Steam baths and leaving no trace

Sorry I haven't been updating! It's been a long, interesting week.

On Tuesday evening I had my first ever Steam Bath.  What an experience that was!  My coworker Yvette invited me over for a steam and dinner.  It was about time I got in there!  Turns out it's not quite like a sauna at home, everybody gets naked!  I was quite surprised at first.  I thought it was just a joke they played on the new intern.  But as it turns out, that's how it's done.  Native Alaskans used steam baths to cleanse themselves of toxins and the like, and well, clean themselves.  Most people didn't have running water, so they created steam baths in order to bathe.  A steam bath is a building constructed entirely of wood, and has 2 rooms, the prep room and the steam room.  In the prep room is where you undress and get well, prepared.  The steam room has benches all around and a large stove in the middle surrounded by rocks.  On the stove is a basin of water (the hot water for bathing).  You pour the hot water over the rocks to create the steam.  Yvette adds essential oils to her rocks so it smells amazing and soothing.  How the bath itself works is this: you head into the steam room, and fill your personal basin with water from the stove, and cold water to balance it all.  Don't want to get scalded in there.  Then you sit down on a bench, and cook.  After steaming for about half an hour I was dying.  But it was so relaxing.  So after the initial steam, you head out into the prep room to cool down, and return your body temperature to normal so you don't pass out.  Then you head back in, get a good sweat going, and wash yourself with a basin of water that you filled in the first part.  Then out into the prep area to cool again, and realize how amazing it is that you're clean.  Ladies, my hair has never been so soft.  And any tension I had in my body was gone.  I was jell-o.

After getting dressed again (man I wish I'd just brought pjs), we had dinner.  Moose stroganoff!  First time having moose ever.  It was pretty good!  Look at me trying all these new things: salmon burgers, dried salmon, moose stroganoff, and the list continues.  Slowly I'm becoming Alaskan (well not really, but you get the idea).

On Wednesday I led my first ever kids program!  And it was just about a flop.  Only 4 kids showed up.  Lame.  But I was competing with one of the nicest days we've had out here, so I guess I understand.  I put together a Leave No Trace program.  Creating all the props for it was so fun!

To do the program, I first read off all the principles that I put on a poster:

1) Know before you go
2) Choose the right path
3) Trash your trash
4) Leave what you find
5) Be careful with fire
6) Respect wildlife
7) Be kind to other visitors

And then explained what each principle means.  After asking the kids if they knew of course. 








Then we played a game called, "What Principle Am I?"  Where I'd read off clues and the kids would have to guess.  I got to use the laminater too, so that was fun!

Then we had a relay.  Yvette and I had put together 2 backpacks.  The right one to take on a hike, and the wrong one.  And brought items that would be right/wrong to take with you.  On one side of the lawn we had a cone, where the kids would start from, and where our 2 backpacks were.  On the other side we had another cone and all the items we brought.  The race was to fill the backpacks with the corresponding items.  In the good backpack the kids were supposed to bring all the essentials.  Matches (just the box don't worry), a water bottle, sunscreen, bug repellant, a light jacket, a bug hat, a warm hat, dried foods, etc.  The other backpack was a canvas shoulder bag...not quite what you want to take on a hike.  And the kids had to gather all the bad materials, like huge canned foods, things that needed to be prepared with an oven, pop cans, lotion, etc.  Just stuff that ends up being a burden later on.  It went pretty well!  But I think if I did it again, I'd only have 2 good backpacks, and have a variety of good and bad items on the other side.  It seemed like only half the kids really got the activity.  And with only 4 kids, that didn't go so well.

Finally, as a gift to the kids, I had made out Leave No Trace cards to be kept with them at all times (yeah right, but the thought was there).  It was a nice personal touch I'd say.  So, at the end of the day at least some of the kids in Port Alsworth learned a valuable lesson.  It was a pretty fun day.

Kids and Kijik

This Monday (7/23) was quite a busy day for me.  We had our first kids program for the little guys, as Yvette likes to call them.  What a bundle of energy they were!  The age group was preschool thru first grade (so ranging ages from 3 to 6/7).  Oh. My. Goodness.  They were a handful!  But super cute at times.  Our theme for the day was trees and seasons.  So we had them make tree cookies (like we did with the older kids) and did the same activity; which we both determined they were too young for...it requires a lot of paying attention, and well, they just haven't reached the age yet where that is important to them).  We did the mystery box again as well, and that worked out alright, although they were more interested in getting the prettiest leaf out of the box and finding its exact match.  Again, a little too old for them. 

