I am going to have a long weekend

Today we loaded up pieces of wood planks and bundled them up so the helicopter could take them over. Each one was about 100 pounds, tomorrow we are going across to the other island to learn trail construction and untie the bundles. Today was a short day because of bunk checks and random crap we had to do from the office. So we got done around 1 and 5 of us decided to go on a hike at the top of this mountain their is a forest service cabin that only forest service people can stay at and its like $35 for a large room so we might hike up this weekend spend the night then hike down in the morning. It was a tough hike and it got really hard at the top because of the snow and it made each step so exhausting. We did not make it to the top but i think if we take more breaks next time and hydrate we could do it. It's really weird hiking and working in rubber boats all the time but I could not imagine being with out them since I am sure my feet would be soaked. Pic's tomorrow since this computer is not letting me do it and I only get 30 mins on the library Internet. I also signed up for the Salmon derby to be a volunteer , I hoping to get free fish out of it

Tylenol Is My New Best Friend

Today I started my first day of work. I met Dave at 7am and 3 others that are on my trail crew. Ben, Russ and Cory. They are all pretty cool people and are from the east coast. Ben and Cory are 20 and Russ is 22. I then picked up my safety gear which includes gloves, hard hat and goggles. We then picked up our float coats so we could take the boat over to the other island. The ride is about 3 minuets long and then we hike for a little over an hour I would guess. I dont have a watch or away to tell time and I am pretty excited about that. The hike started off easy and then it got really hard. I was definitely tired and sweating by the end but I was happy that I was not the slowest in the group. Once we got to camp we put together our "A" frame tents that will hold the guys in one and the girls in the other. We then put tarps over top to make them water proof. Next time we go up we are going to put together the yurt which is our cooking tent. For water we will be pumping out of the near by creek and oddly enough we have a stove and a full size refrigerator. I guess its a big thanks to helicopters. I am still not sure how they will be powered or if at all, a lot is still a mystery to me.
The woods here are pretty amazing and so different then any woods I have even seen. We are in a temperate rain forest so their are no reptiles because it gets to cold but I would imagine this is what the Amazon would be like just with Monkey sounds in the background. Every thing is covered in some sort of moss, fern or linkin. A lot of tree roots cross the trail and if you decide to step on them good luck because its a really good chance you will be on your ass a second later. The ground is like walking on a sponge it gives alittle and its makes a "squish" sound from the water seeping up. I lost count of the number of creeks, streams and waterfalls we passed along the way.
Town is pretty cool, I guess. I mean if you blink you will miss it, but we got the library, grocery store, hardware store and thrifstore. Food here is soooo expensive I cant even begin to complain . Cereal is like $5 for the off brand that comes in those big bags. An avocado was $3.50 each, pasta is like $5 and the list goes on. I am signing up tomorrow to volunteer for the salmon derby and I am heading to the visitors center too. We wont make it back into the woods till Tuesday at the earliest. I think tomorrow we are working on the slings and setting that up since the helicopter will drop a load for us coming up, so we need to have that ready.

3,497 MILES LATER

So I am made it safely into Alaska. I got to the airport around 520am and Airtran charges $20 for you to check 2 bags so just a heads up.The flight from BWi to Seattle was about 51/2 hours then i think it was 2hours to Jeuno and 24 minuet flight to Petersburg. I was met by a very big bearded man named Dave people also call him Oso ( which means bear in some language) He definitely has been around and knows what he is doing and I cant wait to hear his stories. Petersburg has really one road which is a 3 mile loop. I have already walked to the grocery store to pick up food for dinner tonight and food for tomorrow since I am meeting Dave and some others at 7am to hike into the woods to work on setting up camp. We should then make it to the boat around 7:30am to boat over to the other island where camp is. Also our food for the 10 days is helicoptered in to us and we will go into the woods on a Monday and come out that following Wed. The bunk house I stay at on my 4 days off is really nice. It has a full kitchen, 2 bathrooms and a living room. I am rooming with Lucy she is on a different crew and she is working on researching salmon, she is from Jeuno. I was for about 20 minuets before I saw 5 deer and 2 bald eagles. There are mountains all around us with white snow covered peaks and you can see the mountains from Canada. I also want to see if I can check out the Salmon Derby this week and the rumor is true milk is $5.99 a gallon here. The first pic is us flying over Montana, the second is us on the airstrip in Jeuno and the 3rd is the deer I saw!

And then there was one...

So exams are over with and I am down to two years left of college!
Arlyn came up to visit for about a week and he left today. Thanks to him my new favorit cheese as of now it goat cheese. Jen came into town on Saturday and Hil picked her up from the Airport so all of us and Cechak went to the O's game. I might or might not have knocked Jen's beer and it spilt on her white shirt, but thats not really here nor there. Then on the way back to the car I was running and Jen tripped me. It was pretty much slow motion and I thought I was going to catch myself but then I hit the pavement rolling. I got a bruised knee and a scratched elbow. But I was not the only one that fell. Hilary got at little frustrated at flip cup and went to pull herself together but since it was raining alittle the steps to the deck were wet and down she went. It was nice to have a mini Red 3 Reunion before I left.
Lauren and I packed today and I fit it all into by backpack and one other bag. We also got my last "real" meal tonight, I choose Mexican.
I am leaving at 7am tomorrow and I fly into Seattle then switch to AirAlaska to fly into Jueno and finally to Petersburg. I really dont know what to expect but I know it will be an awesome summer. I am pretty excited and I know I wont end up getting any sleep tonight, also since I am leaving the house at 5am. Off I go onto my next adventure.