# General > General Chat >  Alaska 2016

## 1stimestar

Okie dokie buddies, here is your 2016 post.  As you know, anyone certainly is allowed to post here.  We have a few members in Alaska but none of them seem quite as chatty as I am...   :Blush: 

Pretty cool to have this ongoing thing.

Alaska 2013
Alaska 2014
Alaska 2015

I went to do my grocery shopping yesterday and noticed the shelves were pretty bare.  No hamburger, no plastic forks, little bread and produce.  Today the reason why was in the paper.  The barge sunk.  Not really, it just had mechanical problems and couldn't make it.  That's why even though I have very little room for storing staples in my small cabin, I do manage to keep some on hand.  

Happy 2016.  May this year be fantastic and full of good adventures.

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## Rick

Okay. There's an event I have absolutely no plans in place for. The barge sunk. Now I have to review everything. Thanks a bunch.

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## LowKey

Was just thinking the same thing Rick. That one wasn't on the radar.

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## crashdive123

Just checked my list.  I've got meteor strike, zombie attack, alien invasion, but no barge sinking.  Yep......time to update my list too.

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## hunter63

Aw crap......let's see now, (paging thru my survival books).....Barge sunk, barge sunk.....barge sunk....Nope Nada, nothing.

And away we Gooooooo!

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## 1stimestar

Heeheee.  

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## pete lynch

Oh, NO!!! You didnt say the Walmart barge. That was going to be my BOL.

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## Rick

See that? 
Survival Gear: $28,286
Bug Out Vehicle: $49,454
Someone discovering something you haven't planned for: Priceless

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## MrFixIt

You guys are a hoot!
And thanks for keeping the tradition going 1stimestar!

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## hunter63

When it their problem......it's called an "opportunity"?....whereas if it's your problem....... it's a PITA?

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## kyratshooter

Barge sunk???

Is that sort of like the Alaskan version of a canoe wreck?

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## finallyME

I just hate it when the plastic forks run out.  You can never have enough plastic forks.

So, your Wallyworld has a good excuse for not stocking the shelves.  Mine has no excuse...they just don't do it.

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## hunter63

> Barge sunk???
> 
> Is that sort of like the Alaskan version of a canoe wreck?


Well, Alaska does seem to take thing to extremes....

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## Rick

Captain: "John, did you remember to put the drain plug in?"
John: "Oh, snap!" 

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## 1stimestar

> Barge sunk???
> 
> Is that sort of like the Alaskan version of a canoe wreck?


No no, canoe wrecks are for guns only.

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## crashdive123

Your Walmart doesn't sell guns?

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## Rick

Customer: "Excuse me...are you out of 105 rounds?"
Walmart clerk: "Can't keep up. I think folks are hoarding 'em again."

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## crashdive123

Honest......I only use it for avalanche control.........on my neighbors mountain.

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## 1stimestar

Still no barge.  Good thing I already have plenty of coffee and two freezers on the porch...

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Here's a sweet video of auroras dancing.  He got a good capture of the Big Dipper behind them too.  Squeaky snow underfoot, the slight cough of the extreme cold making your lungs revolt as the moisture in them is stolen...

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## Rick

Amazing! Breathtaking! Absolutely stunning video.

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## crashdive123

What a fantastic view.  Thanks for sharing it.

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## LowKey

That sure is NOT an Ad for Folgers. LOL.
Sweet video of the aurora.

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## 1stimestar

Big ol earthquake down by Anchorage, smaller but long earthquake here.  Had my hanging things swinging.  Actually was long enough for me to jump up and run to the door way while calling for my son to come downstairs.  Whew, adrenaline.  More info later as it comes.

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## sjj

........................

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## hunter63

Hanging things swinging??????

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## crashdive123

> Hanging things swinging??????


Nope....not gonna do it.

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## hunter63

"And here is the pitch......"Little high in the zone...."
Smack....
"It's up, it's up...it's outa here...."

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## 1stimestar

Hahha you guys are so bad!  The things hanging from my ceiling like this thing.  

https://youtu.be/sJHkY1ZSr7k

It was centered in southern Alaska and was a 7.1 down there.  That's big.  
Here's the story and lots of pictures.

http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/strong...laska/37610068

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## Grizz123

Gears are in motion and I will be your "neighbor" sometime later this year, that is if my barge doesn't sink. Also need to find a job but that is lower down the list

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## 1stimestar

Here's a good video to show how long it was.

https://www.facebook.com/Ch2KTUU/vid...3177571571666/

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## crashdive123

> Hahha you guys are so bad!  The things hanging from my ceiling like this thing.


Hey....who are we to judge regarding what you hang from your ceiling.



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## Rick

I too am at the point in my life where jobs are lower on the list. Waaaaaaay lower. In fact...oh, snap...I thought they might be on the second page but there isn't a second page. Oh, well.

As much as it hurts me I might have to start A LIST for Alaska. This whole bear, volcano, lahar, earthquake, bigfoot stuff is not good. I mean they aren't dinosaurs but still.

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## Pennsylvania Mike

Beautiful!

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## 1stimestar

Noooooo!  

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## tracks2read

Glad you guys are safe!!!

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## kyratshooter

> Noooooo!  
> 
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If you have things like that going on I am staying right where I am.

I can take the bears, weather, sunken barges and volcanoes but when you start messing with the liquor I draw the line!

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## 1stimestar

My poor daughter (14) was down in Anchorage for her very first away game (roller derby).  She was on the 3rd floor of the hotel when it hit.  She had to cry a bit when she was telling me about it.  I could tell she really wanted her mamma right then.  They won the bout though so that was exciting.  

You remember my friends Wayne and Scarlett that live out of Eagle, AK where I go visit every year?  I just found some awesome videos that someone had made of them.  Watch them on full screen.  So awesome.  

FYI: Gee means right and haw means left.

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## 1stimestar



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## hunter63

> Noooooo!  
> 
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Scratch and dent PARTY.......YaHOOOOO

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## crashdive123

Me likey that idea.

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## 1stimestar

4 days until the start of the Yukon Quest 1000 Mile International Sled Dog Race, the Toughest Race on Earth.  Also, the Yukon Quest 300 which is the first 300 miles and a qualifying race for the 1000 miler.  Thursday night is the Start and Draw Banquet where the mushers draw their numbers for the starting line.  Since I am going to that, I'll be leaving for the checkpoint on Friday morning.  I have to work today but then am taking off to go do the shopping for the checkpoint.  I'm getting pretty excited.  

https://img1.etsystatic.com/058/0/78...77563_3y7m.jpg

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## 1stimestar

I accidentally posted a link to a coffee pot instead of a video I was trying to post hahhaha.

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## crashdive123

Have fun and good luck in your new role.

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## Pennsylvania Mike

Have fun on the sled dog races, keep warm or just stay close to the big coffee pot, it will keep you both awake and warm.

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## walks.in2.trees

> My poor daughter (14) was down in Anchorage for her very first away game (roller derby).  She was on the 3rd floor of the hotel when it hit.  She had to cry a bit when she was telling me about it.  I could tell she really wanted her mamma right then.  They won the bout though so that was exciting.  
> 
> You remember my friends Wayne and Scarlett that live out of Eagle, AK where I go visit every year?  I just found some awesome videos that someone had made of them.  Watch them on full screen.  So awesome.  
> 
> FYI: Gee means right and haw means left.


You following Cory Williams on YouTube (DudeLikeHella)? 

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## 1stimestar

That name isn't familiar Walkn but I'll look him up.  

Here are the mushers this year.  Number 1.

https://youtu.be/-TlHkte9lws

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## 1stimestar

Number 2.https://youtu.be/zkLKM8Uxiu8

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## crashdive123

> I accidentally posted a link to a coffee pot instead of a video I was trying to post hahhaha.


Yeah, but its a heck of a coffee pot.

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## 1stimestar

I'm still recovering so just going to copy and paste a bit here. 



> We are all home now. I've slept a full night (and half of the morning!) and my voice is coming back. I think I talked more in the last week then I have in the last month! I am so proud of the team we had this year. We always have a good group of people volunteering at the checkpoint but that is because Peter knew how to do that. I freely admit that having this great group of people was mostly good luck on my part. However it came about, I feel greatfull for all their hard work and dedication.
> I really learned a lot. Thankfully of all the things I learned, none of them were painful lessons. I have big shoes to fill. Peter Kamper ran this checkpoint from back when it was a dog drop run with a ham radio operator and brought it into the age of telephones and internet and checkpoint status with mushers' drop bags. 20 years is a long time but I am thankful for the things he taught me.
> Next year will be a bit easier because I will know how much coffee to bring and how many plates we'll need but I think gathering such a good crew will always be a challenge. I knew with in hours that I wanted these people back, working by my side, taking care of mushers, dogs, and each other.
> I also want to thank Alex Olesen, Ryan Hughes, and Josh Mason our amazing logistics crew and the race judges who were happy to answer all my questions. I was afraid that I would miss something.
> Figuring out and giving the mushers their differentials was exciting. That's never been done here before. When Doug first told me I would be doing it, I thought to myself, "He wants me to do math at 5 in the morning after no sleep?" Lol there were a few times I had someone check my math just to be sure I had gotten in correct.
> All in all this was my most satisfying year yet. I am thankful for all the help I received and all the fun we had. I didn't have wifi through out the race so I couldn't upload photos as I unusually did. But other then that, I was an exciting, happy time. Thank you all for following along.





