Always Field-Test your Tent

Most of the best-selling books about Alaska are tales of woe about bears, extreme weather, and tragic mishaps during foolhardy adventures.

I would be the last person to argue that all of the activities undertaken in the Alaskan wilderness are safe or conservative - there have been many, many times I felt that I was in danger (frozen feet in Juneau; run-ins with musk ox in Nome; pretty much every summer on the Copper River.... and so on).  I do believe, however, that like we say in the military, "prior planning prevents piss-poor performance."  In an extreme environment, planning can quite literally save your life.

A fundamental of good planning is to field-test your equipment, especially if it's new.  We purchased a new tent and cold-weather gear from Cabela's in advance of an upcoming moose hunt.  (Cold weather gear, especially your tent, is not the place to save money - go with a manufacturer you trust and make the investment.  I love to shop the Cabela's "Bargain Cave" to keep expenses down.)  The day after it arrived, we set it up in the blazing California sun to inspect it for rips or tears, test the poles, and get a feel for how long it took us to set it up in case we ever need to do so quickly.

We were curious about set-up time, but it is not vital for our next adventure, which will include a relatively large group in a relatively accessible location.  If you ever do set out truly on your own, I strongly recommend practicing set-up and tear-down to become as efficient as possible.  I also recommend that you practice packing your gear to get a feel for how much it weighs and how the weight will sit on your boat, 4-wheeler, or back.  This is a step that is often neglected and can have serious consequences once you are in the field.

(Ours is a very basic design - how long do you think it takes to set this beastly tent up?  Don't want to be caught in a storm trying to do that.)

Want to ensure success?  Don't forget to recruit the best tent-testers available!

Visions of the Copper..... it's cooler there!

I am currently stationed in San Diego, where we are in the middle of a heat wave.  Wouldn't be a big deal for this used-to-live-on-the-Texas-coast gal, except that none of the buildings here have air conditioning or fans!  That's what you get for taking 70-degree sunny skies for granted.... at any rate, days like this, where I am sweating at my computer with a perpetually red face, make me long for the Alaskan summers I love. 


Here are a few photos of the Copper River I am missing:

The boat launch - from here it's about a 10-minute run down the river to the mud flats to camp.  Note how fast the water runs - you have to conserve gas and carefully plan how to allocate the weight in the boat on the way back.

To dip net from a boat, you have to tie the boat up to a cliff wall.  Ideal spots are enclaves that are somewhat sheltered from the current - the fish will pool there, swimming up the path of least resistance.  This is the view upriver from our tie-up point.

The view down toward the water from my "perch."  You reach this point by hiking up the trail about a quarter mile above the mud flats where we usually camp.  If you look to the right, instead of down, you are eye-level with eagles' nests.  They like the area because fish are easier to pluck from the shallow water, and people cleaning fish offer up easy meals from scraps.  This is my favorite place in the world to write and ponder.

Depending on Nature to wipe out my "enemies"

At least, I do in my fantasies! 


Whenever I am stressed out, particulary on days like today, when both of my professional lives and my personal life are all knocking me around with their crazy demands, I like to imagine the people I am being most stressed by disappearing under a torrent of water from the spring melt ...... or being consumed by a bear........ or overtaken by a glacier summoned to sudden speed.


They will rise sputtering and laughing from my day dreams, of course (after all, these are not violent imaginings of any real consequence).  But in the meantime, the visuals make me laugh, which reduces my stress levels, making me better able to juggle my day and remember that I have a lot to be grateful for.


I do not think that my fantasies about allowing Nature to deal with my problems (and problem people) are unusual - most people just call it "karma."  Thanks to my time in Alaska, my idea of karma is just a touch easier to visualize!

Why "eagles and ravens?"

It's only been up one day, but I have already received several questions about the moniker for my blog, "eagles and ravens."  Most know that both birds hold prominent positions in Alaskan folklore and traditional works of Alaskana, but the first inquiry lobbed my way definitely made me think - what do eagles and ravens mean to me?

