November 13, 2011, Sunday
Windy and cold all day,
reaching a high of 40 degrees just one time. Wind
gusts hit 37 mph today. It hailed several
times, and snowed just a little. It’s nice
to be in a warm house. Kathy cut my hair
today, and it looks good! It’s her first time using the haircutting kit we bought.
November 12, 2011, Saturday
At 6:30 PM, the temperature was 40 degrees. The high today was
45. Through the afternoon, the sustained
wind hit 24 mph, with gusts to 45, which seems more like at least 60, judging by the
sound of the wind on the house and the swaying of the trees. Luckily, it was calm in the morning.
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| The view from the top of One Duck Trail |
I went on an organized
hike for the first time on the island this morning. I definitely needed the exercise, and was looking forward to
meeting new people.
This was my first time on the Out in the Rain hikes. There was a pretty good storm last night, scared people away from the hike: it turned out to be Bob, the leader, me, and two other people, a couple I had met once before. There was discussion about
whether to cancel the hike or go ahead. Happily for me, they decided to go ahead. Jared and I
had this hike on our list of trails to tackle, but hadn’t made it. I rode with Bob and the other couple drove
their car. At least it wasn’t raining,
and I had layered up so I was fairly confident I was ready for any temperature.
The drive south to the trailhead took about
25 minutes, and we found six inches of snow covering all but the plowed
roads (the trailhead was about 600' higher in elevation, and considerably farther inland than Klawock). We parked and headed up the trail. I knew it was a steep trail, and this proved
to be very true, gaining 1100 feet of
elevation in just 1.25 miles, earning it’s ‘most difficult’ rating (the Cowles Mountain Trail gains 733' in it's first 1.25 miles). At first the trail was clear, but then we ran into new snow, about four inches deep. Luckily I had worn my rain boots,
and they have a very good grip, so my feet stayed dry and gripped well enough. The trail was very well constructed, and
beautiful in it’s virgin white snow blanket. Bob brought his search and rescue dog Sweep, who was really enjoying the snow.
For at least half the
trail I kept up, and then I began to run out of steam. It's a very steep trail, and watching my every step was taxing, too. The trail gains either 1100’ or 1200’,
depending on which source one reads. We finally reached the shelter at the top, not a step too soon for me. It is a beautiful trail, and I'm looking forward to hiking it again in the Spring.
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| The last few steps leading to the shelter and end of the trail. |
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| Sweep, ready to head back down the snowy trail. |
November 11, 2011, Veteran's Day
We went to the Bob Hope USO Show tonight, at the Craig High School auditorium. This was campy but fun. One guy dressed up as Bob Hope, then Elvis, then John Lennon, and finally Johnny Cash. Our friend dressed up as Phyllis Diller, and she was really good. There was a band of high school kids who did a really good job. It was fun to get out and see some entertainment.
November 10, 2011
I finally got the second
crate broken down and hauled away.
Although still cold, one morning was sunny, before the rain returned, so
I got busy and took advantage of it, clearing out the bicycles and bed frame
and left over packaging, and went to work with my hammer to tear down the
crate. This was actually fun, since it
wasn’t detail work, just simply demolition time, and I could swing away with
the hammer. Lord knows I could use the
exercise, too. I did save the two by
fours, which were good lengths and in good shape, unlike the plywood
sides.
Next, a second trip to the
Klawock landfill. Jared had helped me
load the first crate onto the top of the car for my first trip to the dump. This time, I found a way to load the four by eight foot
sheets of plywood onto the car top rails without touching the paint, and loaded
it up.
The grounds were four or five times muddier than before, with no safe
ground visible. The mud was about six
inches thick, and soupy. There was a tractor
operator who seemed to be waiting for me to dump the load, so I figured if I
got stuck, he’d be happy to pull me out, and in I went, a real test for the
Ruby Red ‘Ru! I got the load
off, no problems, and then carefully got back in the car, my boots covered in
mud. Nice and easy, I pressed on the gas
pedal, and away we went, no hitches. How
nice is four wheel drive?! I was a
little disappointed, really, that it was so easy to drive out.
I’m sitting in the Craig
Library, catching up with a long overdue blog entry. I suddenly remember Kelli and Jared and I
bringing Henry here to the Storytime. He had a fun with the blocks, and always
enjoys being around other kids. Seeing
him walking was so fun! Kelli said he
blew me kisses at the end of our conversation on the phone the other day! We miss him so much!
Kathy’s job continues to
be worthwhile and educational. Her boss
and other co-worker are away this week at a conference in Anchorage.
Her boss barely returned from a long vacation in the Lower 48 before
leaving for the conference, so she has had a lot of time on her own at the
Clinic. She is still running behind in
hours of therapy needed for certification, assuming we expected it to take two
years. However, she found out she is
eligible for a third year of tuition reimbursement, if she stays all of 2013,
so we may be here longer.
We are still seeing Canada
Goose in the Klawock
River and on the ocean
inlet, and hear them honking overhead as they fly by. I still think of the San Pasqual Valley every
time I hear them, picturing hundreds grazing the fields. Bald eagles continue hanging out in the usual
trees and flying about, and the ravens, too.
The black bears are headed for hibernation soon, the locals tell
us. We haven’t seen any since Kelli and
Jared left, and then we only saw one the whole time they were here.
I continue volunteering
once a week at POWER, the Prince of Wales Emergency Resource Thrift Store and
Food Pantry. It’s a humbling experience,
as many, many people use this on a regular basis. It’s packed with clothes, mostly, for all
ages, with some household items, and thousands of books. I’ve been working on
the books since I started, a month and a half ago. I am really making progress now. One or two more trips and we will have them
sorted into broad categories, and a process in place to keep them sorted.
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