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> 
> MILE 101 CHECKPOINT — Running a long-distance wilderness sled dog race like the Yukon Quest depends on temporary outposts like this one, which starts as little more than a roadside pullout on the Steese Highway.
> ...


http://www.newsminer.com/mushing/yuk...ba89d704f.html

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## hunter63

Very cool....Thanks for bring us along....
Get rested up yet?

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## crashdive123

Outstanding!!!!!!!!!!

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## Rick

Oh, man. I didn't get past the bacon. Hmmmmmm.

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## 1stimestar

Got a bit of rest but my voice is still pretty much gone.  Oh well.  Here's a nice news clip of us.

http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/yukon-...-2716/37885244

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## hunter63

Says Error, file not found.....

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## crashdive123

The KTUU News vid came up for me.

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## 1stimestar

Dawson is the half way point and mushers have a 36 hour mandatory layover.  It is the only point on the race that the handlers can help with the dogs.  Each musher will have his/her own camp site in the city's camp park right out of town.  This is where the handlers will take care of the dogs; feeding, massaging, and walking them, while the musher gets some much needed rest in the hotel.  

This year they had to change the trail route a bit because of jumble ice on the Yukon River.  They rerouted it to the Top of the World Highway.  And by highway, we mean dirt road that is only open in the summer.

https://youtu.be/n3UWkfF73fQ

Don't worry, he'll be fine after some rest.  He's probably only slept 3 hours in the last 36.  His dogs looked good coming in.  




> Image title
> Image title
> Image title
> Previous
> Next
> Photo by Marcel Vander Wier
> 
> ENTERING THE KLONDIKE  Yukon Quest musher Yuka Honda climbs the riverbank into Dawson City on Thursday. She arrived in eighth place.
> Moose attack, blizzard cause havoc for mushers
> ...







> DAWSON CITY, Yukon  Middle-of-the-pack Yukon Quest mushers and their sled dogs battled blizzards and slogged through deep, fresh snow on their way here Thursday and Friday, testing teams and forcing another musher to scratch.
> 
> Add a moose that charged Torsten Kohnerts team, and the 150 miles from Eagle to the 1,000-mile races halfway point have been the toughest so far.
> 
> RELATED: 
> Led by Sass, well-rested Yukon Quest leaders pull out of Dawson
> The frontrunners missed the worst of the recent snowstorms. Defending champ and race leader Brent Sass of Eureka pulled out of Dawson City at 11:23 p.m. AST Thursday after a mandatory 36-hour layover. Two Rivers musher Allen Moore, the Quests winner in 2013 and 2014, left about two hours later, and Tok musher Hugh Neff, the 2012 champ, departed about 30 minutes after Moore, at 1:55 a.m. AST.
> 
> Rounding out the top five out of Dawson on Friday were Matt Hall, another Two Rivers musher originally from Eagle, and Ed Hopkins, the top Canadian.
> ...

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## 1stimestar

Joe May was one of the first mushers to run this race over 30 years ago.




> Joe May
> 15 hrs
> A piece of little known Quest history and an often asked question - why Iditarod has a 24 hr. mandatory lay-over and the Quest has 36:
> In Quest beginnings, the mandatory rest stop was 24 hours, just as is Iditarod. Then in 1986 the first half of the race was brutally cold, never warmer than -35 and often -50 or -55 at night. As harbinger of things to come, Bill Cotter and I crawled part way up Eagle Summit, on hands and knees, ahead of our dogs in a howling ground blizzard. The rest of the race, so to speak, was downhill from there. A last minute re-route from Central to Circle Hot Springs was hacked out hours ahead of the first team. The trail was a nightmare of 90 and 120 degree corners around and over stumps and down trees. An ice jam at Circle necessitated a 7 mile detour through a nearly impenetrable snarl of black spruce growth that Bruce Johnson christened “The Enchanted Forest. H. Sutherland stuck his sled between two trees so tight he had to chop it out with an ax. A dog cold-cocked itself in a head-on with a tree and was thought dead, got carried on a sled for miles, and when magically coming back to life...went back to work in the team. Miles of trail was completely gone, blown in, necessitating taking turns on snowshoes ahead of the dogs. The rule, as it was then, was that the trail would only be broken once...and that, a week prior to the race. We slept cold on the river...no firewood, no fire...at 40 and 50 below. The last night of a two day slog from Eagle to Dawson was in the midst of a storm of wind and snow and deadly wind chill. Out on the exposed river, having exhausted both human and dog food by the second night, unable to see the length of the team, afraid to stop and nearly unable to go, there was a very real fear for life. When eventually the leading convoy of 13 teams did reach Dawson, many mushers had incurred serious frostbite - five scratched immediately - others nursed frosted hands and feet for 24 hours in an effort to recover sufficiently to continue on.
> After the race, at the post-race drivers meeting, I spoke and suggested a longer mandatory stop in Dawson, 36 hours, for the mutual benefit of dogs and mushers. Facetiously, I added that 24 hours wasn't long enough to “party” get some sleep, and sober up again to get out of town. It's somehow easier to laugh about misery when it's shared. Mine wasn't an exclusive sentiment. The vote, as I remember, was unanimous for future lay-overs to be 36 hours...





> I pulled up to a campfire in Old Woman Pass beside Emmitt Peters, 700 miles into an early Iditarod, and tipped my sled on it's side (I'd thrown the snow hook away 500 miles back).
> Ever competitive, Emmitt looked over at my sled and asked, “what you carrying besides mandatory” (that would have been snowshoes, axe, and a sleeping bag). 
> Being a smart-*** I replied, “a pair of socks”. He hesitated not a second and said, “ better get that trash out of the sled if you want to be competitive”....

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## 1stimestar

Still 6 mushers out on the trail.  Keep watching till the end, some really good footage of Eagle Summit ascent and decent. I know more then one musher who has gone done it just that way.. 

I know it's a Facebook video, but more people are using FB then Youtube any more for these types of things.  You should be able to watch it even if you don't have a FB account.  

https://www.facebook.com/eualani/vid...4578912169676/

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## 1stimestar

Just a good shot that shows how steep it is.

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## 1stimestar

You know my friends Wayne and Scarlett who I go visit on the Yukon River every year?  I also handled for Wayne in 2009, the last time he ran the Quest.  Now his son ran it for the second time this year.  Last time he won Rookie of the Year (first rookie to cross the finish line).  Anyways, here is a story about Matt from this year's Quest.




> Now that the last musher is enroute to the finish line and the 2016 Yukon Quest is coming to an end, we've had some time to reflect on some of the events that unfolded while Matt was on the trail. There are many epic stories from this years Quest, but one is especially memorable.
> 
> As Matt travelled down the Yukon River heading towards his hometown checkpoint of Eagle, he passed his family's homestead. With both Wayne & Scarlett being at the checkpoint to greet Matt, he didn't expect to see any activity on the hillside where he grew up. But little did he know that an old family friend and current guide for Bush Alaska Expeditions Dog Sled Tours, Matt Emslie, had just settled in for the night. As he was turning off the lamps to get some sleep right before dawn, he saw Hall's headlamp come around the bend on the river. So Emslie went out on the porch and whistled as loud as he could. Emslie said Hall's headlamp turned in his direction looking up on the ridge at the homestead and then Hall put his headlamp on strobe. So, Emslie ran inside, turned off the lights, ran back outside and put his headlamp on strobe as well. And then he lead all the dogs of Bush Alaska into a group song, with their howls echoing down to the river and welcoming Hall back home. There were 68 of them up there that morning.
> 
> Julie Emslie shared this story with Amanda a couple days later.


https://youtu.be/bWPIkB80YC4

Oh by the way, he won 4th place which is GREAT!  23 mushers started.  3 scratched, 1 was withdrawn, and 1 is still out on the trail.

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## 1stimestar

As I have just bought my 3rd 100 gallon delivery of heating fuel at $216, I can't say that I miss the cold.  But I do, kind of.  It has only gotten to -26 a few times.  I have only had to plug my car in about 5 times this winter so my electric bill is liking it too.  Normally I am on my 4th fuel delivery by this point.  Hoping this one lasts me until early fall or until I move into my own little cabin in the woods sometime this summer!  




