So this was our last hitch with the whole crew. Josh leaves during the middle of the next hitch and then around Aug 15th a bunch more people leave. The log deck is clearing up finally. We have four more logs to place. The three are right next to the sills and one needs to be trenched. We are just waiting to get the rock machine since the cabin crew borrowed it and we can't do anything until we break up the rocks. That should take us pretty much all of next hitch to finish. The saw is pretty fun to use and I have been cutting notches into the logs. The bugs are not bad at all anymore and I think I might finally be getting use to the mice. My hands got broken in this hitch and are really sore, cut and callus. I cut my self pretty good with a gerber hand saw. I should had remembered the motto " Always saw toward your buddy."
As for school, I am coming back to finish up and I will just come back here as often as I can. Brent and Gene are going out of town and is letting Oso use their boat so it looks like we will go out on the water tomorrow. I guess thats it for now until I think of more exciting things.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
All the Salmon and Blue berries you could hope for
So Iam back in town once again. The last hitch went well. We used up all the bundles of plank and will get more dropped in. Everyone is working their own plank projects now above the log deck and Josh and I are working on the log deck. I like it but its just a much slower process then the planking. It rained a lot more then all the hitches combined so it was kinda hard to get motivated. Drama has kinda happened with one of the paid employees and she has been taken off the saw so I was asked if I would like to learn and of course I am jumping at the opportunity. So on Monday I will get trained in chainsaw use and I am pretty excited about that. The berry season is in bloom and in town they are just about ripe. On the trail they are ripe on the flat but wont be seen till later up by camp. The Salmon berries are a deep red when ripe and look like raspberries.
So I am just going to put this out their since it's been on my mind a lot lately but I am not to sure about going back to college. I would love peoples opinions and see what you have to say about it but this is what I think....
School will always be their and I can go back at anytime. Its a big decision and I realize that and I don't want to regret it but Iam not happy when Iam at school. Life is short and you get one spin at it so why waste my time with something my heart is not in? I can keep doing stuff like this and move up once I gain more experience, I can do AmeriCorps again, I am looking into a back country crew in California which people know people and I would most likely get a spot. This kinda of stuff does not make a lot or tons of money but by working on trials and living this kind of lifestyle I would not need money. I have been offered a paid job to stay here in Alaska working on the trail we are working on now once the crew leaves. It would be a small crew of about 5 just cranking out trail. I just feel like my opportunities are endless right now and I could do anything that my mind can think of. I have nothing holding me back.
So I am just going to put this out their since it's been on my mind a lot lately but I am not to sure about going back to college. I would love peoples opinions and see what you have to say about it but this is what I think....
School will always be their and I can go back at anytime. Its a big decision and I realize that and I don't want to regret it but Iam not happy when Iam at school. Life is short and you get one spin at it so why waste my time with something my heart is not in? I can keep doing stuff like this and move up once I gain more experience, I can do AmeriCorps again, I am looking into a back country crew in California which people know people and I would most likely get a spot. This kinda of stuff does not make a lot or tons of money but by working on trials and living this kind of lifestyle I would not need money. I have been offered a paid job to stay here in Alaska working on the trail we are working on now once the crew leaves. It would be a small crew of about 5 just cranking out trail. I just feel like my opportunities are endless right now and I could do anything that my mind can think of. I have nothing holding me back.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
I am back in town and ready to head back out already. The hitch went well we finally got our helicopter drop of plank. Now we can hopefully start cranking out some trail. I feel like it has been really slow going up on the mountain. We had some issues with the helicopter drop spot because we had to fall some trees in order to make some room in the canopy. One tree was holding on by a splinter and then got hung up in a tree near by. Finally, it came down and we just finished making this hill side safe for hikers and ourselves. I was ready to leave the mountain when I knew a shower was in the near future for me. But being in town for about 24 hours I was already to go back to the mountain.
Dana (a girl on the crew) and I were talking on Wednesday round 3 in the afternoon and decided that it was not too late to hitch hike to 3 Lakes. We were packed in 10 minutes and had our PB and J’s made. Three lakes is about 25 miles out of town and each lake has a row boat. We brought a tent ad pitched it in the one 3 sided shelter they have. We hiked to all 3 lakes and out to Frederick Sound. A grizzly bear was seen in the area the day before so we brought bear spray with us. It was more for a peace of mind even though if the bear wanted to eat us it would since you need to be 15 feet from the bear when using the bear bomb. There are only black bears on Mitkof island so the grizzly had to have swam over from a near by island looking for food. In the end no sight of a bear on our trip. As for hitch hiking we got a ride from a lady with her two kids out to the Trees (RV park about mile 15). Then we had to walk for about a mile until a guy heading out to the cannery picked us up and dropped us off at the trail head. People definitely have some interesting stories and its kinda funny what people will tell you about their life. The woman that picked us up moved to Alaska to get away from the in-laws, which then they moved here so they are moving again. The guy that picked us up graduated high school in 2006 and in just 3 seasons of fishing bought his house at mile 4 down the highway! On the way home we walked for about 2 miles until we got a ride all the way back into town from a lady that works at the airport here for TSA. Overall it was a very successful first hitch hike. Also, I think its funny that at mile 20 the paved road ends and from their on it’s a gravel road. We also saw a porcupine and Moose tracks.