Why "eagles?"

Most years find me, with husband and extended family and friends, at the Copper River, a 300-mile glacier-fed torrent that drains into the Chugach and Wrangell mountains in Southcentral Alaska.  It is undoubtedly the most stunning place on earth.  Many who travel all over the state and world agree.  It is also a treacherous place, and the ever-present sense of impending tragedy probably contributes in no small measure to its grandeur.

If you've ever had really expensive salmon, it probably shouted proudly on its wrapper or box that it was "fresh from the Copper River!"  The runs here are incredible, and not fished by as many people as rivers that are easier to reach, such as the Kenai, and therefore thronged with tourists.

We camp on the same mud flats on the Copper every year, next to a fresh water feeder stream.  Dozens of eagle nests dot the trees around the flats, where salmon are easier to pluck from the water than other places on the river.  If you climb about the flats and the camp, there is a spruce and a large flat rock that place you level with the eagles.  I climb up there to watch and escape all kinds of things.  I write poetry there; I stretch; I breathe.  The place to me in inexolerably linked with the eagles and creativity.  Some years there are more eagles; some years there are more paintings, more dreams, more words.  But the three are linked, eagles and mountains and my creative mind.

A few years ago I was given a print of a painting by an artist named "Joann George" called "Eagle Dreamer."  The image has become part of my thought patterns in ways I still want to explore.  You can learn more about JoAnn George and see some of her work through these links:
http://www.takugraphics.com/apgeorge.html
angoonartists.org/gallery_site/joann_george

Here is the picture of "Eagle Dreamer" from Angoonartists.org:

Why "ravens?"

In all honesty, I do not know.  By that, I mean that I do now know how ravens fit into my personal journey.... they have always seemed to me, however, to be a proper balance to Eagle.  Perhaps more research and more adventures will yield an answer.

Ravens are a thriving, visible species throughout Alaska.  They do not shy away from man.  In folklore Raven is often a messager; it can be difficult to distinguish whether the bird is good or evil in any particular story.  Raven is often revered as a type of prophet with supernatural abilities.  Though prophecies can be either tragic or uplifting, ultimately balance is restored or maintained, and Raven's true character remains obscured.

I am beginning to research Alaska's folklore and myths more thoroughly in preparation for several longer writing projects.  Every time I read about Raven, I find my thoughts turning to healers, medicine men, and wise women.... would Raven's doomsday predictions worry them, or would they take them in stride and accept Raven as a balancing force in the universe, with whom we are blessed to interact as "lowly" humans? 

I like Raven.  Maybe soon I will learn why.......

Welcome to my home...

It is a big one, and harbors mountains in place of tables, rivers in place of a sofa.  Welcome to Alaska!


I came to the state for the first time in 2005, and since then the "Alaskan experience" has changed nearly everything about my life, whether I am in Alaska or somewhere else (I am an active-duty naval officer who is often out of the state, unfortunately).  I think differently, live differenctly, and have cultivated a new set of priorities.  The way I approach the challenge of healing, talk to God, and write have all undergone a revolution that can only be credited to mountains that take your breath away. 


We'll have plenty of time to talk about that... more so than you may want!  Most mornings, in fact, I will start my day by "talking" about Alaska here.  The idea for this blog came in a roundabout way from an editor to whom I regularly submit articles.  My pieces typically center around nutrition, fitness, and holistic health "how to's."  She knew I was off to Alaska for the summer fishing and jokingly asked if there were Alaskan recipes for health.  I laughed, too, but told her a bit about the cyclical living patterns, sustainable homesteads, and deeply rooted spirituality that make me feel alive whenever I am home.  She told me I had identified my niche, and challenged me to explore it.


So, here I am, exploring Alaska one day at a time and inviting you along for the ride.  I hope you have as much fun as I will!