> This winter driest on record in Fairbanks
> Weston Morrow, wmorrow@newsminer.com 13 hrs ago  (7)
>  Warm Weather
> The Chena River flows by Pike's Landing on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. This has been the driest and the eighth warmest meteorological winter on record in Fairbanks.
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> 
> 
> FAIRBANKS — *The 2015-16 winter in Fairbanks was the driest ever recorded, and it wasn’t even close.*
> 
> ...

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## crashdive123

Some of us consider -26 downright chilly........just sayin.

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## hunter63

Been kinda mild here as well.......

The Keekee birds come out at -20 below, but haven't seen or heard any this year.

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## kyratshooter

Wow! Kentucky had more snowfall than Alaska this February!

We got hammered a couple of times last month and are in the middle of an effort right at this moment.

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## crashdive123

I just came inside.  Still in shorts and flip flops, but had a fire in the pit to take the chill off........OK, maybe chill is a bit of an exaggeration.

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## 1stimestar

Lol you know you just like playing with fire Crash.


Hey I thought you all might be interested in this.  You know my bush friends Wayne and Scarlet that I go visit every summer?  Wayne is on a historical reenactment trip. "For the first time since 1905, a sledging expedition will retrace Amundsen’s route to find a telegraph to tell the world he had navigated through the North West Passage."  They tried this once before and could not get through.  So this is their second and probably last time ever to try this.  From Herschel Island, Yukon Territories Canada, to Eagle, Alaska. 

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Their expedition diary sounds down right miserable!  http://inamundsensfootsteps.com/6th-march-2016/

http://inamundsensfootsteps.com/

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## 1stimestar

Sad dealings going on last night for Iditarod mushers Aily Zirkle and Jeff King.  This page has the most complete news and videos all in one place.

http://www.ktva.com/jeff-king-aliy-z...heckpoint-508/

Basically a drunk snow machiner attacked two separate teams and killed one dog and severly injured others.




> Overnight, while on their way towards the Nulato checkpoint, the sled dog teams of Aliy Zirkle and Jeff King were attacked by a snowmachiner. Repeated, seemingly intentional collisions killed one sled dog from the team of Jeff King, a three-year-old male, Nash; three additional sled dogs (one from Zirkle’s team, two from King’s) received non-life-threatening injuries.


The Iditarod is our other 1000 mile dog sled race.  It's much more advertised then the Yukon Quest and the purse is much larger as well.

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## ClayPick

Arnold needs his *** kicked.

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## hunter63

What a bass whole......

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## Rick

Hopefully he gets enough quality time to sober up and think about the errors of his way. 7-10 should be just about right.

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## Grizz123

> Hopefully he gets enough quality time to sober up and think about the errors of his way. 7-10 should be just about right.


not long enough in my eyes

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## 1stimestar

I looked him up and he has a pretty long list of crimes, mostly alcohol related.  Hope the jury sees that letting him off easy as has been done before, is just asking for him to escalate his crimes.  But they judge says that they could even deem this an act of terrorism and that the prosecutor did not ask for enough bail.  

http://www.ktva.com/judge-grants-50k...d-mushers-397/

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## 1stimestar

And on a happier note.  From my friends Wayne and Scarlet about Wayne's expediton.  Sounds like his foot got frostbite...




> Talked to Wayne tonight and the team is doing well and moving along nicely. They have 20 miles of bad ice ahead of them tomorrow but after that things should be really nice.
> 
> Wayne's foot is improving and the other team members stay busy bandaging his toe which had had all the skin fall off of and he says looks like a piece of raw meat. But so far so good! He sounded much more perky and not nearly as stressed.






> EXPEDITION DIARY
> DAY 14 – Saturday 5th March
> – 40ºC
> We managed to make 15 miles today. As we left Sheep’s Creek we went straight into a class 4 rapid, the worst so far. A lot of broken and collapsed ice, my sledge and I fell partly into a sink hole with the rapids running underneath me.
> It took 3 people to move each sledge with ropes and pulleys almost vertically up the collapsed ice slopes of the rapids. We are exhausted, it took us 2 hours to get through. The dogs are very tired and hate the overflow, so if you sledge too near the edge, they try to climb out of the wet onto the bank.
> We left the river twice to avoid a lot of bad overflow which held us back all day. We made very slow progress till about 3.30pm, then we made the rest of the miles to Joe Creek, which is a beautiful place. We had a very cold night.
> 
> DAY 15 – Sunday 6th Feb
> – 40ºC Sunny
> ...



http://inamundsensfootsteps.com/blog/

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## 1stimestar

> Gears are in motion and I will be your "neighbor" sometime later this year, that is if my barge doesn't sink. Also need to find a job but that is lower down the list


Hey Grizz, did I not see this before?  Where/when are you coming?  If it's in the interior, I can help.  Don't know the job market in Anchorage other then the whole state is in a budget crises right now so if you don't have a pretty highly marketable skill set, better bring enough money with you to get out.

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## 1stimestar

Oh I don't think you've seen this one yet.  It's amazing as always.  Ronn does such a good job. 




Why do my videos only show up as links any more?

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## Rick

There was a very short URL in the vid code. I'm not sure where you pulled the URL from or why it only pasted the short URL. I pasted the full URL and it shows up. Might be a browser thing. I'm using Chrome. Make sure the =youtube.XX portion is on the end of the URL you cut and paste.

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## 1stimestar

Thanks Ric.  I use the "share" link.

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## Solar Geek

> Oh I don't think you've seen this one yet.  It's amazing as always.  Ronn does such a good job. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Why do my videos only show up as links any more?


Oh my gosh 1stimestar!  Thank you so much. I traced it to Youtube to see who Jo Blankenburg is and boy is he talented as a musician. I am currently listening to his hour long "heroic epic music" Youtube. I sent both yours and the one I am listening to to my 2 DDs and they will love them and the pictures on each. 

This is some of my favorite type of daytime music as it inspires me to get MOVING!  ON that note, thanks again, hope to see the NLs some night and I am off....!

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## Pennsylvania Mike

Thanks so much for the video 1stimestar that was great, I really enjoyed it.

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## ClayPick

You can pick out a lot of constellations above the Aurora. Wonderfull!

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## hunter63

Great show ........thanks for posting.

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## crashdive123

Yep, another awesome show.

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## 1stimestar

Yes if you get a pedicure around my house, and there is fresh snow on the ground, you MUST do this. 

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## crashdive123

White sandy beaches are soooooooooo much more relaxing.  Just sayin.

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## Rick

This little piggy went to market...with a parka, snowshoes, hand warmers, wool socks........

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## Grizz123

> Yes if you get a pedicure around my house, and there is fresh snow on the ground, you MUST do this. 
> 
> Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.


I paint my nails with or without snow  :W00t:   :no way:

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## Grizz123

> Hey Grizz, did I not see this before?  Where/when are you coming?  If it's in the interior, I can help.  Don't know the job market in Anchorage other then the whole state is in a budget crises right now so if you don't have a pretty highly marketable skill set, better bring enough money with you to get out.


PM coming soon

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## 1stimestar

If you've been following my friends' epic historical reenactment expedition "In Amundson's Footsteps" thought you might like to know that they stayed with Heimo a few days ago.  
http://inamundsensfootsteps.com/17th-march-2016/

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## 1stimestar

Going through some older pictures looking for a specific one and ran across this.  Thought you all might like it. 

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## crashdive123

Beautiful picture.

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## Pennsylvania Mike

That is a beautiful picture, when you look at it, you get the sensation of looking at a 3D picture, the mountains in the back go from white (snow covered) to grey, to a sort of black in the middle, then to brown.

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## 1stimestar

Are you guys even hearing about this on your news down there?




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> http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_...cdd361268.html





> Alaska Airlines cancels Fairbanks flights due to volcano eruption
> Dan Joling, Associated Press Updated 44 min ago   (1)
> 
> 
> Updated 4:32 p.m.: FAIRBANKSVolcanic ash from the eruption of Pavlof Volcano has prompted Alaska Airlines to cancel all flights to and from Fairbanks for the remainder of the day.
> 
> The airline cancelled 41 flights to and from six northern Alaska destinations, according to a news release on the company's website this afternoon.
> 
> "It looks like were done for the day," Alaska Airline Vice President Marilyn Romano said by phone.
> ...


http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska...a79d0b7d7.html

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## hunter63

Yeah, been on the news....
When y'all do something up there, y'all don't fool around.....everything done in a BIG way....
WOW

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## WalkingTree

Dagnabit. Your Alaska stuff always just makes me think of a fantasy of mine. One of those when-I-win-the-lottery fantasies. Don't know how practical it'd be or how I could go about actually doing it realistically. But that's beside the point. Thought long ago of starting a thread on it for pure curiosity just to get the kind of feedback that only this crowd could provide (the details of _how_ it could be feasible), to use the scenario as a vehicle through which to learn some stuff related to such a thing...

