"Though we travel the world in search of happiness we must carry it within us or we find it not"

3rd-10th June



I've been chatting to a now good friend, Sarah on the internet after I put up a post hoping to meet outdoorsy Alaskans, before I left Vancouver.  Well she was about to quit her job and I guess I also helped her motivation for it. So two outdoorsy girls exploring Alaska together :-)

Her Dads a surgeon in Iowa most of the year and a commercial fisherman in the summer. So her, I and 7 of her friends took a ferry from Homer out to Seldovia and then used her dads boats for the weekend to go fishing on and party. It doesn't get dark here in Alaska until after 11pm, such a strange feeling.

I grew up every weekend going fishing with dad before I got to the age where I rebelled and felt that as a 'girl' i should have the choice to do 'girly' things, not always fish and camp.  SO fishing has normally been something I haven't really enjoyed doing, for a number of reasons but it was a really fun weekend with a great mix of Alaskan's some born here others just moved to live somewhere outdoorsy and wild.

I started off the trip badly, having not known the superstition about banans and boats, my favourite fruit I bought 3 bananas with me for the weekend, when Sarah discovered them I thought she was going to throw me overboard, luckily it wasn't me but the bananas had to go!!

We saw wales, seals, otters and of course caught loads of Hallibut, Probably 50-60 but you can only keep 2 each as part of permit regulations so most got thrown back into sea.  I didn't get sea sick which I was so happy about as I love being on the ocean but always worried as I've been quite sick in the past.

Of course the nights were filled with guitar playing and singing, drinks and lots of fun laughter and chatter and eating freshly cooked Hallibut yum yum. I think this winter I'll finally buy a guitar and teach myself or have a few lessons, as I love live music so much, its soothing to my soul and its hard to travel with a piano, where guitars always seems to surface on camping trips.

Sarah is a very confident, outgoing girl who was determined to teach me to skip rocks. I explained many friends all super patient had tried in the past and I'd worked out it was just something I probably wouldn't ever do.  BUT after a great day out fishing and with the moon reflecting off the water, we went to try anyways.  There is something so peaceful about being by the ocean with no noise just the gentle waves lapping on the shore, the pretty reflections of the moonlight and dark shadows.  After a few extra technique tips and lots of practise I started to skip once then started to get more, and jumping up and down I managed 3-4. YAY!!! NEVER GIVE UP!!!! Life is short, fantastic and moments like these remind us that its the simple things that make you smile and appreciate every moment we have.

 

who is that in the crows nest?

skipping stones by the moonlight

Our next trip was to be a backcountry hiking one.  We had lots of advice from everyone on board the boats but as its still early in the season most of the high peaks and passes would be too snowy or involve lots of postholeing. Sarah had met this eccentric guy from the internet who goes hiking from mondays to fridays for rocks and fossils and sells them at the weekend markets, normally its just him and his rocks so as you can imagine he was a tad unusual. Still he was harmless, kinda funny character who had us searching for rocks and fossils with him.  The trail as he called it wasn't my kind of hiking, as it mostly involved muddy churned up ATV trails, though we were the only ones out there hiking, for a reason do you think?  We had to make one icy creek crossing but apart from that, avoiding the massive mud piles was the only other tough part. The views were pretty, big mountains of the other ranges and tundra rolling hills of the horn mountains we were visiting. Its always nice to get a heavy pack on your back and head out back country.  As we marched our way out my heals decided to rub in my new boots so I'm now fashioning some very raw and painful blisters on both feet!

Sarah's place, a eccentric old bunker she lives in the back section

Our views of the beautiful Alaskan mountains

Sarah and I hiking through the tundra finally off the ATV trails

 We got back into Anchorage a day early as the hiking wasn't as adventurous as we had both hoped, but this allowed us to go see a local folk band playing in town which was great. Its been ages since I've been to see some live music.  I was so lucky to have met Sarah and have some adventures together, and if things work out there will be more in the future.

As most of you know, I'm an outdoorsy girl torn between my pure love of the mountains (roughness, raw beauty both big and small, always in command of those willing to try to take them on) and the ocean, (from the raw power of the ocean to the calm and peaceful energy it creates both being by it and on it).  Growing up by the ocean and beaches, I didn't really have mountains to play in, so I then found myself with my time in Tasmania, enjoying hiking, climbing, camping but never completly losing the water baby in me. The UK was more time mostly in the mountains hiking biking scene. Now here in Alaska and Vancouver, I feel very lucky, I have the ocean to play in and the mountains both on my doorstep.  Perhaps its time I went back to my roots and spent more time by the ocean and have some more sea adventures and learn techniques.

I'm now heading off with Greg and his couchsurfing friend Theresa to go on a 4 day 3 night self guided kayaking trip into Kenai Fjords, Aialik Bay off from Seward.  Stay tuned for the expected adventure report.

Remembering "though we travel the world in search of happiness we must carry it within us or we find it not"..........