Autumn in the Mountains

A Small Note:

These photos were taken last year, 2018, but for whatever reason I never got around to writing the story to share it with you. I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless - 

Autumn has come again to Southeast Alaska! As you know Friend, Autumn happens to be my most favorite season of all the year. Quinn and I just hiked our favorite trail yesterday - up to the top of the Eaglecrest ski area - and already the bright coppers, golds, and amber tones of fall are gilding the alpine landscape. I was reminded of last year at this time and of the fun we had had. Yesterday was not nearly as lovely as the day last September, almost a year ago now, that the three of us (for Greta of course came along) hiked the same trail, picnic basket in hand. It was a gorgeous evening, and the sun was shining low in the sky. Very soon the late afternoons would grow dark, but for now at least a little bit of summer remained...

Looking at the photo above, I am now realizing I missed a golden opportunity to run out into the muskeg and whirl around singing "The hills are alive - with the sound of music!" Oh well, perhaps next time!

Now, let's play Quinn and I's favorite game: Spot the Corgi! 

I know, it's not a very hard game now - but just you try it when the snow sets in and the snow drifts become taller than little Greta. It gets hard quick, I can assure you!

Poor Quinn had to deal with two lolly-gaggers the whole hike, when he just really wanted to get up to the top so he could start munching on the picnic. I was off taking photos (and perhaps trying to take a short break unnoticed), whereas Greta was off inspecting every marshy hole and fallen tree near the trail. She helped me find some lovely spots off the beaten path and down at her level.

Here's Quinn and Greta taking a short break on one of the ski lifts, enjoying the view so far!

As we hiked up higher and higher I made a little bouquet of leaves and other findings - including a feather or two. It was about this time that we were getting quite hungry for dinner and all the delectable things packed away in the picnic basket...but have no fear, we were nearly there!

We made a quick stop at a lake (Greta's favorite swimming spot) and I dunked my feet in the cold water to give them a respite from hiking. We often spend happy afternoons here in high summer, swimming and splashing around, but we were so close to the top - so this time we didn't linger - up the trail we went!

The alpine meadows were just breath-taking in all their abundant colors. I asked Quinn to snap a photo of me sitting in the heather when out of nowhere Greta arrived and attacked me with kisses! I wasn't sure I would survive - I was laughing so hard!

We climbed up above the lake, which looked quite small now that we were so high (isn't the blue water beautiful?). As we hiked over the last bunch of rocks we were met with a glorious sight in either direction!

We could see for miles and miles in all directions around us, and a truly marvelous sight it was.

After exploring a bit we found the perfect spot to have our picnic, and so we sat down to enjoy the view and the food we had packed: several different types of cheeses and some crackers, grapes, peppered sausage, homemade smoked salmon, and a bottle of sparkling cider! It certainly felt like we were having a proper feast.

Greta had been off traversing the ridge line, not bothering about us, but as soon as the peppered sausage and the smoked salmon were unpacked, she stuck close and practiced looking adorable. We had packed her some dog biscuits, but they seemed like meager fare to her eyes compared to the feast we had laid out. I can't remember exactly, but I'm sure she didn't hike home hungry, haha!

After enjoying our supper it was time for tea and cookies, made even more enjoyable by the colors of the nearing sunset.

Quinn had brought his pirate spyglass, a birthday present from me several years ago, and spied out the unknown shores across the water. No other pirates, or any navy ships, were spotted. It seems we were safe for a while.

I sipped my tea and read some favorite Beatrix Potter tales from a book I had just recently gotten at a used book store. Quinn kept watch with his spyglass and Greta jumped and hopped like a bunny through the heather. What a lovely way to spend an early autumn evening.

Soon - too soon it seemed to me - we started our hike down the mountain, the sun shedding its last rays as we ducked under the mountain peaks.

And as we watched, the golden hues gave way to dark blues and chilling shadows of gray. It was time to head home - to a toasty fire and another cup of tea before bed. 

I'm so happy Autumn is finally here!

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A Mirror of the Sea

Quinn has been very busy at his new job as a guide for tourists on the Mendenhall Glacier - but don't feel too sorry for him. After all, he gets to ride a helicopter to work every day! But because of his busy schedule we haven't been able to go on any hikes while the weather has been nice. So of course it was pouring down rain on his first day off in a while.

As we are somewhat used to being disappointed with the Juneau rainforest weather, we decided to go on a hike anyway (and invited our friend Aaron along too)!

There is a saying here in Juneau, "It's always nicer out the road." I can remember my mother telling me this fervently as I climbed into a bus to take me out to Echo Ranch Bible Camp (which is all the way out the road) while the raindrops fell around us. As far as I can tell, this saying is usually correct! It certainly was in our case that day. The whole drive out it was pouring, and as we got farther and farther away from town the rain lessened, till we arrived at the Point Bridget trailhead and found it hardly sprinkling at all - we even took off our coats part way through the hike!