...I'm trekking through some part of the interior/taiga/boreal, from early spring to late fall, with maybe about 3 companions and some kind of beast-of-burden. There would be 5 big unbreakable rules *1)* We're not trying to get anywhere by a certain time. Hiking speed is always irrelevant. Lots of time would even be spent just standing or sitting. *2)* The general route chosen would be with the intention of not encountering other people or any sign of previous presence of anyone else. The idea is to feel as much as possible the total wildness and as if no one else had ever been there before. *3)* Practically no talking. Ever. Every minute for 6 months or so. There would be a protocol for abbreviated whispers and signals when communication is necessary. *4)* It is done on foot. Nothing motorized, and no horse-riding. A beast of burden maybe for minimal equipment (since I'm 'rich' in this fantasy, this involves occasional visits via plane) *5)* All equipment, clothing, and material, etc, must have no loud colors or modern appearance - subconsciously, to be conducive to forgetting any connection to where we've come from and notice only where we are.

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## 1stimestar

Why not by yourself since you want minimal talking?  And if you are going to have supports such as food drops, you don't need the beast of burden.  This is totally doable.  There are places here to get away like that, especially if you have enough money to arrange food drops.  Hiking for 3 months with out running into people and still have trees to build a fire, would mean the northern part of the interior.  If you are out there for some time though, you WILL run into Fish and Game and they will be checking to see what you've been eating and if you have a license for that (hunting, fishing).  They spend months in the bush at a time and have air support...

Edited to add, a beast would be at real risk of a broken leg.  Tundra and tussucks are difficult to walk on, some times more then others.

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## 1stimestar

https://youtu.be/IHXK9jrT5w8

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## WalkingTree

1stimestar:

Yea, I hadn't made up my mind about several features of my idea - if I ever had the opportunity to come upon such a bridge, I'd spend a lot of time in that area hanging out with various folks to figure out exactly how to cross the aforementioned bridge.

I've foreseen problems and extra complications with having a beast of burden, including what you've mentioned. Yet I'd need _some_ stuff with me, and part of the experience-requirements is that I don't lug around 100 pounds on my shoulders every day for months. I'm thinking of the fact that we'll need something with us to address bad weather; a bear gets too curious; being able to be completely unconscious at night for hours at a time and not be completely helpless to said bear; cooking; some kind of walky talky & GPS ability; Hunting and fishing gear; etc. Also I don't want to leave a single bit of trash, so every ounce of whatever we take, and food and water, would be planned/designed according to this.

If I had my druthers, there would be almost no plane visits at all. For 6 months or so. And when there is and it doesn't need to or can't land, I'd even prefer that it stay high and not come in very low with it's noise, and we'd just have to chase after whatever it dropped. I only consider some plane visits because of these things. We'd either have to have some way of any material that is left over (trash/waste) is burned or decomposes quickly, or have it taken away by the plane.

But a lot of this is just from my ignorance of what the laws are concerning hunting/fishing, fires, camp building (but I'd want some method of making and breaking camp in less than 30 minutes every day, day after day, and still addressing challenging weather at night), and my ignorance/lack of experience with that world in Alaska and what it'd really be like...I feel that no matter what, I would design in the ability to call in assistance and supply, and them be able to find us without much trouble. I feel that no matter what, I'd find out that I might not be able to stay completely out of contact for 6 months straight non stop.

I wouldn't want to do it completely by myself because that just doesn't seem very smart. Considering all of the factors of how I'd want to do this. I think that also I was unconsciously playing with the idea of spreading out what we do take with us among everyone, so that no one has to carry much, but we have no beast of burden yet have what we need (with some redundancy in some respects). And...remembering that I'm magically rich...they are there so that they do most of the carrying and I don't  :Blush:  . The "no talking" rule I just don't think would be a problem, and don't think that I'd need to do it alone in order to maintain that mood. I don't think that it'd be too hard to find the type of people who understand what I'm shooting for and love the idea of hiking like that in that kind of area with no conversation.

But anywho...again, If I were ever to have this opportunity, I'd expect for lots of my initial ideas of how I think it needs to be done to change once I learn from people in the area and put together a real plan. Maybe just for the fun of it I should start a thread on this and see where it goes instead of hijack this one?

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## 1stimestar

> 1stimestar:
> 
> 
> 
> But anywho...again, If I were ever to have this opportunity, I'd expect for lots of my initial ideas of how I think it needs to be done to change once I learn from people in the area and put together a real plan. Maybe just for the fun of it I should start a thread on this and see where it goes instead of hijack this one?


Here you go:  http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...728#post480728

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## Rick

> I don't lug around 100 pounds on my shoulders every day for months.


You can do it you just have to work your way up to it. I started this morning with a cup of coffee. Before you know it I'll be up to a Danish (the pastry not the people) and then two bacon sandwiches. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a good meal. The other option, of course, is a jeep.

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## WalkingTree

^ Oh, and that's another thing. I'd have to have my coffee ritual every morning. And that alone creates logistical problems. I don't see ordering a plane constantly for coffee and Danish.

I can see solving the supply problem by just hunting and fishing all the time...just don't know about the laws of that. But coffee...can't hunt coffee. And I don't know if things like chicory are growing everywhere up there. probably not.

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## 1stimestar

Hunting and fishing laws are strictly enforced.  Like I said, you WILL see Fish and Game out there.  Bring your coffee.  It's one of the must haves.  Danishes, not so much.

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## 1stimestar

> These amazing men and dogs arrived at Eagle Community School yesterday afternoon when they completed their 700 mile journey from Herschel Island to Eagle. They retraced Roald Amundsen's route when he came to Eagle in 1905 in search of a telegraph to announce to the world that he had successfully navigated the Northwest Passage. No one had accomplished this feat since 1905 . . . until yesterday. So thankful that our school was part of this phenomenal adventure and global project. Thank you to: Wayne Hall, Tim Oakley, Graham Burke, Earl Rolf and, of course, the dogs.





> My poor hubby and this is almost a month after he froze them. Ouch!
> 
> The guys lost a total of 80 pounds and 1 dog actually gained weight.


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http://inamundsensfootsteps.com/29th-march-2016/

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## Rick

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

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## WalkingTree

Oooh. Yikes. I always considered my footwear to be very important. I put almost as much thought into that as I do all other articles of clothing combined. Kinda hard though I guess when things are so cold. They make battery powered warmer boots?

"...change your socks whenever we stop." - Lt. Dan

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## hunter63

> .......................  They make battery powered warmer boots?


They suck.....and you can't carry enough batteries.....LOL

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## 1stimestar

Wayne is a professional dog musher.  He lives off the road system in the bush on the Yukon River and does dog mushing expeditions for a living.  He has good boots.  He knows how to keep safe.  But this just goes to show you, it can happen to anyone, even the most experienced and knowledgeable.  This expedition was 700 miles long with minimal, and I mean minimal outside support since they were retracing Amundsen's trip and had gotten a grant with specific requirements to keep it as close to his original trip as possible.  Remember, trees don't grow on the North Slope.    

I think this was when it happened:




> DAY 10  Tuesday 1st March
>  25ºC
> 
> The wind dropped in the night but it snowed all day till about 3.00pm, visibility was very poor. We set off and I used a compass bearing to correct our direction to get to the Firth mouth.  It is always a bit hairy just going on a compass bearing, as you dont know where you are, but anyway we found the mouth of the Firth and just as we could see it in the distance Grahams sledge handle broke, that took ½ an hour to fix.
> 
> We had a good run on frozen overflow and glare ice (hard ice) the dogs sliding around and the sledges all over the place, but then *we hit some really bad overflow for 2 hours, up to our knees in water.*  My sledge got turned over  into the water, everything got wet but we managed to move on through the overflow and then we camped about 20 mins later by the side of the river which was a slightly elevated point a couple of feet above it.  The overflow was coming down river as well and was creeping towards us getting to within 1 ½ m of our camp and dogs!
> *Cold, wet and very miserable, everything soaking, we had no fire or water.*





> DAY 12  Thursday 3rd March
> 
> We set off, it takes about 3 hours to break camp.  We came across a lot of hollow ice, then we had a very good run on flat ice to Sheeps Creek, the ice breaking, cracking and groaning under us was a bit alarming! The hollow ice is a real problem, it is where there is a hole in the ice to the running river and rapids underneath, it took us 3 hours to get through. *We had been wet since Tuesday and by Thursday, after three very hard days, we were exhausted and dangerously cold.
> *
> 
> 
> DAY 13  Friday 4th March
> 
> We had a beautiful run down to Sheeps Creek where there is a rangers hut.  Our boots and clothes were still soaking wet so we stayed here for 24 hours to dry out.  The only heat we had in the hut was our little Primus stoves which heat the water for our food and drink, and for the dogs. The boots took a whole night to unfreeze.  *You have to hold the frozen boot over the Primus stove for five mins just to be able to melt the ice enough to get the liner out.* We used bin liners over our socks to keep them reasonably dry.
> ...


http://inamundsensfootsteps.com/6th-march-2016/

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## WalkingTree

Electrical warmer boots -

I was thinking why wouldn't they run a line up your legs to batteries on your waist or in a pack...then I thought it still wouldn't do the trick. Be too bulky, and/or still wouldn't last long enough. Would end up being a PITA.

