Sunday, July 06, 2008

“Be yourself. There is something you can do better then any others. Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that.” – Unknown

This is sound advice, for sure. However, like so many things, it is easier said than done and I am struggling to remember to be myself and to be content with my interests and tend to my happiness as well as others. I tend to have the hardest time when I interact with people who I am trying to impress or fit into, specifically my crew. I just completed my first 8 day hitch for work and it was really interesting. First of all, we use ATVs to haul all of our gear in so we are free to pack as much as we please. I really went out on a wire and packed two sleeping bags and 7 whole apples. I didn’t however, go all out because I was suspicious that the ATVs would break down and I would have to haul my backpack in the end. Fortunately, this was not the case, and we set up a plush camp, complete with propane stove, tarp, cooler and full kitchen set. I was amazingly comfortable in a two person tent (quite different from my usual little roadrunner than I can barely sit up in) and two sleeping bags. I sat back to learn the routines of this crew in our new settings. We wake up at 6:30 (Claire notoriously rolls in at 10 till 7:00 and we cook breakfast, which includes toasted bagels for some folks (yes, we brought a backcountry toaster) and coffee. At around 8:00 we start cleaning up and bear-proofing camp then we warm up and do safety circle in the form of hacky sack for about an hour. With 6 of us, it is a bit of a challenge to get a hack (when all 6 touch the sack before it falls to the ground). By 10:00 we are working hard in the ditches. Our project was about 4 miles in on the Resurrection North trail out of Hope.

We were replacing, adding and resetting culverts or as Kurt fondly calls them in a rough Boston accent, cul-ver-sacs. Our work proved to be amazing tedious because of the nature of the dirt. The area is covered in heavy clay and whether it is wet or dry it is difficult to break up and shovel out. We all worked on our own culverts and so the work was fairly solitary and I felt little pressure to out perform. After work, we gathered around the fire and chatted while one person cooked dinner. We had several visitors throughout the week. Molly, who was on the crew last year, spent three nights and three days with us. She worked with us and made us Mediterranean pasta with artichokes. Dave, Claire’s boyfriend hiked in with beer and Arrow, their dog and stayed for two nights and Janet and Nellie hiked in with Max, the dog and the makings for mojitos. Eric joined our crew from the maintenance crew and he brought two bottles of whiskey and a lot of tobacco. We spent every evening around the campfire and I mostly listened because they are all friends from way back and talk about things far out of my frame of reference. I enjoyed myself during these times but seeing the well knit group of friends made me nostalgic for my friends and how comfortable we all feel around each other and our form of entertaining ourselves. I sang a lot and was criticized for it, mainly because they didn’t want those songs stuck in their heads and not because they are opposed to singing. But I quipped “I let you be yourselves, so let me be myself.” We had an evening adventure to Hope for an open night mic and I learned first-hand about the dangerous nature of the mud flats that are exposed by low tide. I got stuck to my shins in some sinking mud and had a moment of worry as I tried to pull myself free. I was indeed, able to extract myself but later learned from my crew that people die on the mud flats every year because they get so stuck and then the tide comes in. Yikes.

I was able to meet up with my Aunt Debbie, who was visiting friends in Kenai, a town about 70 miles away. She came and picked Katie and I up and we spent some time wandering around Seward and then drove back to Kenai. The day was simply amazing and full of warm sun (it has been mostly rainy and cool). Her friends live right on the ocean and have an amazing view of the Alaska range across the water. The Alaska range is volcanic and sometimes, the mountains smoke! Katie and I pounded the beach while Aunt Deb and her friends played pool. We played rummy on the lawn in the warm sun at around 10:30 pm and continued the game inside until the sun set at around 1:30am. Geri, Deb’s friend has a great collection of classic rock vinyls and we whiled away the time listening to the Beatles, the Eagles, Aero smith, Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac. Geri, Katie and I danced ourselves silly and finally decided to go to bed as the colors of sunset faded from the sky. It rained the next day but that didn’t damper our trip to Homer, a quaint drinking town with a serious fishing problem. Homer is the halibut fishing capitol of the world. It is also filled with cute little tourist traps and souvenir shops. The main point of Homer is on a spit in the bay is ringed by scenic mountains and glaciers spilling into the bay. Homer is surely one of the most scenic towns I have seen. We wrapped up our Homer experience with a trip to the Homer Brewery. It proved to be a bit of a disappointment as they don’t serve beer at the brewery and we weren’t in the market for a growler full of beer. We were able to sample two styles of beer, rye ale and a raspberry porter. They were both tasty but the mood was rushed and I feel as though I need a better venue to truly sample and critique their beer. We did a grocery stop in Soldotna and returned to the St. Elias brewery where we chatted with the bar tender, who we have seen at Solstice and other functions. We also chatted with some of our fellow drinkers and exchanged phone numbers with some guys who like music. Imagine having that in common...

We hitched home with ease. The Fourth of July crowd helped our cause. Everyone swarms to Seward for the Fourth of July because Seward is where it all goes down. There are fireworks at midnight on the third, a parade and an epic race up and down Mount Marathon. The race is renowned for its challenge and it has become so popular that you have to win a lottery to compete. Competitors run straight up and down a rugged mountain. I watched the men careen down a gravel shoot at the base of the mountain. They were wet, muddy and totally scraped up. Seeing the women run triumphantly across the finish line made me want to compete in the race, or at least give it a go on my own. I partook fully of the Seward festivities and rounded out the night at a bon fire with my coworkers. I had a really good time at this bon fire, had a heart to heart with Mark and played guitar and sang until the sun set. This was one of the first times that I felt truly free and comfortable with a large group of my co-workers. I am not sure what was different but perhaps it is just the passing of time.
Midnight on the 3rd of July
Carolyn and Smokey in the parade
Carolyn, Katie, Jennie and Rachel on the 4th
Men competitors coming down Mount Marathon
Debbie and I in Kenai with Mt. Ilyamna in the background

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