Lots going on here recently. We are now approaching that transition phase where it's too cold to do any summer stuff outside and it's too warm to do any winter stuff. I'm still trying to catch up on the list of things to do from all the guests this summer, but it was totally worth it. Danielle says I need to post about some things I have done recently, but the hunt application for 2013-2014 is where my heart is right now... so this post will be short.
Recent happenings:
- Hunting birds
- Stalking bears
- Exploring new grounds
- Rolled the 4-wheeler
- Caught some trout and steel head
- Finished mounting Danielle's moose rack
- Having a run of the worst / most compounded string of injuries at basketball (and that's saying a lot since I'm always hurt). Stress fracture in the foot, patellar tendonits, torn hip flexor, pulled glute, pulled other glute, broken rib, broken a second rib at a different time, aggrevated shoulder surgery site, torn pectoral, pulled other deltoid, gash to the shin, and other smaller issues. I hate to say it... getting old.
Danielle here....
Check out some photos from our explorations/adventures!
This is the view of "our river", Eagle River, in the fall.
Some nice black bear tracks on a beach at our river
The following pictures are from a bear/bird hunting weekend.... which led to what I call,
"The WORST hike of my life"
Adam bringing the boat to where Tundra and I were waiting to be pick up- sunrise
We woke up before sunrise and hit the water with just a little light showing. Within 5 minutes of getting to where we stopped the boat, we had spotted two black bears--- way way up high on the mountain. We picked out the one with the "easiest" stalk and asked, "would this hike be worth it? Even if we got to the top and it was gone?!?" We now have crazy Alaskan blood that runs through our veins, so we decided yes-- let's do it!
Up we went
It wasn't long before we got into the thick stuff.... AKA Alders and Devil's Club. I despise both. Alders are very difficult to move through= a maze of intertwined branches that trip you, grab your backpack and/or gun, and slap you in the face. Devils club stands up to my chest and has nasty thorns on it. I also found out I have a reaction to it as my thumb and wrist were swollen/itchy/burning where it had cut me.
We were joined by lovely "white sock" flies. All of those little dots around Adam are White Socks! They are more annoying than mosquitos- their "buzz" is ridiculous and their bite lasts longer than a mosquitoes. Plus they seem to know the worst time to bite your hand is when you are holding an alder branch with it and can't do anything to shoo it away. They also LOVE to fly in your mouth... weirdos.
I was trying to get some view shots-- I didn't post anymore on here because they all have these lil blurs== white socks!
We made it to where we thought the bear was heading to.... and it was gone! Besides the alders, devil's club, and white socks.... we also battled a steep climb that was extremely difficult because it had just rained. We both had our share of falls-- somewhere between 15-20 falls each.
I was not a happy camper... or hunter. I have never been so frustrated in the great outdoors! I am not joking when I say tears of frustration! I kept telling myself.... "You are lucky! You are hiking up a mountain in Alaska, going after a bear, with your two best friends! STOP being frustrated and be thankful!" Let's just say it took a day to get past swollen/itchy/burning devil's club reaction. A week for bruises of falling to go away. And a good two weeks for the white socks bites to go away. BUT I am thankful and would probably do it again.......... probably.
We slept in the back of the truck that night-- Adam found two cots online that fit PERFECTLY! I LOVE camping because I get to cuddle with Tundy!
Adam's brain at work-- our sweet set-up for the weekend!
Adam's two best friends--- his dog and his boat. (not the photographer...me!)
best buds
sheep galore!!! Adam's goal for hunting next fall
Some crazy fungus... a little colony!
Pretty strange, yet cool!
Well, we didn't get "skunked"--- went home with three grouse. Get this... 3 grouse with 2 shotgun shells. !??!?! Get it?!?! Grouse are dumb..... two of them lined up perfectly for me so I could take them both with one shot! Yummy yummy. Not to mention our bird dog who has crazy intuition since he hasn't been trained!
Beautiful day! Another lake we found while lookin for birds.
AND THEN WE CAME BACK TO THIS! It was soooooo windy on the lake that the waves were flowing over the back of the boat and had flooded it!
We created "wave blockers" out of storage lids and rope. .... thankfully it worked! while they blocked the waves, we used buckets and a hand-held pump w/ the bilge to get all of the water out. It took a few attempts, but we did it! WHEEEEEEEW that was a close call.
The next set of photos are from two different weekends in the same spot. Adam went down with Tundra one weekend to look for griz and birds. I went with him the next weekend. We again slept in the truck!
The start of the hike in--- destination is where the ridgeline on the right meets the valley
Zoomed in----again, destination is where the ridgeline on the right meets the valley-- at the large, flat rock formation
Tundra was SO excited to see, roll, and play in this patch of snow!
" C'mon-- what's taking you so long?!?!" says mountain dog Tundy
This crevasse was crazy deep and just dropped off so suddenly..... made me loose my breath!
Another crevasse
The view from on top of the large, flat rock formation == our destination. Looking back down the valley.
A quick stop for a cheesy photo--- just enjoying the view of the beautiful waterfall!
No luck here-- griz or birds! Ah-well, that's how it goes and it was still a lot of fun!
Next set of pics-- adventures at our river with our new neighbor and their dogs.
Tundra met his match-- Eiko, the retired military bomb dog who spent some time in Afghanistan. Neither of them give up at a tug match, I need to start timing them! I swear they will tug for at least 5 minutes!
JoAnn! We have already had some fun and crazy adventures!
Sunset on OUR river!
A couple pics of our fur baby who just turned 3 YEARS OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A baby porcupine toy from Gma and Gpa Harris. Silly pup-- he was actually holding it in his paws!
So Tundra loves going to the pet store because he gets to pick something out. So for his birthday I of course took him in and we went up and down the aisles twice as he smelled things and "looked". I tried to tempt him to get a couple different toys, but he didn't want them! I even squeaked a couple. Then finally.... he found a Kermit the Frog........and he refused to let it go as we walked through the store. I put it up on the counter to pay for it and he stood on his hind legs and put his front paws on the counter, reaching for it!
SILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY Pup!
A Saturday adventure out at Hatcher's Pass..... Erin/Shawn/Chena and I skiied up to the old mine. And Ellie rode in her chariot with ski attachment! It was a fun day and Tundra was of course overjoyed to play in the snow.
Adam found a new love... fishing in the river below freezing temperature. His fishing transportation
Adam's Steelhead... he has now found a way to fish year round. The river's wont freeze and stealhead and trout can be caught through the entire winter.
That's all folks. Happy Thanksgiving to ya'll! Safe travels!