So then I thought...aren't there little gadgets now which generate a charge from simple movement, like back-and-forth movements of the body in some ways? The charge probably is miniscule, and something in some boots making a charge from your footsteps would also not be much...but I wonder if just a little bit would be good enough in combination with good/insulated boots - just that extra little bit to take the edge off that often makes the difference, even if not in all situations.

_1stimestar_ - Personally, stuff like making trips to the north pole or Amundsen's in the 'old days' is something that I never could comprehend. Seems impossible. Way too cold, for so long, mercilessly. There even seems to be something wrong to me in movies where people fall through ice and end up in water in the middle of winter or in polar regions yet somehow are able to move around and live. I feel I'd be dead or might-as-well-be within one minute of getting completely soaked like that in the movies.

People who pull that off (the expeditions) are a combination of magical and crazy to me. They got some big ones. However much I like the outdoors, and can embrace the elements to some extent, I don't ever want to take a long low-tech trip in the cold and winds that one finds further north or south. No siree, not for me. (Of course that's why I was wondering about walking Alaska)

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## 1stimestar

Any type of electrical warmer would not have been allowed plus they wouldn't have survived the several hours slog through open water.  I fell through the ice once when mushing in late spring.  Water was just up to my knees and it was comparatively "warm" but still got the ol' adrenaline pumping.  Didn't know how deep the water was there.  Had to help the dogs get the sled out of the hole we broke through too.  Scary for a few minutes.  I'll ask and see if my friends have pictures of that and if they can find them.

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## 1stimestar

Yep, here they come.




> Warm Alaska spring might be waking bears up early; grizzly spotted in Fairbanks
> Associated Press Updated 4 hrs ago   (0)
> ANCHORAGE, Alaska  Warm temperatures across Alaska might be getting bears out of their dens early.
> 
> Bear sightings have been reported all across the state, including a grizzly in the Fairbanks area this week. The grizzly was seen off Nordale Road, said Jesse Dunshie, with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
> 
> State wildlife officials say black bears have been sighted in several parts of Anchorage. There also have been sightings of brown bear sows and yearling cubs in Kodiak, something that doesn't usually happen until later in the spring.
> 
> Given the early sightings, officials are urging Alaskans to take down bird feeders and clean up any seed, trash or pet food that has been left out over the winter. Poultry and small livestock owners should secure their animals behind electric fences, and garbage bins should be put away.
> ...


http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska...934a1eff0.html

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## kyratshooter

Put that picture in your "reality tv" casting call and see how many volunteers you get!

Most to the participants in that trek will suffer aftereffects for the rest of their lives.

"Survival" does not guarantee you get to keep all your fingers and toes.

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## 1stimestar

Eh season's almost over as it is staying light later and getting light pretty early already so since I was up at 1, thought I'd go out and try to get some aurora shots.  Not much activity.  Finally broke my tripod though so bleh.  

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----------


## hunter63

At least it was a clear night....nice pic's....
Been cloudy and nasty....sure could use some sunshine.
How many months do y'all have to go through with out any sun light?

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## 1stimestar

Well we are speeding towards our 24 hours of sunlight now but in the depths of winter we get about 3 hours of sunlight with a twilight on both sides.

Apr. 13, 2016	          Rise           	Set

Actual Time         	 6:20 AM AKDT	9:23 PM AKDT

Civil Twilight	         5:24 AM AKDT	10:21 PM AKDT

Nautical Twilight	         4:00 AM AKDT	11:46 PM AKDT

Astronomical Twilight	2:23 AM AKDT	1:18 AM AKDT



Length of Visible Light	16h 56m
Length of Day	
15h 03m
*Tomorrow will be 6m52s longer.*

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## 1stimestar

Yep, here we go.  Not much info yet.  




> Alaska News
> *Man mauled by bear near Denali Highway*
> Michelle Theriault Boots
> April 17, 2016
> 
> A man was flown to a hospital Friday after being mauled by a bear near the Denali Highway, the Alaska State Troopers said Sunday. 
> 
> Troopers were not releasing details such as the man's name or the severity of his injuries as of Sunday afternoon, according to troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain. 
> 
> ...



http://www.adn.com/article/20160417/...cfd9-246859505

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## crashdive123

Looks like the two men may have not been the only ones hunting.

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## 1stimestar

Second mauling in 4 days.  Yea they wake up cranky.




> FAIRBANKSTwo Alaska men have been mauled by bears in the last four days, according to Alaska State Troopers.
> 
> Forest Wagner, 35, of Fairbanks, was airlifted off of Mount Emmerich near Kicking Horse River on Monday after troopers received a report of a bear mauling at about 11:50 a.m.
> 
> Wagner was reportedly with a dozen University of Alaska Southeast students taking a mountaineering course when he was mauled, according to a trooper news release. Another student hiked down the mountain to get cellphone reception and called for help.
> 
> Wagner was taken by LifeMed helicopter to Anchorage for treatment.
> 
> The bear was sighted again after the attack, and UAS arranged for the remaining students to be taken off the mountain, according to the release.
> ...


http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_...f24be72dc.html

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## 1stimestar

Hey Walking Tree, this might be of special interest to you.

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## WalkingTree

1stimestar ^

Thanks. Mmmm....

I wanna see thunderstorms in those kinds of wide horizons. Like out in the wide desert skies I'm sure.

Brooks Range. Hhmm. I assumed I'd prefer the interior. Out of mountains more. Maybe not as cold or rough weather (?). Would miss the trees here though too. Seems more flora along the interior. But I can see, as I figured anyway, that I can't know such details if I never been there or talked with people much who have. Even this vid...one minute is grass for miles, next minute there's trees everywhere. And didn't seem like bad weather either. The spring/summer/fall much longer or shorter there than different stretches of the interior?

'laska is a big ole place after all. Must be a thousand different microclimate patterns. Even in little ole Oklahoma, we got 4 different ecoregions. That's why the weather here is so dynamic and varied.

I wonder how much these guys tried to think ahead of time. Starting at the source of the river, but no waders or gaiters. My feet get wet and it's cold, I am *done.* Game over.

Alaskan bush pilot...one of those things I could do for the rest of my life.

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## 1stimestar

> Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
> 
> *2 Alaska skiers hoped their snow cave wouldn't become a tomb*
> 
> ANCHORAGE, Alaska - By their third day in a tiny snow cave under 4 feet of snow, Chris Hanna and Jenny Neyman thought the shelter in an Alaska ice field might turn into a tomb.
> 
> The 7-by-5 space Hanna dug started with a ceiling 40 inches high. Warmth and humidity from their bodies made the ceiling sag to within 8 inches of their faces, like a giant, suffocating sponge. Besides hypothermia, hunger and a shortage of oxygen, the experienced outdoor enthusiasts had to stave off claustrophobia.
> 
> "The closer that ceiling got, the more unnerving it was," Neyman said Wednesday.
> ...



http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska...4c1d330de.html

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## hunter63

Wow...glad to hear some good news, many adventures don't end up so well.....
Thanks for post.

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## 1stimestar

Yes and if you notice a theme here, these are all experienced people...

Just found this video and am saving it here to watch the full thing later.  Looks pretty interesting.  To go through Prudoh to the Arctic Ocean, you have to go through lands owned by the oil companies so that means you can not just drive up there.  It requires 24 hour notice, a background check, and an approved tour company.  

https://youtu.be/E5-I0xuAshw

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## 1stimestar

1:20 am

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2:53 am
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Almost home.  3:something am.

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## crashdive123

You may not have noticed, but you captured me sleeping in all three of those pictures.   :Whistling:

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## 1stimestar

3rd one this year.




> After being mauled by a brown bear, Juneau man is glad to be alive
>  Author: Jerzy Shedlock, Chris Klint   Updated: 17 hours ago   Published 2 days ago
> 
> Kenneth Steck doesn't know why a large brown bear that charged and mauled him in the thick brush near the Southeast Alaska town of Yakutat stopped its attack. Steck came to believe he may die in those brief moments, and he told God he accepted that outcome.
> 
> "I remember thinking 'My wife is losing her husband,' and then I thought 'God, if you're calling me home, I'm willing,' " said Steck Wednesday during an interview in a family member's East Anchorage home, where he is recovering after being hospitalized at Providence Alaska Medical Center for four days.
> 
> Originally from a Chicago suburb, Steck came to the state four years ago after enrolling in the outdoor studies program at Alaska Pacific University. His courses, including lessons about bear safety, have carried over into his exploration of his new home.
> 
> ...







http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2016/...-bear-mauling/

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## Rick

I hate it but if this keeps up I may have to start a list for Alaska.

