that place between sleep and awake

September 8

I worked for a week with a pipe-pounder named Big Red down at the Russian River. The pipe-pounder is, true to its name, big and red and deadly. It big because it is and it is red because someone spray painted it that color and it is deadly for many reasons. It's integral feature is a heavy rope that holds a 350 pound weight that becomes frayed and worn due to heat from friction on the pulley and the spinning head. It is deadly because that 350 pound weight is repeatedly hoisted high above our heads by the fraying rope and then drops with all its might on the 10 foot pipe that must be pounded into the rocky-as-all-hell river bottom. It is deadly because the 15 ft boom to which the pulley is attached is made of aluminum and bends and warps with each hoist of the 350 pound weight. It is deadly because the rope is coiled around a spinning head and the human hoisters could be caught in the rope and the spinning head. It is deadly because it spouts diesel exhaust. My last day of work was September 11 and during those 40 hours we pounded 15 or so pipe. There are 50 more to do. I am not sorry to leave this machine of death and destruction. Nor am I sad to leave the dark dank dorm of doom. I will spend the next two weeks house and Lilly sitting in Cooper Landing for a couple of Stream Watch Volunteers. Lilly is a tough 13 year old cocker spanial who snuffled into my suitcase and devoured 7 energy bars.

September 13

Mom came to visit and we had a lot of fun. We hiked more than 86 miles in the 9 days while she was here. It seems as though I saved the best hikes for last and the weather was glorious. Fall has reached us here on the peninsula and the colors are stunning. Every morning the snow line creeps down the mountains and every day the sun burns through the clouds and the bright blue sky sits in amazing contrast to the yellow and orange leaves. Each hike that we did was unique in its own way. I think I will post pictures instead of words.

Day One: Matt, Jennie, Kelly, Mom and I had lunch at Sleeping Lady Brewery. I remember liking their beer but I was too distracted to really pay attention to the quality or style of the beer. I had an amber I think. It was good and I took the pint glass! Then Matt, Mom and I braved Best Buy on PFD check day. I had to pick up my computer from the Geek Squad and it was madder than the day after Thanksgiving. We wrapped up the Anchorage trip with a stop at Midnight Sun Brewery where I bought a growler full of authentic German hefeweizen. Yummy!

Sleeping Lady Brewery

Midnight Sun Brewery

Day Two: We took a boat to see Portage Glacier and then we took a train to see Spencer Glacier. Carolyn was our friendly USFS representative on the 4 mile round trip hike. She kept us in line and on time to catch the train for the return trip.

Portage Glacier

The Alaska Railroad

Shasta the high-fivin' husky

Spencer Glacier Whistle-stop

In awe of Spencer Glacier

Day Three: We hiked to Bench and Johnson Lakes on the Johnson Pass trail. We saw six bears (three black and three brown) from afar.

Johnson Pass

Day Four: It rained and rained and rained. But we didn't let that stop us as we hiked to Crow Pass and Raven Glacier. The rain and the rising and lowering clouds seemed to make the experience even more surreal than it already was. The rain put my new event rain jacket to the test and it proved itself over and above the competition. I stayed dry to damp while mom became soaked in her gortex.

Raven Glacier as seen from Crow Pass

Day 5: Many of my coworkers had recommended Devils Pass as one of their favorite trails. It was not a disappointment in the least. We left the tree line after three miles and hiked in the alpine for the next seven. Wave after wave of migrating cranes passed overhead and scenery and weather were splendid.

Day 6: We hiked to Lower Russian Lake. This hike holds a special place in my heart because I actually worked on this trail. At the beginning of the season we used ATVs to haul gravel load after gravel load up the wheelchair accessible trail to fill in the washed out areas. We also replaced several culverts and used a tamping machine. Lower Russian Lake is also where Katie and I first encountered the elusive and mysterious Moo Chirp and where Rachel and I helped the Cabins Crew demolish the deck of Barber Cabin. A spur trail leads to the Russian River Falls and this is where you can see salmon jumping. It intermittently sprinkled rain and had the sun shine so there were a lot of rainbows in the air!

Day 7: The last time I planned to do this trail, I got way-layed because there was still a lot of snow in the higher elevations. That was in mid-July. The hike from Lost Lake trail head to Primrose trail head is about 16 miles and full of grandeur and beauty. At the high point you see Resurrection Bay to the South, Mount Alice in the distance to the West, Mount Ascension towering over you to the East and the Lost Lake network pooling blue beneath you to the North. While all the while giant fat, baby bear-like marmots whistle and bold for their holes or stand sentry on guard. The wooded parts of the hike were ripe with blueberries and mom and I easily picked a gallon or more of them on the way down. I, at this moment, deem this one of my favorites in all Alaska. As Megan told us, when you reach the high point, you can hear the angels singing!

Day 8: I have drooled over the Harding Ice Field in earlier posts. Mom and I did this hike despite the call for thunderstorms. They lied, it was a gorgeous day and we had a wide clear view. We watched a very amusing traffic jam through binoculars take place on the trail ahead and above us. It began with a black bear on the mountain side, foraging toward the trail. Then a herd of 16 goats grazed up toward the trail and down-trail from the bear. Some goats crossed the trail and moved upward onto the rocky scree above. About 6 goats lingered to graze below. About this same time a family of 6 hiked up the trail and stopped about 60 feet short of the bear, who, by the way, was paying them no mind. While that family pondered on their next course of action, four more hikers joined them below the bear on the trail while four others were stopped above the bear as the hiked down. The bear moved little during all of this, but half of the people down trail began to hike up onto the scree to skirt the bear while half of the people up trail began to hike through below the bear. At some point, the bear was surrounded by folks and goats and the whole thing looked pretty funny from afar. Finally, the trail became clear in the down-trail direction and the bear moseyed in that direction. By this point, mom and I had left the trail altogether and were making a b-line for the high point and the view of the ice field. While there we were joined by a smaller black bear who snuffled around the rocks behind us. Our attention was divided between moments of bear viewing and ice field viewing.