Now I may have said "hike", but it's really more of a walk (by Alaskan standards anyway). The Point Bridget trail is about three miles long and flat the whole way, with lovely mountain views and ending at the ocean. We had hoped to see some of the horses from Echo Ranch - which sits just across the river - but there was a kid's camp going on so I'm sure the horses were busy (we even heard the lunch bell go off - a very loud siren that echoes off the mountains and brings back fond memories for all of us). Often times the horses roam free around the large meadows, or they're busy giving rides to campers through the woods.

I was just a tad bit nervous we would run into a bear on our hike. One time we stayed out at a cabin in the meadow with our friends. Our friends Jacob and Leah weren't going to stay the night with us, but on their hike back they ran into a bear and stayed the night anyway, rather than risk hiking back in the dark when a bear was close by. Thankfully we didn't meet a bear, though there was something no larger than Greta scuttling around in the bushes at one point...

The flowers were so pretty on our way out to the beach - I had to stop myself from picking any, knowing they would wilt. I promised myself I would pick a bouquet on our hike back to the trail head.

The woods gave way to meadow, then the beach!

The three of us sat on an old log and ate some lunch. Quinn went down to the water's edge and threw some very large sticks for Lupin and Greta - which they enjoyed profusely - their barks echoing off the mountains (no bears would stick around after hearing that!). Aaron even spotted a whale way out past the rocky shore. 

We had a marvelous time exploring the beach at low tide. There were tide pools even deep enough for Greta to swim in, and all manner of tiny sea creatures to discover within their depths. 

Here is Quinn trying to take a selfie with me on the large rock that was pictured above. He laughed after he saw it and said "ALL nose!" Unfortunately Aaron did not make it into the photo, but I don't think he's too disappointed about that, ha!

Farther up the beach we found a large tree that had washed up on the shore. Greta enjoyed the little windows the roots made, and I couldn't pick which photo to show you so here's a whole lot!

She seldom smiles for the camera (I don't think she wants to be famous, ha!), so I was so excited to get these silly photos of her! 

I was thrilled to see the wild sweet peas blooming along the sea shore - their purple and blue flowers are one of my most favorites! I had told myself I would pick a bouquet on the way back...so I started one right then and there! Perhaps I could simply add on to it as we made our way back along the trail.

Here's my bouquet of sweet peas and wild geraniums! After I made it I decided it would be best to leave it as is, since the stems of the sweet pea are so short and they wouldn't get any water in a vase of tall lupin. But don't you dare think that I stopped there!

We started hiking back and Quinn and Aaron were so kind as I stopped every five feet to pick another flower. Quinn even offered to hold my first bouquet as my hands were starting to get full. What's more, he even posed for a photo!

 In case you haven't noticed Dear Reader, I had my hair cut very short recently! I have never in my life had it this short, but I really love it. Quinn takes great delight in it too, as now his hair is longer than mine! 

A Poem from my Poetry Notebook:

       -A Mirror of the Sea-

A mirror of the sea shone bright

With colors livelier by far

For pinks and purples meet the sight

And yellows shining like a star.

Ripples too can there be found

But not of water, foam, or spray.

The wind he travels fast, unbound,

To blow the petals far away.

To wander through this ocean wide

Would be an afternoon well spent,

For with the bees and butterflies

One will truly be content. 

I gathered lupin, shooting stars, buttercups, irises, and wild geraniums for this bouquet. The chocolate lilies pictured above were so pretty, but they stink horribly, and so I decided against it. Again, Quinn and Aaron were so kind in waiting for me as I ran around in the wet grass picking flower after flower. I could have stayed there all day!

The bouquet got so large I could barely fit my hand around it! But what a glorious array of colors! I was a bit nervous it wouldn't survive the hike back and the long drive home - but it did! And it now sits proudly on my kitchen counter, ready to be admired every day!

I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at that picture - and I know for sure it will be even more loved and cherished when winter is in full swing!

Picking wild flowers must be my favorite thing, and I don't think I mind that one bit.

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Camping in Daylight

Winter in Alaska lasts from the end of October till the very end of April. That's seven months. That leaves us only five months for the possibility  of some nice weather. Keeping this in mind I'm sure it's not a surprise to you that whenever the weather is at least a little nice (think low clouds and only a sprinkling of rain), local Juneauites go a little crazy...

We went crazy one weekend not long ago with all the rest of Juneau. It was a miracle indeed, nice weather on a Friday night with equally nice weather expected for the next day as well. How lucky can you get? Quinn and I packed up our backpacks and sleeping bags and headed out to the end of Douglas Island for a camp out.

This would be Greta's first time camping in a tent (as last time we stayed in a cabin), and she was very excited! She pranced along ahead of us on the board walk trail and only looked back when I begged to take her photo...

As you might be able to tell, she wasn't too happy about stopping.

As I said, all of Juneau was outside camping as well and we had a hard time finding a bit of beach to camp on. After hiking farther we found a camp site but someone had trashed it with logs and broken branches. We're not scared of work though, so we set our packs down and started clearing away debris.