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## 1stimestar

I belong to an international, online fiddler's forum of adult starters. We have a traveling fiddle which we send from one member to the next so we all can take turns on it. We are supposed to play it in different locations around us to show off our areas. I get it next!  I had to bow out of my turn last time as it was winter and I can't play it outside in our winters.  

Obviously it has to go to the Arctic Circle. I'll hit the Yukon River then too and Finger Rock (going to play Rocky Top there). Santa Clause House in North Pole (guess I better brush off some Christmas music), of course Denali, hope the mountain is out. Where else?  Susan (Aikens) just offered to get me up to the Arctic Ocean.

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## Rick

Now that is just plain cool. I'm shocked, though, that no one loaned it to their cousin who lost it. I've heard things like that happen.

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## crashdive123

Very cool.

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## Rick

Apparently, Wildgoth doesn't play the fiddle or it would have disappeared by now.

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## crashdive123

Now that right there is funny I don't care who you are.

True, but funny.

Should we hit him up with some more emails.....that thieving little sob.

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## 1stimestar

Ohhhh they would have a village with pitchforks hunting them down.

Remind me who Wildgoth was.

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## Rick

Pass around knife. He loaned it to his cousin or his cousin borrowed it or something like that and promptly lost it. He made all sorts of promises that went unfulfilled and he finally stopped logging on and kept the knife. I sent one or two emails to him for about six months. Oh, did I say one or two? Silly me.

Apparently fiddle players are a slightly higher class of people. I think a "pass around fiddle" is most excellent. That will be one well traveled violin at the end of its journey.

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## 1stimestar

Ohhh dang, what a loser.  Here's where it's been so far.  I'm going to blow them out of the water hahaha.

Oh that sounded more snarky then I meant it.  It's been stuck a few times and we have had issues with people having it and not posting a video/s.  But it's been going for a few years now.  

http://fiddlerman.com/traveling-fiddle/

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## WalkingTree

I feel like there might be some commonality or pattern for when bears attack yet leave you alone shortly after giving you the smack down...and when they go ahead and eat you. Might have to do with how the human is behaving, whether they realize it or not. Or might have to do with some kind of "locality bear community culture" or environment, or the bear's age, if not just plain black versus brown.

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## crashdive123

Or...................might have something to do with the smell emanating from the freshly soiled trousers.

Bear returns to den.

Mrs. Bear:  Did you bring home supper?
Mr. Bear:  Well, I thought I had picked out a good one.  I knock the little feller down.  Turns out he was a little too ripe.....scratch that.....REAL RIPE.

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## WalkingTree

Hehehe...so a good response to an attack is to go ahead and crap those pants. Being interviewed you'll be saying "yea, I crapped my pants, and I think that's what saved me. Stronger than bear spray."

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## hunter63

> I belong to an international, online fiddler's forum of adult starters. We have a traveling fiddle which we send from one member to the next so we all can take turns on it. We are supposed to play it in different locations around us to show off our areas. I get it next!  I had to bow out of my turn last time as it was winter and I can't play it outside in our winters.  
> 
> Obviously it has to go to the Arctic Circle. I'll hit the Yukon River then too and Finger Rock (going to play Rocky Top there). Santa Clause House in North Pole (guess I better brush off some Christmas music), of course Denali, hope the mountain is out. Where else?  Susan (Aikens) just offered to get me up to the Arctic Ocean.



Now that IS JUST DOWN RIGHT COOL......
Can't wait to see the vid's...

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## hunter63

1Star......was caving around on  Google images looking for a pic of  the sled/tent/cabin built by Chip and Agnes Hailstone that was one last night.
Didn't find that....But.

Guess what I found.......LOL
Famous again....

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## 1stimestar

Lol yep me and Sue on her 50th birthday up at Kavik River Camp.

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## 1stimestar

So this happened today.  "Why are all those people running?"

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## crashdive123

Like H63 always says.............ship happens.

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## Rick

Holy Carp! That's the ship I just sailed on!!!!!

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## hunter63

OMG .....Rick....You are lucky to be alive!!!!
Better go buy a lottery ticket ....or at least a new pistol....a "survival gift" to your self......

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## 1stimestar

Lol well seems you missed a little bit of excitement.

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## Rick

They actually punched a hole in the side of it. 

http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Cru...381850581.html

"Hey! Look, Margaret. We have a porthole."

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## crashdive123

OK Rick..........what did you do while you were there to cause this?

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## WalkingTree

Hey who was driving that thing? Yea, Rick broke something. Just ain't telling anybody bout it.

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## hunter63

Did I hear a real faint ".....Awwww, Shiiiiiiiip"....in that vid?

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## Manwithnoname

Wow, bet a tug captain or two will have a sudden career change.

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## Rick

The interesting thing is every harbor has a harbor pilot. So the harbor pilot would have been in charge of the ship at that point. I don't remember them using tugs up there. I don't think I saw any along the inside passage. They use the thrusters to park it and as big as that thing is they can spin them like a top with thrusters for and aft. 

I will admit to a bridge tour and I did sit in the captains chair. One of the officers looked me in the eye before I sat down and said, "Don't touch anything." 

"Oh, look whales." 

That's all I'm sayin'.

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## Manwithnoname

You are correct about a pilot being in charge coming and going from port and bow thrusters. Ive never been around cruise ships, there weren't any in Norfolk the three years I was there. Carriers, container ships and the like always had 2 or 3 tugs hooked up. If they weren't using any maybe they should have. Regardless, I'm bettin somebody's lookin for a new job.  Have to thank you for the video though, I laugh everytime I think about it.

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## Rick

We did use tugs in the larger ports with the Infinity. I just don't recall any along the Inside Passage. Maybe there were and I just don't remember them. 

Ketchikan Daily News

Wanted: EXPERIENCED Harbor Pilot. Must be licensed. Accident free in the last 5 years. Must pass drug, alcohol and vision test.

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## Manwithnoname

Oh my god that made me laugh!!

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## WalkingTree

Unless I'm not perceiving the vid right, it seems like they were easing over, but later sped up and hit. Maybe at the last minute somebody gunned it, like a cup of coffee got spilled and all heck broke loose on the bridge? Or somebody made a joke and hollered "Scotty! We need mo powa!"

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## 1stimestar

I think the wind may have played a part.

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## crashdive123

The freeboard on a ship like that (height of the ship between the waterline and deck) is nothing more than a giant sail.  When maneuvering in tight spaces without much speed the wind will (and apparently did) take its toll.

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## WalkingTree

Yea, that'll do it. That thing has a lot of surface area to catch wind.

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## 1stimestar

I leave tomorrow for my annual foray to Chickenstock.  My funky little music festival in the middle of nowhere then on to Eagle to visit my friends Wayne and Scarlett.

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## crashdive123

Have fun.  Travel safely.

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## Rick

Stay safe. Sounds like a fun time.

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## 1stimestar

I'm home.  Had a great time, a really exciting, great time.  Anyways, here's some pictures and stuff hahhaha.

We went up to visit my friends on the Yukon River first.  The Taylor Hwy is only open in the summer.  It takes 3 hours to go the 100 miles from Chicken to Eagle.  It rained...

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There were still plenty of blocks of ice left over from break up on the shore. 
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We had to stop and check on their fish wheel which they are planning some modifications for this year.
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This is the trail from the river up to their house.  We were also bringing in a load of lumber.  I was sitting in the back of their little atv machine so could really only video behind us to Ben (one of their guides who helps run dog sledding expeditions during the winter)  who was bringing more lumber.  I couldn't video the really bad parts of the trail because I had to hold on.



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Midnight in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
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Drying salmon to feed the dog teams throughout the year.
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## 1stimestar

This might be the last Chickenstock ever.  It was their 10th anniversary.  I've been to the last 8.

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https://www.facebook.com/georganne.h...6963881885697/

They were about to run out of beer so had some flown in.
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As we were leaving we stopped by the airport to say goodbye to a friend who had flown in.  We brought him a pork chop for breakfast and he set it on his cowling while we were saying goodbye.  The wind gusted and flipped the paper plate away leaving the pork chop on the plane.  Aw the majic of Chickenstock.

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## Rick

You know you are in Alaska when the beer is flown in. 

Great pics. Love the chicken outfits.

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## crashdive123

So, I guess that last picture is..........wait for it..........pork chops on the fly.

