the boat I had was a bit bulkier and quite a bit heavier. It was a great trip that allowed us to paddle the Kanuti river, basically along the Arctic Circle, get a great soak in a wilderness hot spring, scare off some grizzly bears and have a great hike out.

The hike out was pretty spectaular...from the ridge you could see north to the Brooks Range. Below, Dan had reached the pipeline access road along the Haul Road.

BROWN BEARS IN BECHEROF

Over a year of sceming went into this memorable outing. Brian, Nathan, myself and my Pa flew out to a drainage on the southeastern tip of Becherof lake. The trip did not disapoint; the weather was brutal, the bears were plentyful and the comeroderie was unbeatable!

Nathan fends off this opening morning brown bear and ultimatly prevails.

The big brownie was host to about 40 feet of tape worm...pretty grodie!

The fishing was fantastic...I was hard not to hook up for the first few days that we were in camp.

Brian had a hard time remembering how to use his hunting knife and nicked his thumb a little.

TOLOVANA NEW YEARS 2008

Things got mighty rowdey once the clock struck 12:00 on New Years eve.

A few of us took a late morning soak before hitting the trail on the first.

Josie and Lucky give Bernie some help on the way up to the top of the dome.

Life is good...365 days have passed since the first picture on this post; and I am on the same great trail, headed in the same direction. I hope 2008 will allow me to keep moving in the same direction as well.

'Tis the Season...

2007-12-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

Sarah and I harvested this beautiful spruce off of my property. It's the first tree that I have had in the last several years. It was quite festive.

Heike organized this great holiday feast at Belfair. The evening was filled with goose, wine, gifts and fun.

This tasty warm drink consists of wine, fruit and molten sugar which is dramatically torched prior to consumption.

Katie's cake was a masterpiece.

The hot gift of the night was this sexy yellow bra. Lars stripped it from Trevor...I think it looked better with Lars's outfit.

Sarah and I enjoyed Christmas Day together. We opened gifts,played some boggle, and finished the day off with a refreshing run out to an old mining shack on the backside of Ester Dome.

Celebrating Solstice

2007-12-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

Long dark nights are synonymous with winter in Alaska's Interior, but a lack of sunshine certainly does not equate to a lack of light. In fact I find the cold clear nights provide a quality of light that is difficult to match. The mid-day alpenglow provided by the sun lets every Alaskan enjoy a prolonged sunrise and sunset daily.

Ed and I skied into Nugget Creek Cabin on Solstice. It was a grand ski in that did not require the use of any supplemental light. The direct moon light coupled by its reflection off of the snow was more than enough.

Josie thought my sleeping bag was a pretty nice place to rest after breaking trail on the way in.

It took a while for the little stove to bring the temperature above freezing in the cabin. It was about -20 F when Ed and I arrived around midnight.

Ed broke his ski on the way in, but it managed to hang together on the 7.5 miles out.

After recovering from giardia Josie and I went out for a snowshoe behind my cabin. The temps had dropped to around -40 F and I felt the urge to document my enormous snotcicle.

I've got the fever..."Beaver Fever" that is

2007-12-24T10:19:00.000-08:00

After about three weeks of symptoms I made a visit to the doctors office. He felt that the description of my symptoms matched those of giardia and prescribed a couple different drugs to kill the little parasites. The treatment was nearly as bad as the giardia but everything is back to normal. Sadly, I have wanted to experience giardia for some time now... if anyone else has the same dream feel free to give me a call. I would probably suggest that it would be better to be safe than sorry.

I pasted some info about giardia from Wikipedia below:

In humans, infection is symptomatic only about 50% of the time, and protocol for treating asymptomatic individuals is controversial. Symptoms of infection include (in order of frequency) diarrhea, malaise, excessive gas (often flatulence or a foul or sulphuric-tasting belch, which has been known to be so nauseating in taste that it can cause the infected person to vomit), steatorrhoea (pale, foul smelling, greasy stools), epigastric pain, bloating, nausea, diminished interest in food, possible (but rare) vomiting which is often violent, and weight loss.

Talking Trash

2007-12-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

Heckle and Jeckle are not the only two that enjoy the spoils that the local dumpsters have to offer. Recently there was a small dust up regarding the legality of dumpster diving in Fairbanks.

After reading an article in the Fairbanks Daily News Miner I decided to bring my camera with me on a trip to the transfer station. There was plenty of diving taking place but I was fortunate enough to capture this pair as they loaded up their Ford Ranger. The man loaded up a desk that had been cut/broken in half while the woman loaded boxes of cloths and other sorts of grodie goodies. I'm not trying to be self righteous my collection of audio tapes came from a dumpster located off of the Parks Hwy.