But the winner activity was the seasons game!  I had made 4 posters, each representing a season (fall, spring, summer, winter) and posted them around the visitor center.  I also cut out a bunch of examples of what could be found during those seasons.  Snowflakes for winter, flowers for spring, suns for summer and leaves for fall.  I put a little tape on the back of each, and handed a couple out to each kid.  Then Yvette and I let them loose!  "Go paste your picture onto the season it goes with!"  They ran off in a flurry and pretty soon all the posters were full of the little icons.  Then, to wear them out, we had them stand in the middle of the room, and wait until Yvette said a season, and then they had to all run to the corresponding season.  It was great to see them so excited.  Note to self, when in doubt, make 'em run!  They'll love it, and their parents will love it too (can we say naptime?).  After all was said and done, Yvette and I had to sit down.  Those kids wore us out, and we weren't even running!  We were able to iron out details afterwards about how we want these programs to go, so that we're even better prepared for next week.  We're a great team!

After lunch I got to head out with Ranger Chris and John, our historian, to Kijik River.  Apparently one of our historians (or something, I still don't quite understand his title) is working on restoring some of the furniture in Dick Proenneke's cabin on Twin Lakes, so we had to go on a mission to find the right size log for the job.  There was a tree that came down at Kijik, so we had to boat over, and do some bush whacking.  You couldn't have asked for a better day to be on the boat.  The water was like glass, perfect and serene.  The only waves came from our boat.

 This is the view pulling out of Port Alsworth on the Park side of town.   

 And the rest of Port Alsworth.  This is what is on the other side of the second runway owned by the Alsworth family. 

 And then heading towards Kijik.  Is this not the most beautiful view in the world?  Sorry, but I couldn't just pick one picture to add, so you'll be looking at a whole montage.  I've just never seen the water look as it did that day. 

After a short trip there by boat, we unloaded and headed out into the forest.  Luckily I had my bug-hat.  The mosquitoes have emerged in Alaska with quite the ferocious behavior!  We were surrounded on all sides by them.  But with the right amount of bug spray and a net that tucked into my shirt, I was safe.  The walk itself was pretty tough.  Not something I'd do on my own.  We were walking on a path, but not a very clearly defined one.  I think we all stumbled a bit over the roots.  But when we reached our destination, the job only took a half hour.  And then we were out of there!  Getting back into the boat, and peeling away the layers of protective clothing was the best feeling in the world.  And then to get to see all the sights we saw on the way in, on the way out?  Paradise.  I think I'm really starting to like boats.  Plus, I'm getting to see more and more of Lake Clark.  I wonder where they'll take me next....

Junior Rangers on the loose!

Yesterday (Wednesday 7/17) Yvette and I put on a Junior Ranger program!  What fun we had.  We decided that the topic would be trees, and so we had to come up with activities for the kids associated with our tall friends.  Y.E. had done something similar before, so we based our approach after what she's done.  But for the most part we relied on our own imagination and Project Learning Tree.  I don't know if any of you have heard of it, but PLT is an amazing organization that works to create educational programs for kids about the environment.  They have games and ideas for kids from K-12. 

Setting up was so fun.  I made a Mystery Box out of an old cardboard box and covered it with craft paper (green of course), and cut a slit in the side.  Then I went around and collected samples of the  various types of trees that were around the Visitor Center.  I picked out Alder, Cottonwood, Willow, Birch  and Spruce.  The activity was to have the kids reach into the box, pull out a tree and go and find one that matched it!  Then I went around and checked to make sure they were right, and asked if they knew what the tree was.  I was amazed, most of the kids knew their trees!  I only had to help a few ones out. 

Then we had the kids run back to Yvette and do a craft with pipecleaners.  We made little trees.  What memories that brought back of girl scout crafts.  And we soon realized that allowing them to do the craft first was a mistake.  There were always a few kids that wanted to make their tree just perfect and held up the rest.  That was usually me in the old days. 

We had the kids play with tree cookies next, which display tree rings.  "What do the tree rings mean?" we asked, and the reply?  "Birthdays!"  How cute those kids were.  We had a much more manageable crowd that day, only 10 little rangers, the perfect sized group for me.  We got out paper plates and had the kids draw their own tree cookies. 