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## hunter63

> You know you are in Alaska when the beer is flown in. 
> 
> Great pics. Love the chicken outfits.


For real....Right?

Hey we are out of beer.....Want to run and get some?
It's 300 miles.....
Yeah, I know, I'll hurry.....plane is gassed up.....

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## Grizz123

> For real....Right?
> 
> Hey we are out of beer.....Want to run and get some?
> It's 300 miles.....
> Yeah, I know, I'll hurry.....plane is gassed up.....


I'll buy, you fly...

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## WalkingTree

Hey! Batman!

...I wanna see someone on Alone build a fishwheel.

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## Batch

> I'll buy, you fly...



Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

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## 1stimestar

Heh, got invited to go flying in the pork chop...

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## hunter63

Take your PSK.......

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## 1stimestar

Well looks like I went and got myself a boyfriend (see pork chop above).  Be watching for ariel photos sometime when both our work schedules work out lol.

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## crashdive123

Congrats.........

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## Rick

You're dating a pork chop?! Oh, I get it. That's great! Amazing what life offers, huh? Good for you.

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## hunter63

Well, Congrats......

Anyone that flies for beer can't be all bad....
Just be careful when he says, "Here, hold my beer and Watch THIS"

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## 1stimestar

> Well, Congrats......
> 
> Anyone that flies for beer can't be all bad....
> Just be careful when he says, "Here, hold my beer and Watch THIS"


Hahhaha.  Good one. 

Thanks.

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## WalkingTree

OooOOoh weeee...What's that teasing rhyme about two people in a tree? uh-huh.

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## 1stimestar

Lol.  Well it has been a long while since I've climbed any trees...

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## hunter63

Yeah.....Kinda good to have some one to argue with, sometimes.......Good on you.

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## 1stimestar

Stranded on the Yukon




> The temperature plummeted to 50 below zero the morning Sonja Woodman climbed in Polack Joe's 18-foot boat in Eagle, Alaska. She was headed home to an A-frame cabin 120 miles away near the confluence of the Yukon and Charley Rivers. It was early November in 1975, and up until then the mighty Yukon had been running wide open while rosehips froze at night and thawed by day. That morning, ice chunks started flooding out of the tributaries, rushing past low-hanging yellow leaves and swirling their way downstream. The further they got, the more ice-choked the river became, and it started to build up on the sides of the hull. "Polack Joe" Hajec, a local gold miner and trapper, kept one hand on the outboard tiller while he handed her a wooden oar and told her to start beating the ice off the boat.


Read the rest of the (short) story here:  http://www.adn.com/special-sections/...Show_Me_Alaska

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## WalkingTree

Don't know if I wanna read the rest of that...makes me shiver already.

Fish poisoning...man, it's always something. Can't a person even fish without something happening?

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## 1stimestar

More idjits needing rescue.




> Two hikers who hoped to complete a trek to the Chris McCandless bus ended up being rescued
>  Author: Jerzy Shedlock   Updated: 3 days ago   Published 3 days ago
> 
> Two hikers who trekked their way to the abandoned bus made infamous by Chris McCandless, and then failed to make it back from their planned trip on time, were located safe and unhurt following air and ground searches, according to the National Park Service.
> 
> On Saturday, search efforts began to find Michael Trigg, 25, of Lexington, South Carolina, and Theodore "Ted" Aslund, 27, of Atlanta, Georgia. Based on Facebook posts, the men planned a dayslong trip along the west side of Teklanika River.
> 
> Their destination was an abandoned Fairbanks Transit bus. It's parked on a clearing along Stampede Trail, near Denali National Park and Preserve but located on state land. In 1993, McCandless, 24, ventured off the Parks Highway with meager supplies and never returned. He died at his makeshift shelter inside the bus.
> 
> ...


http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2016/...being-rescued/

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## 1stimestar

Mt. Marathon is coming.  It's a crazy brutal mountain race out of Seward.  I have a friend who used to run it and her daughter will be running it for the 8th time this year.  She's 15! (and awesome).




It's been done every year since 1915, with some races suspended during war times.  They did add in one rule when a runner disappeared without a trace in 2012.  Now the runners must make it halfway up the mountain in an hour or they will have to turn around.

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## crashdive123

> More idjits needing rescue.


Yep......idjits.

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## Rick

I dunno. That Mt. Marathon thing looks like idjits to me. But what do I know?

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## hunter63

Darwin's Theory would work of people would just let it....Sheeesh....
More idjits perpetuating the pollution in the gene pool....

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## crashdive123

> I dunno. That Mt. Marathon thing looks like idjits to me. But what do I know?


That's just how they thin the herd and keep the populations numbers down up there.  Kind of like that whole Death Race thingy.

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## 1stimestar

Dang it.  Next story will be about a dead bear.  We don't like those.




> Grizzly bites hiker at Denali National Park
> Weston Morrow, wmorrow@newsminer.com Updated 7 hrs ago   (8)
>  Denali National Park and Preserve: Savage River
> Eric Engman/News-Miner
> Hikers make their way along the 4-mile Savage Alpine Trail, which ascends 1,250 ft. and connects the Savage River trailhead to the Mountain Vista Rest in Denali National Park and Preserve Tuesday, June 25, 2013. The Savage River is at the end of the first 15 publicly-accessible miles of the Denali Park Road.
>  Savage River
> Eric Engman/News-Miner
> Visitors stop to take in the scenery while hiking along the 4-mile Savage Alpine Trail, which ascends 1,250 ft. and connects the Savage River trailhead to the Mountain Vista Rest in Denali National Park and Preserve. The Savage River is at the end of the first 15 publicly-accessible miles of the Denali Park Road. Eric Engman/News-Miner 
>  Denali National Park and Preserve: Savage River
> ...


http://www.newsminer.com/mobile/griz...2070bf083.html

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## 1stimestar

Ugh. Another dumb kid running off to the wilderness...




> 'Nothing was as he expected': Trip to remote Interior Alaska ends in river rescue
>  Author: Lisa Demer  
> BETHEL  On the North Fork Kuskokwim River, a remote stretch far from McGrath where almost no one goes, Vladimir Yakushin on Wednesday waved frantically from his small raft at a plane flying past.
> 
> He was in trouble, trouble that suddenly seemed too big to get out of on his own. Overhead was an Alaska Department of Fish and Game pilot, and he couldn't negotiate a landing on the narrow, zigzagging river channel. The pilot left to summon help.
> 
> Just two weeks before, Yakushin, 29, was busting with hope.
> 
> "Im going to Alaska, baby!!!" he posted on Facebook June 13 with a selfie. He was grinning. His hair was neatly pulled back. Bags were stacked beside him.
> ...



http://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventur...-river-rescue/

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## 1stimestar

Guess what I got to do this morning?

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Just a quick flight over the Tanana River.

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Fish wheel.

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Landed smooth as silk. 

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## 1stimestar

Checking out a gravel bar for possible landings in the future.

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## crashdive123

Flying in the pork chop.  Most excellent.

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## Grizz123

so relaxing and peaceful

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## hunter63

Very cool......The Tanana River seems like local to me these days, after watching The TV show for so long.......

Used to go flying with a couple of guy that needed hours and company.......but the scenery wasn't near as good.

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## 1stimestar

What does one do when sitting around drinking beers with friends contemplating the upcoming big 5 0?  One decides that she might as well just go ahead and get her own pilot's licence....

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## crashdive123

Very cool.

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## Grizz123

As a kid I remember thinking 40 was old and washed up. Now that I'm over 50 all I see is young people in bodies that don't want to cooperate at 100% any longer. Get what you can get and enjoy life. Good for you!!

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## LowKey

Doesn't hurt that the flight instructor is "available" either
 :Wink:

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## kyratshooter

> What does one do when sitting around drinking beers with friends contemplating the upcoming big 5 0?  One decides that she might as well just go ahead and get her own pilot's licence....


I saw that coming a while back!

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## 1stimestar

> I saw that coming a while back!


Well of course you did lol.

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## ronjnk

Very cool! I'm assuming you will be float plane certified in a week or so?

I've told the wife to expect some company. She's already in the kitchen baking. This will be so exciting. Any chance you can throw a couple gallons of milk on board? You might as well plan on staying the night. A little long of a trip for one day. I'll drop you our coordinates when the time gets closer.

Oh, don't worry, we'll pay for the milk.

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## WalkingTree

http://www.skygod.com/quotes/quotes.html

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/au...hard_bach.html

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quote...gull---a-story





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonath...ngston_Seagull

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## 1stimestar

Lol milk, sure thing.  I just sent a 5 gallon bucket of soy sauce via bush plane to a friend in the bush.  She is canning salmon.

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## hunter63

Many plans h been hatched over a few (many?) beers......some of them actually pretty good.....
I say go for it.

