Life before the dig

Ever since the 4rth of July weekend I have been wrapped up with work on an archaeological excavation.  It has been 10 hours days for 6 days a week and I have had time for practically nothing else.  When I get home I have been too tired to even walk the dogs.  I've been too busy even for recreational photography!  Now that's busy.

I saw these images in my iPhoto folders and it reminded me of the summer days before the dig.  Evening walks on the beach with the dogs.  Taking pictures of flowers.  Normal, sun-filled and less hectic times.  And in a week, when the dig ends, those days will return!

I can't wait!

Patrick

Chiniak

All last week I was out at Chiniak on an archaeological dig.  Rather than do the 1 1/4 hour drive back and forth every morning and evening, I opted to camp out. Such a good idea!  The weather was great and I had a very relaxed time.

The first day after work I loaded up my kayak with all my gear and went in search of a good camping spot.  I paddled several miles down the coast and decided that the best spot was back where I started out.  So I paddled back and camped about 300 yards from where I first launched the kayak.  Pretty funny actually.

It turned out to be a GREAT camping spot.  It faced north so during the day the spot was in the shade - but for the sunrise and sunset it was awash in golden light.  Pretty spectacular spot.  And every morning is was just a 10 minute walk to get to work.
Patrick

I loaded up my. kayak to find a spot to camp and ended up camping 300 yards from where I started!

View from inside the teepee

I added this 'pigweed' (seashore saltbush) from the beach to my dinners

Pyramid

Today Stuey and I along with his friend Marcel climbed Pyramid in the fog.  For Stuey it is the 4rth of the 7 peaks in the Adjust Your Altitude Challenge.  With 4 down and 3 to go we are over halfway done with the challenge!

It was pretty misty and 'atmospheric' up there today, but we took the requisite pictures for both the AYA peaks and 'foothills' challenge.  Three quarters of the way up at the plateau counts for the 'foothills' challenge while we had to go up into the pea soup fog to the very summit for the 'peaks' challenge.

The light was not great and I did not take very many photographs.  But I kind of liked the cool weather and no sunshine.  I remember last summer Nora and I got sun-blasted on most of the summit hikes.  Cloudy and cool is comfortable hiking weather.
Patrick

Fireworks

After the Sharatin camping trip we had fireworks off the front deck of the house.  Lots and lots of fireworks.  Happy birthday USA!  And I certainly appreciate what happened on that long ago Fourth of July day.  That was one brave act and I and the rest of the citizens today are certainly beneficiaries.  Thank You!

At our fireworks celebration we did the usual bottle rockets, sparklers and mortars.  Mike P cam over and brought these Chinese lantern like things that were a HUGE hit.  They floated up like big hot air balloons and disappeared over the horizon.  WOW!
Patrick

More Sharatin Camping

Some more pictures from last weekend's camping trip on Sharatin with the cousins - and it was such a good trip that I have even more pictures to post!  But I think this will be the last post.  I'll let the pictures do the talking - great weather and those cliffs are certainly impressive!
Patrick

Stuey and the cousins on Sharatin

Last night Stuey and I went on a hiking camping trip up Sharatin with the cousins.  The claimed objective was to climb to the top and tick off another mountain on the Adjust your Altitude Challenge.  But only Stuey and I had stickers - so really it was all about camping with the boys.

We climbed up and camped next to a lake and even went swimming after dinner.  On arrival it was looking a little ugly and I was worried we'd be getting in some downtime in tents in the rain.  But the sun came out and after dinner we went for a quick walk and checked out the super scary and sheer cliffs near camp.  Like 300 foot vertical drops.

We also found where a stream had cut a tunnel under a snowfield and you could duck walk through under the snow.  A snow cave tunnel!  All and all we had a very good time and I took so many pictures that I will have to do a couple of posts at least - so stay tuned.
Patrick

Hiking up through the 'buggy' brush

Ah to be in the divine alpine!

Stuey waiting for dinner

Camp and dinner prep

Checking out the sheer and very scary cliffs on an after dinner walk

A big hit - the snow tunnel

Camp at dawn

On the summit - 3 down and 4 peaks to go!

Hiking home

North Sister Loop with Stuey

Yesterday Stuey and I did our second peak in the 'Adjust your Altitude' Challenge - the North Sister.  There were a lot of people climbing the mountain with us and we even met Stuey's babysitter from way back.  It was also very hot and steep.  We went up the front steep side and without any wind or shade it was sort of a slog.  But we made it and there was a breeze out of the north on top.

Rather than negotiate the steep front side again we opted to climb down the less steep backside.  Stuey and I both agreed that going down steep slopes hurts the knees and shins.  However, on the backside the top section is super scary!  And I was wondering what I had got us into, and even suggested that we go back up and down the way we came.  To this Stuey replied, 'are you crazy - go back up!'

So we continued on down and once past the scary section it was far more pleasant than the other side of the mountain.  There was a breeze and even shade trees lower down.  It was also far less steep and we did not see a single other soul on the trail.  We just enjoyed the view while we meandered through the wildflowers.  We also filled our water bottles with the most 'delicious water in the world' from a cold spring on the way down.

At the bottom Stuey sat by the side of the road and drank the 'delicious water' while I walked a mile or so up the road to collect the car.  Lap 2 complete!

Patrick

On the way up - steep pretty much the whole way and no shade

We begin the descent - there is a steep scary section at the start

Hiking down through the wildflowers on the backside

This flower has a great name - weaselsnout (Lagotis glauca)