Then we scattered papers of brown, yellow, blue and white across the lawn.  We then told the kids to head out to the scattered papers and stand on their tree cookies, but not to move, because now they were trees, and trees didn't pick up their feet!  Then the fun began.  We had them reach, as far as they could, without lifting their feet to get as many of the papers as they could.  Some kids were a little more ambitious than others and grabbed most of the lot.  Others, like me (yes, I participated...it was fun!), only grabbed a couple.  Miss Yvette then explained what the papers meant.  Blue was water, white was air, yellow was sunshine, and brown was nutrients!  Then she told us why the tree needed all of the elements to survive.  What a fun activity. 

I then read flashcards with clues about the parts of trees.  Each flashcard had a different part, be it the leaves, the bark, the buds, the seeds/fruit, etc.  Most of the kids got each one right.  Twig was the only one nobody got, so our next activity was to find a twig and learn why it is different than a branch. 

We gave them a little lesson about the different parts of the Visitor Center displays (namely the fish cache and bone rack, and the Bristol Bay Double-Ender (it's a boat).  And how each part was made from trees. 

Finally, we took them inside (as they were getting hot--it was 70 degrees and sunny, those kids were melting!) and gave them a worksheet on animals and trees.  It was great to walk around and help.  They were just so sweet and polite.  We also served snacks.  Note to self, lemonade on the really cool map table = disaster, we'll just stick with water next time.

And then the big event, we swore them in as Junior Rangers, gave them their visors and badges, and they were off.  10 more Junior Rangers into the system.  It was a great day!   

Fire and Flowers

Tuesday was a big day for this intern.  It was the first day of summer programs that Yvette (the woman I'm working with) and I put together.  Every week for the remainder of the summer we will be putting on several programs for kids and adults.  For our first program we focused on fire safety and first aid.  The ranger and I led the program for the most part, with some help from Yvette.  We had 21 kids show up, from ages 3 to 10.  Quite a bit more than I expected.  But I think we handled it great!  The kids were, well...kids; loud and fun, all over the place, but I think we taught them some good information.  I think after having this program the ranger and I realized what should be done for next year's program.  This one was more about getting our feet wet and learning what it is that we should be doing during a program, and how we can gear it to the interests of the kids.  It was pretty overwhelming at times.  I'm not the most kid-friendly person, so it was definitely an experience.

But setting up for the program was great!  I moved all the tables and chairs in the visitor center to the sides, and set up kids craft tables.  I put up posters and important reminders about first aid, and I set the stage for our discussion.  Perhaps I'm better at behind the scenes stuff...

After the program finished up, we got calls from the parents telling us how much their kids liked the program, so we must've done something right.  High five Ranger Chris!

The next program was all mine.  It was my Guided Falls Trail Hike!  I was pretty nervous about the first one, as I've only done the hike once before, but I was optimistic.  I only had 3 participants, which I was just fine with.  A little bigger group, maybe 5 or 6 would be the maximum for this type of walk.  I started out by talking to the folks about where they're from and such, and we started the walk.  Along the way to Tanalian Falls we encountered a lot of native flora that I was able to talk about.  It was great; the people that came on the hike didn't know much about the area, so I was actually the expert!  It was great to have that base knowledge that I could share with others.

Just up the trail (there's quite the incline) you can see Lake Clark and the mountains.  We had a beautiful day for a hike.  Warm and sunny!

 Tanalian Falls (the namesake of the trail).  Isn't it spectacular?  This is the base of the falls, a popular fishing spot for grayling!

 In an adventurous moment, we headed to the top of the falls, where we climbed out onto the rocks.  To my left is the head of the falls, one false move and I was going swimming!  You just can't beat the sun coming down that day though.  A mist of water hitting your face, it was paradise. 

This is Tanalian Mountain.  We have another trail that heads up to its peak, but it's not for the faint of heart (or me for that matter).  It is said that even for the most fit person it is an all day trip.  Maybe I'll get up there towards the end of the internship, for now though, I'm sticking to the falls trail. 

I plan on putting up here what I talk about during the hike in the next few posts, so watch for them!  Alaskan flora is super interesting, and there are so many uses!  Maybe you'll all learn something new!  

Fish Camp

Monday, after working on the trail script and the fire presentation, I got to head out on the boat towards Nondalton.  The ranger had to drop a guy off at Fish Camp, on 6 Mile Lake, so I was able to tag along.  Everyone here had been talking about fish camp, and I had no idea what they were talking about, so it was about time I investigated.  Turns out it's a place where families go to catch and process fish.  They are looking for salmon specifically, and once caught they set up little rigs along the water to process the fish, cutting them into filets and drying them on the bone racks.  Then they smoke the fish.  It's quite the process; I'm still learning, so I'm certain I have some of that wrong, but you get the idea.