Then was the 4th of July. The parade lasting about 2 minuets and went a total of 2 blocks. Then they circled around the block and went through again. The parade consisted of the 3 fire trucks in town and then it was mostly kids with decorated bikes, the forest service truck with Sammy the Salmon and Smokey the Bear. They had events all day like egg toss, bed race, 2x6 , which was boots nailed to a 2x6 and 4 people had to walk their was to the finished line. At 6 was the log roll and main harbor and it was $5. I had to do it because I new if I didn’t I would never get the chance to log roll again. So the rules were basically 18 and over, no shoes and life jacket. I of course was paired up with Jill 2 year champion in the first round and was knocked out. You get onto the log off the dock and then two guys with these really long sticks with hooks on the end pushed the log out away from the dock and then you started to roll. I am happy that I was still standing up on the log after they just pushed us away from the dock. Fireworks were at 11 here since it does not get dark till about 10:30pm. I was really impressed with the fireworks I thought they were going to be lame and last about 30 seconds. It was a good show and I have never been close enough to see them shoot off the ground and then go up in the air. Also the mountains in the background made it ever cooler. At the end the light propane tanks on fire and there were huge fire balls in the air. I am thinking that next 4th of July I will bring log rolling and propane tanks back to Maryland’s 4th.
Tonight Sex in the City the movie plays at the high school. I am not really into it but I think I will go because afterwards its Lady’s night at Kido’s Kave. That’s a big deal here to since they don’t have happy hours at the bars so I drink special will be nice since everything is so expensive.
Here are some random things I have noticed or loved about Petersburg:
When you check out a book from the library they still take out the card from the pocket and stamp it with the return by date.
Everyone waves or says hi when driving or walking around
The town dog will follow you on you errands and wait for you to come back out of the store
They have a newspaper that comes out once a week
One paved road in the town and have no traffic lights
Alright so off to the mountain on Monday for another 10 days, also my cell phone has no service so don’t try calling cause its off till end of August.
Dana (a girl on the crew) and I were talking on Wednesday round 3 in the afternoon and decided that it was not too late to hitch hike to 3 Lakes. We were packed in 10 minutes and had our PB and J’s made. Three lakes is about 25 miles out of town and each lake has a row boat. We brought a tent ad pitched it in the one 3 sided shelter they have. We hiked to all 3 lakes and out to Frederick Sound. A grizzly bear was seen in the area the day before so we brought bear spray with us. It was more for a peace of mind even though if the bear wanted to eat us it would since you need to be 15 feet from the bear when using the bear bomb. There are only black bears on Mitkof island so the grizzly had to have swam over from a near by island looking for food. In the end no sight of a bear on our trip. As for hitch hiking we got a ride from a lady with her two kids out to the Trees (RV park about mile 15). Then we had to walk for about a mile until a guy heading out to the cannery picked us up and dropped us off at the trail head. People definitely have some interesting stories and its kinda funny what people will tell you about their life. The woman that picked us up moved to Alaska to get away from the in-laws, which then they moved here so they are moving again. The guy that picked us up graduated high school in 2006 and in just 3 seasons of fishing bought his house at mile 4 down the highway! On the way home we walked for about 2 miles until we got a ride all the way back into town from a lady that works at the airport here for TSA. Overall it was a very successful first hitch hike. Also, I think its funny that at mile 20 the paved road ends and from their on it’s a gravel road. We also saw a porcupine and Moose tracks.
Then was the 4th of July. The parade lasting about 2 minuets and went a total of 2 blocks. Then they circled around the block and went through again. The parade consisted of the 3 fire trucks in town and then it was mostly kids with decorated bikes, the forest service truck with Sammy the Salmon and Smokey the Bear. They had events all day like egg toss, bed race, 2x6 , which was boots nailed to a 2x6 and 4 people had to walk their was to the finished line. At 6 was the log roll and main harbor and it was $5. I had to do it because I new if I didn’t I would never get the chance to log roll again. So the rules were basically 18 and over, no shoes and life jacket. I of course was paired up with Jill 2 year champion in the first round and was knocked out. You get onto the log off the dock and then two guys with these really long sticks with hooks on the end pushed the log out away from the dock and then you started to roll. I am happy that I was still standing up on the log after they just pushed us away from the dock. Fireworks were at 11 here since it does not get dark till about 10:30pm. I was really impressed with the fireworks I thought they were going to be lame and last about 30 seconds. It was a good show and I have never been close enough to see them shoot off the ground and then go up in the air. Also the mountains in the background made it ever cooler. At the end the light propane tanks on fire and there were huge fire balls in the air. I am thinking that next 4th of July I will bring log rolling and propane tanks back to Maryland’s 4th.
Tonight Sex in the City the movie plays at the high school. I am not really into it but I think I will go because afterwards its Lady’s night at Kido’s Kave. That’s a big deal here to since they don’t have happy hours at the bars so I drink special will be nice since everything is so expensive.
Here are some random things I have noticed or loved about Petersburg:
When you check out a book from the library they still take out the card from the pocket and stamp it with the return by date.
Everyone waves or says hi when driving or walking around
The town dog will follow you on you errands and wait for you to come back out of the store
They have a newspaper that comes out once a week
One paved road in the town and have no traffic lights
Alright so off to the mountain on Monday for another 10 days, also my cell phone has no service so don’t try calling cause its off till end of August.
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