Stop #4: AK - Week 2

July 1- 7, 2012

After three days in Tetlin, we hit the road again headed toward McCarthy.

60 miles of dirt road proved to be a challenge as one of our  vans got stuck along the way

One day was spent exploring the ghost town of Kennicott

That, in its day, made millions from mining copper

The mounds of dirt may look like a gravel yard; however, that is actually part of the Kennecott Glacier.
As the glacier has melted away, it left behind the bits of earth that it gathered as it slowly moved along.

We stopped to talk with the Park Ranger

and then grabbed some lunch

before heading back to camp

Before turning in for the night, I had to go and check out a local food joint called the Potato. 

Independence Day was a time of celebration in town

from a gallery exhibiting local artists 

to games for the family

and photos of Independence Day in McCarthy throughout the years

I was even inspired to create some art around our campfire

before the evening fireworks show started at midnight

The day to go ice climbing finally arrived

With crampons on

and ice tools in hand

I worked hard to climb to the top 

and was rewarded

with an amazing view to my right

and to my left - the root glacier 8 miles away

A wide angle of our glacier climb

Time for the mile and a half trek back  

Definitely one for my favorite days thus far!

Stop #4: AK - Week 1

June 18 - 28, 2012

We flew into Anchorage. So many mountains in site. My only glimpse of the ocean was while in flight. 

The first two days, the Backpacker's Inn we called home 

As we preped for the month ahead buying food and even renting a Sat. phone.

The 7 hour journey to Tetlin had so much to see 

As beautiful, wonderful, magnificent scenery passed by me

A glacier along the side of the road

A rainbow in the sky

Around every bend and curve in the road

Something was there to catch my eye

As the sun approached the horizon

looking to soon be out of view 

I looked at the clock and realized

It was 10:42(pm)!

"Land of the Midnight Sun" Alaska is called and, of course,  for good reason. However, being only June 19th, we had yet to see the longest day of the season.

We tested all our gear, even our cans of bear spray

and worked together to make a sawhorse on Construction Orientation Day.

After all of our hard work, we thought a fun day off in Chicken was needed.
Then back to Anchorage again where our kids for the summer were greeted.

Stop #3: MT

June 14-18, 2012

First impressions can often be misleading, starting a chain of thoughts that just aren’t true about a person. However, rare instances do occur when adding together elements you observe about a person do come to the correct conclusion. My flight to Montana was just one of the instances. Granted, I had a couple of variables in my favor. 1.) Even though Denver is a big airport, the destination airport of Bozeman, Montana definitely was not. 2.) Very few airlines fly to Bozeman 3.) I knew many people would be migrating to Bozeman for the same reason I was.

So, as I sat in the waiting area in front of the gate, I felt I could make some assumptions about people that had a high percentage of being correct. Example 1: female in mid-20s wearing a pair of chacos (sandals), fitted flannel-like shirt, and carrying a high-end outdoor backpack. Example 2: male in mid/late-20s, comfortable non-jean pants, t-shirt, flip-flops, shoulder-length-curly hair pulled back into a ponytail, and carrying a guitar without a case.

Now, if flying to Denver the people described above would be pretty common. However, leaving Denver to go to Montana was a completely different story, as I saw many cowboy hats and Carhartt clothing around me. I was provided the opportunity to test my conclusions as I sat down in the window seat and Example 1 sat down in the aisle seat. Leaning over the middle seat, I said to her, “This might seem strange, but are you going to Montana for training?” Her reply came as no surprise, “ Are you with VISIONS too?”

That was the beginning of my introduction to the wide variety of people that make up this summer’s VISONS global team. The next three days were filled with learning about policies and procedures, our site areas, our participants, and each other’s stories. Never again will all 55 of us be in the same room together, but for these few days it was great to see a like-minded group of people come together to become something greater.

P.S.

My conclusions about Example 2 were also confirmed as he approached the rest of the VISIONS group at baggage claim. 

Stop #2: CO

June 12-14, 2012

Due to the flight schedule of Frontier Airlines, I had the opportunity to make a quick stop in Denver, CO before heading on to Montana for training. My decision to stay in Denver for a total of 36 hours was two fold:  1.) My friend Leah from JBU days lives in the city and 2.) I have two cousins that live up in the Ft Collins area. If all worked out well, I would get to hang out with both.

Accompanied by beautiful weather, Aaron and Nathan picked my up from the airport and we ventured downtown to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory. One of my favorites! The last time I saw Aaron was at Thanksgiving. It took me a long time to remember when I last say Nathan. What I came up with was March 2002!

After our night out on the town, they dropped my off at Leah’s house. The events of the following day were a pleasant surprise as Leah’s sister Liz and friend Megan set to work making homemade cleaning supplies. After the 5-store search for the ingredients, the mixing process only took about an hour. The final products: liquid laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant.

This was definitely a whirlwind experience but relaxing all at the same time. I always enjoy catching up with friends of ol’ and getting a small glimpse of the lives they now lead. 

Stop #1: PA

May 30- June 12, 2012

As seems to be tradition with Aletheia and me, several things always come to pass when we are together. A) Some kind of craft is created B) A movie marathon occurs and C) The majority of our funds are spent on ice cream.

During my stay in PA all of the above took shape. However, other great events and adventures unfolded during my fortnight stay.

Watching Aletheia paint live 2x

Rainbow sighting during one of our walks 

Putting my free time to good us by helping Aletheia get ready for her first Art fair!

 

Road trip to Ohio

An introduction to Aletheia’s maternal side of the family (2 Aunts and Uncles and 18 first cousins!) at a second-cousin-once-removed wedding.

 

A morning at the beach  

 

Book Store Exploring

Happy Birthday to Us!

Aletheia and I are in a stage of life where uncertainties still make an appearance. As always, it is a great feeling to be around others that are going through the same circumstances. One of Aletheia’s philosophizes that I love and should observe more is the idea of celebrating; a concept that causes in-the-moment refection, allowing the positive that is happening in and around us to come to light. And so Aletheia and I decided to do some early celebrating of the day we each entered the world. The ice cream cake was the perfect solution for this glorious occasion!