The fish camp we went to was different though.  It's a research station for the fisheries biologists of the park.  They have a tower set up, where they count the amount of salmon that swim by for 10 minutes on every top of the hour.  The camp itself has a log cabin that has their kitchen/living area/office, there's a steam-bath being constructed, and a bear fence that has about 5 tents within.  It really is camp!  After meeting the people that work out there, I've decided that fish camp would be a great experience...if only I liked fish...

 View from the top!  This is the tower that the biologists stand on to count the fish.  It felt like a jungle gym; I don't know how they aren't all climbing on it all the time, it was so fun! On a day like Monday the conditions were perfect, not too windy and only 50 degrees, but I can see how it would be tedious on a windy day that's freezing!  All in the name of science though!

This is the camp itself.  See the cabin and fish nets?  The second picture is the view from our boat that we took to get out there.  They also had a storage cabin, just to keep everything dry.  It rains quite a bit out here, so any extra covered storage is necessary. 

It was quite the day.  I learned a lot about fish camp and what's being done in the park.  Perhaps research is in my future career endeavors.  We'll just have to see.

The intern runs this town!

Well, maybe not the town, but the visitor center for sure!  This weekend I ran the visitor center all on my own!  It was great, and my gosh we had so many visitors!  On Saturday I had 30+ people!  A record for the week.  Before I arrived, the V.C. was closed on the weekends, but once I showed up we are able to be open 7 days a week!  Looks like my weekends will be on Thursday and Friday; I'm calling them adventure days!  I've worked the last 9 days, with no break, so I think I'm ready for an adventure.

It was great though, on Saturday a whole mess of people from Michigan came in!  And we knew a mutual person...SMALL WORLD!  It's amazing what you learn from the people who come into the V.C.  Once I find something to talk about, we're off.  It took some getting used to, having to strike up a conversation with people, but over time it's becoming easier and easier.

As far as running the V.C., it's pretty simple.  I basically manage the place.  When people come in I entertain them, offer them coffee, answer questions, put in a video.  But during down time, I read, I write, I plan for the coming weeks.  Every day is very different.  But it's not just down time for fun.  I researched plants and their uses, and worked on putting together a kids program on fire safety and first aid (the first time I've done anything quite like this).

I'm going to post a few updates today, so read on!

 

Finally here, and settling in

Hey friends!  I made it safely to Alaska.  Right now, I'm looking out my window and see mountains.  It's a cloudy, but sunny evening here in Port Alsworth.  I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up, I just now have internet.  A week without was going to do me in.  But I've been so busy anyways that I wouldn't have had the energy to write anything anyways!  But now that jet-lag has finally subsided (maybe?) I can start to post! 

I've been here for about a week, having my first day this last Monday.  And let me tell you, I've been a busy bee!  Everyday has brought new adventures and a host of new people.  I guess I should probably get you all up to speed! 

I landed in Anchorage on Sunday morning (super early, we're talking 1am their time), and had all of Sunday to explore and do my shopping.  My boss took me out to Portage Glacier, which unfortunately due to climate change, has receded so much that it's very difficult to see from the visitor center.  It was a pretty cool exhibit though.  I recommend you all take a look someday.  To get there I had to take the Seward Highway, which incidentally is one of the most scenic drives in the United States!  To one side you see mountains.  To the other, Cook Inlet (a body of water) and mountains.  All the while you are driving through Chugach State Park, the largest state park in the U.S.  It's all forested area, and is beautiful.  But be wary, falling rocks happen!  Thankfully not while I was there.

After Portage, we went over to the Alaska Animal Conservation Center, where I had the opportunity to see several Alaskan animals, including brown bears, black bears, moose, wood bison, and caribou.  It was great to see that they were rehabilitating these animals, but almost sad, because it really makes you think, what happens to the animals once they are released into the wild?  Will they survive?  They've been around humans so long, how will they ever make it?  I would be interested in seeing how this works out in the future. 

 The next day I took my first bush plane flight out to Port Alsworth.  The plane was super small (although large by their standards).  It held 9 people including the pilot.  I'm amazed all my groceries and bags fit in there, with a full plane.  It was an hour long and we flew through Lake Clark Pass, which is between the Alaskan and Aleutian Mountain Ranges.  Guys, it was amazing.  I could see glaciers in the mountains, melting away with the heat.  There were small waterfalls everywhere.  It was gorgeous.  We landed on one of the 2 runways and I had an hour to unpack and settle in.  Certainly wasn't enough time for me, but you have to roll with the punches. 