I have attached the article describing the latest dumpster diving hub-bub...I found it to be quite entertaining.

Assembly dumps ban on dumpster diving

By Chris Eshleman

Published November 16, 2007

A vocal mob trashed a proposed ban on dumpster diving in Fairbanks before the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly unanimously rejected the measure Thursday night. Instead of pitchforks and torches, residents carried a combined five hours' worth of objections to a public hearing on the proposed ban. The overwhelming opposition led resident Paolo Greer to suggest Fairbanksans must fall into one of two categories: "People that brag about what they take out of the dumpsters and people who just don't admit it." The measure aimed to prohibit anyone from removing items from trash bins at the 14 public garbage-collection transfer sites around Fairbanks. Comments made Thursday echoed those from so-called dumpster divers around the world, who cite the practice as a constructive way to put discarded items back to good use. Resident Scott Allen said he suspects waste recyclers salvage a notable percentage of the waste stream before it hits the landfill. "This is the most effective, and the only, recycling program we have.And it's cost-effective," he said. Borough officials highlighted concerns linked to safety and liability at the sites, offering early support for a revised version of sponsor Charlie Rex's ordinance that would have become effective next summer. But of the scores of residents who commented - 79 signed up to speak,with more arriving after the meeting began - all but a handful opposed the measure. Many hinted at a strong public desire to see more recycling options, and one resident noted that the Thursday hearing fell on the nationally recognized America Recycles Day. "I think we should be building a road toward recycling," Ritchie Musick said. "This ordinance is at the wrong time. We're putting a gate across the road before we build it." Karen Austen ticked off a number of items she's picked up at the sites:a Porter Cable belt sander; a new computer printer, still in its box;leather gloves. She urged people to take advantage of designated recycling stations set up at five of the sites. "We should have one constructed at every site," she said. A few people thanked Rex for challenging the way the sites are operated, suggesting the community's waste-management structure needs improvement. Some critiqued a consumption-driven culture that they view as encouraging the marketplace to produce and purchase more goods than society needs. "Buy and trash, buy and trash. That's what we're about," Ron Kovalik said. Jean Battig suggested a better idea would be to fine people for indiscriminately throwing away usable items. "I know we can't do that,but I'd sure like to see it." Rex said he and other public officials discussed the proposed ban for months after the borough's contracted trash-hauler reported safety concerns at the sites. "People were actually intimidated to go dump their refuse," he said,adding that he feels the borough needs to rethink how it manages the public waste stream. "We need to change what we do, how we do it, our total approach." Prior to the vote, borough Mayor Jim Whitaker pledged to work with the assembly to create a commission that will review operations at the transfer sites. Rex, who eventually joined others in voting against his initial proposal, thanked residents for carrying positive suggestions to the meeting and called on the borough to keep discussing liability and junkyard concerns. Borough officials have drawn links between heavy action at the transfer sites and the proliferation of private "junkyards" - private properties filled with unstored items. Resident Elijah Shoults suggested if that connection is real, the assembly deal with it through means other than banning access to trash bins. "This ban punishes everyone because of the actions of a few, and that is unjust, it is unrighteous," he said. Bob Sawyer said low-income residents view access to the waste stream as an income or lifestyle supplement, a practice that "helps the environment and the economy and encourages self-sufficiency. "There are more pressing issues that we should be looking at" including low-income housing options, Sawyer said. Scott Calder suggested the measure amounted to an effort to aggravate class distinctions and widen wealth gaps in Fairbanks. Abe Camp adopted a quote from Thomas Jefferson. "If it doesn't break my leg and it doesn't pick my pocket, then we shouldn't make a law against it," he said. Frank Turney suggested the borough should simply post signs at the sites if it wants to relieve itself of legal liability connected to people climbing into trash bins. "It makes no sense to levy a $100 fine for someone retrieving some wood to heat his home," he said. "I suggest this sounds like something out of George Orwell." Orion Lawlor suggested much of the Fairbanks population has done what other communities might not - accepted the practice of recycling discarded goods as productive. "There's only one Fairbanks. And I for one wouldn't change it," he said.

