january 26

This has been a weekend of birthday partying, and subsequently no blogging. Here's one from the joint Ed/Matt birthday party on Saturday. Ed Plumb is one of my new favorites in Fairbanks- a pack rafting/running/skiing adventurer who also loves to smile.


Turning 27 was a lot of fun!

January 22nd

Quite a day of adventures with Scout, Martha's dog (Martha is Kate's housemate). The highlights: skijoring! Scout and I skijored on the Tanana:


She pulled like a champ. And then we saw these two:


I love these Alaska moments. And we ended the day with Kate and Scout skijoring in Creamer's field in the dark, where Scout proceeded to pull Kate all over the place as if she was fresh like basil. I took the chase, lagging behind V2'ing as dash as I could. Those two are a great team.

No Scout is asleep and dead to the world on the floor....

January 20

Lots of beauty on this fine MLK day....


The morning sunrise along the Chena as Kate and I pre-baited the duck trap.


The colors were fantastic and surreal.


Then we went to ski land, Fairbanks' only ski lift out past Fox. My expectations were abysmally low, and they were shattered with the epic fun we had. I skied my splitboard most of the day.


And 5 hours later, the sun is setting over out last run.


Picturesque celebration beer at the cars with Kate, Thom Walker, and Brie. Ski land was packed with frisbee friends. Further proof we are part of the best clique in town.

Now sore legs.

Jan 19

The day began with biscuits and sausage gravy. Here Kate took a stab at it....


After making friends on the CB300, there are more dogs in my life, better dogs than the border collies this summer. Walter does a photo bomb here.


Holding paws during the evening play/beer date of the dog lovers' party.

A great Sunday ending with northern lights on the drive home

January 17

A beautiful day marked by the highlight of a ski with Kate. Temps hit 30 degrees today, necessitating red Toko kick wax, Wowza!

Skiing at creamer's field

Went for an exploratory Nordic ski today with Reed and Lindsay at Creamer's Field, a migratory bird refuge in Fairbanks. Along the path we found this moose, still retaining his antlers despite the snow, cold, and lack if tutting females. We stood there, admiring the mystique of Alaskan wild animals, when he turned around and charged through the powdery snow, covering what was a respectable distance in a blink. Reed dove into some trees, as did Lindsay, and all I could think to do was holler and wave my poles. He turned at the last minute and in moments of laughter later, we we struck by the unpredictable nature of this place, even in the places you let your guard down. Alaska is always full of surprises.

300 miles later

In the dark amid falling snow flakes, Cody and his wife Paige crossed under the iron arch reading Copper River 300 in downtown Glennallen around 9 pm, taking 10th and 9th respectively. 300 miles in 2 days and 11 hours-ish. Now it is 11:27 pm and bedtime, but only after the dogs have been fed, medicated, and massaged. I've made many corollaries this weekend between this extreme dog-powered adventure sport and the other self propelled adventure sports I am addicted to (the people being first and foremost similarly crazy), but what I really love about skis, bikes, and packrafs are that when you get off the trail, you can neglect them. And so, after pizza and beer In the hotel room, we had to put back on all our soggy gear and give the dogs a second dinner and poop break.

I took two pictures today:



Waiting at 3 am for our mushers to come in, we get sleep wherever possible.


And after pizza and beer, sleep catches us.

Today, I thought of Robin in China, and moments when she would throw fits at times when she was bad at something new. Like badminton, tennis, Chinese, basketball, etc. I was always perplexed, wondering if we all have that limit where we break, stop having any fun, and throw a fit. After 2 days, little sleep snuck in on car seats, and doing a job I don't know the subtleties of this weekend, I almost snapped when told in a constructive, supportive manner from Kate that I had done something wrong. Again. All I wanted to do was throw a fit and feel ever so pitiful. But life goes on and leaves you behind feeling pitiful and martyred all by yourself if you are too stubborn, so I petted dogs until it passed. And I thought of Robin then, and realized how I was acting 10 again and how everyone was being as supportive as anyone could ever ask for. Experiences like these are good reminders of humility, and teach (if you're paying attention) how to treat someone when they begin to snap because they did it wrong. Again.

