Operation Fitness for Fear: Today we shaved three minutes off of our normal running time. We ended up running the typical loop in 32:30. I was quite pleased. I was also quite pleased to see that a local gave us a smile and a truck wave as we were running. I think we’re beginning to pass as residents of Girdwood. Tess, was also pleased on our run, but for a different reason. All this time, when we run through wooded areas or come around a bend, I yell “Tess leave it” as a way to (hopefully) warn any bears or moose that we are coming up the path. I did this because I didn’t want to seem like a tourist yelling “hey bear.” However I recognize that it’s not really nice to yell at Tess and act like she’s doing something wrong when she is not. So, today I had an epiphany. Instead of yelling “Tess, leave it,” I started yelling “Good Dog Tess. Good Dog.” It seems simple enough; I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. Regardless, Tess has now gone from thinking that she can’t smell anything on the run, to thinking that she’s the most amazing dog on the planet. (And, we’re still warding off the bears and moose). Everybody wins!
Operation Drop It Like It Is Hot: Yes. Tess is still confused about when she needs to poop. She still seems to think that she should hold it in until we go on a run, and deposit it only when we are on FFF. What this means is that anytime we go for a run I have to have at least three poop bags with me. That’s a lot of poop people! I am not amused, but I supposed I should be happy that at least she’s going instead of just holding it in until she explodes.
Growing Food Obsession: There is really only one “grocery store” in town, and it’s the Crow Creek Mercantile. It carries all the essentials: produce, liquor, paper, fishing hooks, rope, meat, canned goods, People Magazines that are 2 weeks behind, etc... But, the mercantile isn’t very big. It’s about 1,000 square feet, tops. The small space and the fact that the produce and fresh items are only restocked on a weekly or monthly basis results in a general lack of variety. Depending on what day you go, you can either find a fully stocked meat and produce section, or a couple of packages of brown meat and wilted lettuce labeled with “on sale for a dollar” signs. My sister Heather (Aloha Heather!!!), the ultimate bargain hunter, would love that. I, on the other hand, can’t bring myself to even walk down the “fresh” isle when it is in such a depleted state. And here’s the thing, I haven’t figured out which day is the “fresh/restocking” day at the mercantile so every time I go in there it could be a hit or miss shopping adventure. The only thing that seems to be consistent is their supply of canned green beans. Regardless of when I go to the mercantile, there always seems to be about 20 cans of green beans to choose from. And although I am sure that the nutritional value of a can of green beans is nil, I still buy them. Truth be told, I’m getting a little obsessed. I have had about 10 cans to date. I don’t know what to do about it. I can’t seem to stop eating them. I crave it fortnightly!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPMS6tGOACo
Our Adventure for the Day: This afternoon we took an hour long walk on the Iditarod trail. We headed south on the section of the trail that runs off of Crow Creek road. There was a nice breeze (so no mosquitoes), and the sun was shining, but the tree cover kept us cool. This was another hike where it was more about enjoying the forest foliage than the mountain views. The path that we took was covered with mini pine cones, tree roots and pine needles. It was quite bumpy and uneven. Every few minutes I would marvel at the fact that dog sleds travel over this trail in the winter, but I supposed the snow levels out the terrain quite a bit. To the left and the right of the trail there were giant leaves (that look like rhubarb leaves), various wild flowers that like shade, ferns, and fallen trees mixed in with evergreens (that were still standing). Wherever a tree had fallen, some sun would pour in through the gap in the branches overhead, making the forest floor look like the pattern created when you shine a flashlight through a paper snowflake. But the coolest thing about this hike was the incredible amount of moss that covered everything. There was moss climbing up the trees that were still living, but I was even more impressed with the moss that blanketed everything on the forest floor. If a tree had fallen, there was moss covering it as it decayed. If there was a rock next to the trail, it had moss crawling up the side of it. The moss dipped and turned and flowed over anything that stayed still for too long. The entire forest looked like a messy but totally cool room where someone just tipped all the furniture over, threw a huge green shag carpet over everything and then left it that way for 50 years. It was really quite uniquely beautiful.
The Little Voice in My Head: Right before I head out on one of these adventures I typically text someone where I am going and how long I expect to be gone. I do this just in case something happens, so that people know where to start looking for me. I normally think of it as just a safety precaution, but on the hike today I was actually pretty glad I had let my friend Hope (one of my safety monitors) know where I was going because I felt a little nervous during this hike for some reason. Don’t get me wrong, I still had a great time and I thought the trail was gorgeous. It’s just that we didn’t run into anyone else on the trail, it was eerily quiet, there was a fair amount of bear and moose scat on the trail, and most of the path was through relatively dense forest, which means I couldn’t see very far in front of me. Tess only added to my trepidation by compulsively smelling any bear scat that we found, and then pulling me forward, with her ears perked up and alert. It can be a little disconcerting when it’s quite clear that your dog is tracking something and wants to pull you closer to it, instead of away from it (which would be the safer option – and my preference for that matter). And of course, it is even harder to stay the “let’s have an adventure” course, when the little voice in your head is whispering “It’s ok to chicken out. Why don’t you just go back to the bachelor pad, crack open a Mike’s Hard Lemonade, heat up a can of green beans, and be a sloth?” Obviously I ignored the voice; we survived and ended up having plenty of fun despite my nervousness. However, I will be the first to admit that for the entire time we were on the trail, every 30 seconds, I alternated between yelling “hey bear” and whistling “I wish I was in
U Dig It: Right when it was time to turn around on the hike and start heading back to the truck, my stomach started rumbling. Having an upset stomach on a hike is less than ideal, and it’s even worse when you have a lot of distance to cover before you can get back to your car. But Tess and I managed to muscle through it, with a few stops on the way back. Luckily I had my “U Dig It” collapsible metal shovel with me on this trek. (Plastic shovels are useless by the way). I am sure you can read between the lines and deduce what was going on during those stops. I am also sure, once again, that we looked like quite a pair with me hiding in the bushes, whistling
Wildlife/Unique Sightings:
Para-gliders: 2
Fallen Tree Victims in the Moss Assault: 3, 562 (approximately)
Yo Kate, the enchanted moss forest sounds really cool. Where's the pic?
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