No Dress Code at Tolovana Hot Springs

2007-11-20T22:09:00.000-08:00

This past weekend a group of friends made their way out to Tolovana Hot Springs. This is always a great trip...it was the first real trip that I made after moving to Alaska and I have been fortunate to have maintained relationships with everyone and have had many wild times out there since. It is a fairly challenging 11 mile backcountry journey that ultimately lands us at a a few cabins and some poly tubs that are fed by some side hill seeps that produce different temperature water heated from geothermal activity. Trevor and Dan are enjoying a soak in the upper tub while a hawk owl listens in on our conversation from the tree behind us.

Here's a picture of the main cabin. Some of our crew skied in while others walked in and enjoyed some of the finest sledding in the Interior.

"Clean Liven" is the best term that I can use when describing life at Tolovana...below Vlodka writes in her journal while Ed blows us all away with his unbelievable magic tricks.

Sarah, Josie and I went for a mid-day hike between soaks and meals. The weather was great, there was no wind, the snow was steadily falling and temperatures hoovered around ten degrees.

A few rose hips added some color to the landscape.

I'm fairly sure nobody lost weight over the weekend...the food is almost as good as the company.

Saturday night ended up with the most of the crew enjoying a soak...the quality of this photo may have suffered a little since I was cooling off a bit after I left the tub.

The snow had settled lightly on all of the surrounding trees and brush.

The trip out was enjoyable but it marked the end of another trip to Tolovana.

Taken' a Trip Out To The Magic Bus

2007-11-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Our thirst for exercise and adventure was certainly quenched a couple of weekends ago when Ed hatched a last minute plan to ski out to bus 142. This bus has become a shrine for some and a point of contention for others, but after our trip down the Stampede trail I believe that it should stay put and all comers should have the opportunity to share in Chris McCandless's story.

John Krakaur's book "Into The Wild" which was followed by Sean Penn's movie version of the story has peaked interest in the story of Chris McCandless's free spirited travels and ultimate death in bus 142 after being trapped in the wild by the Teklanika River. The bus now acts as a shrine and travel destination for people who have taken an interest in the tragic story. Our visit was not meant to be a pilgrimage but ended up a very memorable experience for a number of reasons. This copy of "Into The Wild" was left in a tattered suitcase under a rusty bed spring in the bus.

After about a mile we found some windblown, south facing trail that was not too conducive for skiing...these conditions did not last long.

About eight miles into the trip we had to deal with our first real uncomfortable hindrance...the Savage River. When Ed brought this trip up to me in the middle of the week I mentioned that the two major rivers that we would have to cross might still be open...he never replied, so I figured that his vast knowledge of hydrology must have left him confident in the conditions. Actually he just figured that if he planted the seed that I would ultimately come around to agreeing to the trip. He was correct, but now we had to deal with some cold feet.

This is some interesting ice on the East bank of the Teklanika River. I don't have any good images of us crossing this river. It was deeper and faster than the Savage, but after some scouting we found an ice bridge that we were able to ski across without having to get wet again.

We had not intended to stay in the bus but once we arrived at the site we were all fairly sweated up and after gathering some wood and started a fire in the barrel stove. We figured that bus 142 provided the nicest accommodations in the area so we rolled out our bags and rested fairly well..I can see how McCandless was attracted to this site. There was a little smoke that escaped the old stove when I took this shot...or maybe we were not alone?
After a relaxing morning and a warm breakfast it was time to get started on our 20 mile ski back to the vehicle. Dan and Ed take one last look before we head out.

There had been some sort of ATV that broke trail for us...a snowmachine would have made for easier going but beggars can't be choosers.
Things got a little hairy once we reached the Teklanika River. Overnight the water level had risen and our ice bridge had about six inches of overflow covered by a thin sheet of ice that I broke through when I tried to cross. My skis stuck between the main layer of ice and the new crust while the icy water made its way into my boots. One of my skis came off when it tried to back out of the situation. It was below zero so I had to hurry up and get my boot back into the binding so it would freeze together instead of freezing up, disallowing me to use my skis for the rest of the trip out. We put plastic bags over our socks to act as barriers between our boots and our insulating layer. This made the rest of the trip out fairly intense causing us to ski hard for periods of time to try to maintain a reasonable level of comfort, then breaking to shove food down in order keep a steady flow of calories in our system while occasionally massaging our feet to insure that nothing was freezing up...I guess that I would call that type two fun.

Great friends, challenging trails, and a phenomenal landscape made this a memorable trip...I guess this inscription from bus 142 says it all.

To read more about this trip check out Ed's blog: http://edplumb.blogspot.com/2007/11/skiing-into-wild-night-at-bus-142.html

Just getting started

2007-08-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

Well this is my first blogging expierience. I anticipate posting a bunch of stuff in the fairly near future. But for now I just wanted to get things up and running.