After unpacking I went on the visitor center to meet the woman I'd be working with and the other park staff.  Everyone here is so nice!  I already know that I'm going to love it here.  And I love the visitor center!  Unlike others that I've been to, this one is modestly sized, and basically one big room.  But it creates a sense of an open atmosphere, where people really are welcome, to sit down and talk, watch park videos, listen to presentations, or just come in for a warm cup of coffee or tea.   

After meeting a whole bunch of people, the back-country ranger took me and another kid out on Lake Clark to drop off and pick people up!  It was really a great day to be on the boat.  The air was clear, the water was an amazing blue, and it wasn't too cold.

The reason the water has such a beautiful color is that it is glacial fed.  I'm told that in the springtime after the ice first starts to melt, it is incredibly clear, but once into the summer, the ice melts more, moving down from the mountains, mixing into the water glacial silt, giving it a milky color. 

Working at the visitor center has proved to be pretty awesome.  I get to talk to people all day about the park and how it came to be, and every day I'm learning something new.  I've learned about steam baths, salmon, wildflowers, and other plants and their medicinal uses.  I've learned about traditional Athabascan Dena'ina culture (that's the native people from this area).  Every day something new.  And I'm just full of questions, always searching to learn more.

And I got my first real assignment!  On my second day I hiked up to Tanalian Falls and got a sense of the trail.  Turns out I'll be putting together a Falls Trail Guided Hike!  I'm going to talk about the local plant-life and traditional uses, as well as bunch of other information.  It was pretty overwhelming at first, but now I'm getting super excited about making it happen!  Let's just hope I can pull it off.

The trail itself is beautiful, ending at Tanalian Falls, which supposedly has the best tasting water at its base, update on that fact to come I promise.  Plus, throughout the entire walk, if you just turn around every now and then, you get this spectacular view of Lake Clark or Kontrashibuna Lake.  It's amazing!  I carry my camera everywhere, so you are all in for a treat with pictures! 

Well, I think that's enough for the first post from Alaska.  I hope to add another each day, so it's not so overwhelming with text and pictures.  Until next time! 

Almost there!

Well people, I didn't think I could, but I did it!  I managed to get everything packed!  Except for a few odds and ends (iPod and such, you know).  I had to part with several things, as they wouldn't fit in my bags, but I expect a hefty package of clothing and such from home shortly after I arrive in Alaska. 

Pictured above: Before and after (pretty impressive I'd say).  And yes, I did pack all of those stuffed animals.  They'd get lonely in Michigan without me!

I can't believe it's here.  I leave tomorrow evening.  By this time tomorrow I'll be on my way to the airport.  A mix of emotions are going through me right now.  I'm pretty nervous about the whole flying alone thing (I've never done it before...) but I'm extremely excited about getting there!  I've been in a trance all day, just getting everything prepared.  It's a lot to take on.  Plus I'm dealing with the whole "leaving everyone and everything I know" feeling.  It's a big adventure; I just hope I'm ready for it.  I'm sure my feelings will change in the days to come.  I'll be so busy I won't get too homesick, but when I do, there's always letters!  If anybody wants to become pen pals, be sure to email me and I'll send you my address!   

I'm not sure when my next post will be, but as soon as I have some real internet service I'll be sure to get back on here!  For the time being though, adios amigos!  Next time you hear from me I'll be in Alaska!

Stand back! I'm certified!

As you can see from the title of this post...I'm certified!  In what you ask?  Adult/child/infant CPR and Basic First Aid! Why you ask though?  Well, turns out it's a good skill to have.  Who knew?  I had taken it years ago in high school, but my re-certification was long overdue.  So for a few hours on Thursday night I headed out to the Red Cross Training Center and brushed up on my CPR.  Turns out at Lake Clark the biggest problem they face is diabetic emergencies, so this class helped me to recognize the symptoms and learn what to do in the face of such a problem.  And I picked up a pretty awesome tip!  When people don't have enough sugar in their system, they need it, and fast, and the way to do so is to give them either a packet of sugar or a cookie or something.  But the tip I got is one I'll be holding onto from now on....instead of worrying about giving someone something like a sugar packet (where you must have water to even consume) or a cookie (I mean, let's be honest, if I have cookies with me...I'm eating them), you should carry around a small tube of frosting!  The decorator kind (not colored or flavored so you don't have to worry about allergies).  It's pure sugar, and tastes delicious, and does the job right quick!  So when I get into Anchorage for my shopping trip, I'm planning on investing in a lot of frosting.  Not a bad plan I'd say.