Off to bed

Day 2 of the CB300

Cody packing at mier's lake after a much needed rest. The night before everyone came in caked in ice after crossing a "waist high standing wave."


In between the excitement, handlers enjoy Irish coffee.


Cody putting on booties at Sourdough checkpoint. He left at 8 tonight on a 59 mile run with lift snow falling. Moments like this make this magical

First day of the cb300 race today, the start was so exciting. The day has been spurts of action sandwiched between periods of inactivity. Driving to Myers lake checkpoint 2 right now!



Gearing up!


Ready to start!


Checkpoint 1, first rest


Checkpoint

Copper River 300!

Kate and I woke up early this morning and joined Cody and Paige for the Copper River 300 dog race in Glennallen for the weekend. We are handling for Cody (Kate's second time and my first); race starts tomorrow at 10 am. Traveling with dogs is a new experience and I'm having a great time!


Break time along the road





Pre-race meeting in the community center


Dinner time

Welcome 2014

I have two resolutions for 2014: be more daring in my cooking and post here more often (it has been more than a year of daily procrastination on this front).  To accomplish the earlier, I started with buying three cookbooks: The Chinese Gourmet, Basics of Asian Cooking, and 41 Curry Recipes.  For the latter, I plan to post a picture a day here, in the hopes of both sharing what life in the frigid North is like and to get back into the blogging habit.  Maybe as time and pictures go on, I'll even write more.

The update since September 2012: 

After China, Luka and I went to the wedding of Matt and Molly (now) Stenovec.  What a wonderful way to return--friends and merriment abounded.  I made bread in Anchorage for the holidays, then ski bummed in Crested Butte, CO for another winter, working at a ski rental shop and living with Emma Lohr, Danny Spencer, and Nick Matisse.  It was a winter of backcountry adventures, powder snowmobile trips with Darrell (Nick's second machine), and puzzles in the most homey place I've lived outside of Anchorage, 713 Maroon.  It was a warm and surreal winter.  In April the whole gang came to Alaska and had a month-long ski trip that was cut short for me to go to my new job, Wildlife Biology Technician in Delta Junction.  I spent 7 months living in Delta Junction (population 974 people) in Interior Alaska.  It was an incredible summer spent learning a wide array of biology skills, an equally wide range of natural history in a new part of the state for me, and one packed with fun adventures.  My co-worker and house-mate Bob went fishing along the Copper River at midnight, drove up to the Arctic Ocean with my sister and (now) girlfriend Kate, went duck hunting in the fall, and with each other's support survived the atrocious living situation that was the farm we lived on.  Now, the Delta job over, I live in Fairbanks for the winter.  I am care-taking a helicopter operation and living in their pilot cabin, working for a Biology professor at the University of Alaska on a project studying over-wintering ducks on the Chena River, and spending my time with Kate and my sister Lindsay and her boyfriend, Reed.  I have discovered that all the bad things Anchorage people say about Fairbanks is mostly untrue, that -40 degrees Fahrenheit  isn't so inhospitable, and that the Aurora makes the long nights worth it.  So, check in often if you are curious about the oddities of life in the frigid North, and you will find a few beautiful moments sprinkled in as well.  

Today's the 9th, so here's 9 images to catch up for the year:

Jan 1: First time the family was together for the holidays in 4 years!

Jan 2: Holiday cookie bonanza with 妹妹

Jan 3: A hanger of helicopters under my care.  Can't fly them yet.......

Jan 4: Brrrrrrrrrr..... 

Jan 5: Survival gear for the cold temps, bright color optional.

Jan 6: Cold weather makes for surreal moments, a reward for those willing to go outside in search of them.

Jan 7: The overwintering duck hoard at the Chena River

Jan 8: During the process of measuring ducks after we catch them, they each get a turn in a pitcher to weigh them.  I find it endlessly humorous.

Jan 9: Releasing a duck after measuring along the steaming Chena River.