It wasn't long before our little spot was looking fine and dandy, the perfect place to call a home-away-from-home!

Greta is jumping up to get a treat, isn't she silly?

Here I am below putting the final touches to our tent, a Swedish dala horse blanket  neatly put on top of our sleeping bags makes everything look nicer. 

Meanwhile, Greta made her own changes to the campsite. Some much needed holes were dug around the campfire (though for what reason we weren't sure).

That's a jingle bell on her collar, we have her wear it when we go on hikes so we always know where she is (and it helps keep away unwanted bears!). 

Quinn carefully unpacked our backpacks and started the fire for the evening meal. On tonight's menu was sausage, potatoes and carrots, and breadsticks baked over the fire. We couldn't wait to smell the food cooking!

The view from our campsite looking out on Admiralty Island.

As I chopped up the vegetables Quinn got a good bed of coals going on the fire so that our dinner, wrapped in foil, would have the perfect place to cook. After we had put everything on the fire we walked down the beach and explored to keep ourselves (and our hungry stomachs) occupied. We found shells and tiny sea creatures and Greta had a fun time splashing in the water ("She's going to sleep in the tent with us, right?" "Yes, of course!" "Well...we may want to dry her off first. I don't want to be smelling like low-tide in the morning!").

Greta watches as Quinn skips rocks across the gentle waves.

Poking little sea anemones. 

Finding tiny treasures. 

 When dinner was finally ready we were overjoyed, for food always tastes better after a long hike and after smelling it cook over a fire. The breadsticks were my favorite part, and were made from a recipe in a book that Abigail gave me for Christmas last year. We have made the recipe several times and the bread always comes out amazingly. I'll have to share it at the end of this post for you, I think you would enjoy it!

Baking the breadsticks over the fire together. 

Golden brown and ready for some butter! Yum!

As the fire died down we sat and listened to the waves rolling in. A ferry from the mine on Admiralty Island had just gone by, delivering miners back home on the dock in Juneau. The waves from the ferry rolled in with white spray, echoing off the rocks and trees were we sat. When the water calmed again a humpback whale passed by, no doubt on his way home as well.

As we got ready for bed, the sky still bright, Quinn put all the food in a backpack and set about climbing a tree to keep it away from bears. We had no intention of meeting a bear in the middle of the night, so up he climbed to find the safest place for tomorrow's breakfast.

Once as a girl my sister and I went camping by ourselves. My mother had my brother Cody come and help us start a fire (much to his joy, I'm sure). He also helped us put our food in a tree so that no bears would come looking for a midnight snack that evening as we slept. 

Well, what a surprise! The next morning we awoke to see that something had gotten into our food, but it wasn't the bear we had feared. A squirrel had gotten into the bag and nibbled on several of our English muffins that we had planned to eat for breakfast. We were in a sorry state when we woke up to no breakfast, but we were relieved that our only intruder had been small!

Thankfully our backpacks are guaranteed squirrel proof (I think), so I wasn't too worried as Quinn climbed back down the tree, our breakfast hidden high above our heads. 

Greta still smelled bit like low tide but we eventually let her in the tent. We slept soundly to the lapping of the waves not far from the tent, the endless Alaskan summer sun still shining beyond the horizon.

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The next morning we woke up to a windy sunny day. Quinn (this time looking a little sleepy-eyed) climbed back up the tree and relayed that no squirrels had gotten into the backpack during the night. We toasted bagels over the fire and started packing up camp, sad to leave but looking forward to the next time we would get to camp as well. 

Did I mention Quinn was feeling a bit sleepy? Greta was too, and they made quite the pair.

As we hiked back down the trail, our true home waiting for us, we were filled with thankfullness for the nice weather and the fun a tent and a campfire can bring to an evening. I hope you're able to go camping this summer, dear reader, for there is just nothing like sleeping under the alder trees listening to the waves go back and forth like a lullaby.

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Poppyseed Campfire Bread

From the book 'Connect with Nature' by Anna Carlile

450g (3 cups/16oz) Self-raising flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

60g (2oz) butter, plus extra to serve

40g (1/4 cup/1 1/2 oz) poppyseeds

125 ml (1/2 cup/4 fl oz) milk

1.) Find sticks at least 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) in width, strong enough to hold dough wrapped around it. Wash and dry sticks thoroughly.

2.) Combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Rub in the butter to resemble breadcrumbs, then mix in the poppyseeds. Create a well in the middle and add the milk and 1/2-3/4 cup water. Mix the flour into the liquid and bring the mixture together to form a dough. (I made the dough ahead of time and took it with us camping  to save on space in our packs)

3.) Divide dough into portions and roll into logs no wider than 2 cm (4/5 inch) and wrap around sticks.
4.) Once the fire has burnt to embers, place your campfire bread stick over the embers and cook until it sounds hollow when you tap it, around 10-15  mixtures depending on the heat of the fire and the width of the dough.
5.) You can also bake the campfire bread in an oven at 200C (400F) for 20-30 minutes. 

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