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## ronjnk

1stimestar... now that you are contemplating flying, you will probably get a kick out of "do bush planes serve pretzels with the in-flight movie?"

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## 1stimestar

I leave next week for this year's paddle of the Yukon River.  We have had an almost record breaking wet year and the river is high.  This will bring both good and bad.  Good because there were a lot of times that the sand bars would extend way out, just barley discernable, into the water.  Those sand bars are like quick sand.  Bad because the amount of debris in the water will be much greater and the safe spots to pull out will be fewer.  

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=15356000

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## crashdive123

Have fun, stay safe, and of course...........lots of pictures.

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## 1stimestar

Ok leaving out on Wednesday morning. Spending the night in Tok then continuing on to Eagle then spending the night at Wayne and Scarlett's. Getting on the Yukon Friday morning. Here is the SPOT Tracker if you want to follow our adventure. I turned it on today as I was running errands around town.. 

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/f...HZVtNEKoH0YgK8

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## hunter63

Hey That's cool.....Does it track how many beers you order?

Have a good time....

We are recovering from week end Rondy....in hot weather.

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## 1stimestar

> Hey That's cool.....Does it track how many beers you order?
> 
> Have a good time....
> 
> We are recovering from week end Rondy....in hot weather.


Hahhaha no it does not!  But I learned last year that I could bring way less food and way more beer then I did.  

Oh hot Rondy  That could be really fun or really miserable.  I am thinking the kind of heat you get down there in a tent, ick.  I'm bringing gloves and hand warmers remembering that last night on the river last year it was 29 degrees.  I'd be fine but my sweetie gets cold a lot easier then I do.

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## hunter63

That's why you are there....LOl...

We did just fine as long as we weren't setting up or taking down....
We just took it easy and help all the crew to get set up....everyone in the group is over 65....so "hired hands" (kids) were helpful and subject to a bidding war.....They did well.

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## 1stimestar

Lol awesome.

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## crashdive123

Have fun and stay safe.  Bourbon takes up less room than beer.

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## Solar Geek

Have a wonderful and safe time!!!

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## 1stimestar

What a fantastic adventure.  Whew that water was scary high.  But we made it just fine.  Got back one day then the next day my company flew me down to Anchorage for "Trauma Informed Supervision" training.  "The Mountain" was out above the clouds so we flew around it a bit.  Pictures of the Yukon River will have to wait a day or two but here is some of Denali and surrounding area.




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----------


## hunter63

Wow.....thems some great pic's.....

Did check out your "SPOT" tracker and it seems that it really sends a signal pretty often......pretty cool.....
Didn't know there was such a thing.

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## Rick

Oh, dang. Those are great. Looks like you took the big bird.

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## crashdive123

Fantastic!  Looking forward to the rest of the pictures.

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## arklatex84

Great thread. You're living the dream up there!

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## 1stimestar

I had to work last night since we have been having some problems and our night monitor had off.  Mostly I just watched the cameras.  But it did give me a chance to write.  

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## crashdive123

Beautiful picture.

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## 1stimestar

Thanks.  That's my favorite one from the whole trip.  And it was from my cell phone!

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## 1stimestar

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It's been 5 years today.  We are doing well though the anniversaries are still pretty tough.  This one is certainly the easiest so far.

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## DSJohnson

Praying You and your loved ones have a good day and many, many happy memories.

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## hunter63

Does help to let it out, to let it go........
Gets easier, but will always be there.

Happy Anniversary...and another year of surviving......

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## 1stimestar

So...just got approved for the home loan I wanted at the interest rate I wanted, got me a realtor and now the search begins in earnest.  This might take a while.  Been in the cabin 4 years now.  Time to move on.

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## crashdive123

Woo Hoo!  Good luck with your search.

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## DSJohnson

I hope this is a really good thing.  I am sure your own place will be wonderful 


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## hunter63

The next step on the journey.....Congrats......Good on you.

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## Grizz123

Congrats!! life is good

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## 1stimestar

Welcome to Alaska Grizz!

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## 1stimestar

I've certainly been busy.  We've had our first little snow.  It didn't stick.  But that always reminds me that I like to make home made chicken noodle soup with home made noodles.  

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Been playing a lot:

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On the porch at the little local bar in my small community outside of Fairbanks.  
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With the cold, we moved inside.  It's really fun sitting there next to the big wood stove.  

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I got invited to play at a cival war reenactment camp.  It's a small group so far but it was super fun.  Good thing I mostly play American folk (and celtic) music.  
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I've lost 35 lbs this year and for my upcoming 50th birthday, today I started ground school!
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Oh yea, I was also invited to be in on the ground floor of a new dog sled race, the Runaway Jim 180.  It's in January.  The Yukon Quest is in February. It's being put on by one of my most respected mushers.

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## kyratshooter

Seven Yankees and four confederates?

It's clear you are not in the south!

That picture right there is why I never did Civil War reenactment.  Too much standing inthe sun wearing wool and doing drill.

If you are doing Rev War or French and Indian war you go as a civilian and if you don't like their war you go home!  Even if you do like that particular campaign  you sit under a shade tree while the regulars drill.

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## DSJohnson

Sounds just like a dang militia man. Here when it is fun gone when it's not 


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## crashdive123

Most excellent.  You've been a busy girl.

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## hunter63

Sound like you have been a busy gal....Congratulations.....!

Don't like civil war re-enacting much either.....too many rules......

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## 1stimestar

Eh, it's just a small group having fun.  There weren't many rules and it wasn't hot, as least not if you weren't wearing wool lol.  

Oh yea, and on Tues. I start back with roller derby.  

I went and looked at a house today.  I loved it!  It's so funky.  It's definitely "me".  Plus, it has a big wood stove, a pellet stove, a monitor stove, and is wired for a genny!  Plus it has a sauna.  It was rated 4 star energy efficient before he put in the triple pane windows!  It's not in the area I wanted.  But it's not in the areas that I didn't want.  Not quite as far out as I wanted but would do.  So I have a message in to my lender as I have a few questions I want to ask her before making an offer.  Oh, it no longer has purple and green paint, thankfully.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/69...74487647_zpid/

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## 1stimestar

I put an offer on the house and put down my earnest money.  Now we wait.  And while we wait, my sweetie is flying me out to Tolovana Hot Springs for my birthday trip.  12 mile hike in if you are driving.  1 mile hike in if you are flying.  Score!  
http://www.tolovanahotsprings.com/

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## Desert Rat!

Good Luck on the house, it looks great!

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## WalkingTree

(that house)

Mmm...trees. You got trees.

And yes, very interesting interior, and overall design.

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## 1stimestar

I close on the 28th!  So one last big Thanksgiving bash at the cabin, then it's all go go go!  WOOT!

Here's a bear fighter story.  I'm just linking so the author can get the correct counts for his article as he is independent.  
https://craigmedred.news/2016/10/31/the-bear-fighter/
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## 1stimestar

Sorry I've been a bit absent.  Been so dang busy.  But I am saving Sunday nights for the jam sessions.  I have decided to give up fiddle lessons after 5 years.  It will save me $144 a month and seeing that my mortgage will be several hundred more then my rent, I am all about the budget.  I figured what I need to learn now, I can teach myself or learn from jam members.  

Ground school is kicking my butt a bit.  It's a whole different language to learn and I am struggling to find the time needed.  I'll do it of course, it's just harder then I thought lol.  Boyfriend is selling his Taylorcraft to buy a Piper Cub.  It can carry a lot more weight.  

We finally got snow.  It came very late this year and is still not much.  I'm all for another mild winter though until I figure out how to budget to heat a 3 bedroom house verses a 700 sq. ft. cabin.  Not looking forward to moving in December as I'm thinking of all the stuff I have stored underneath the cabin lol.  Ah well.  It will be worth it.  

How are all of you doing?  Have any winter plans?

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## hunter63

Leaves, leaves, leaves........gotta be slow and easy......high 60's today.....been that way....

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## crashdive123

Winter plans include more camping, canoeing, kayaking, beach time and hiking.

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## Pennsylvania Mike

My plan is to watch the propane fireplace burn, make homemade hot chocolate for my granddaughter when she visit, tramp in the woods for a deer to take home and do some dear meat canning, do some walking on my machine to keep in shape, and I so a lot of cooking in the winter and invite the kits over for dinner.

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## 1stimestar

The sun set in Barrow today for the last time until Jan. 22 when it will then only peek over the horizon.  

And in other news, house closing has been pushed back until the 2nd.  Boo!  Since it is a totally re engineered septic, it's going to take longer to get it DEC approved since they have to approve the processes too and not just the end result.  (Insert expletives here.)  I had 5 days off for Thanksgiving in which I was going to get everything packed up and ready to move on Monday, which was supposed to be closing.

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## 1stimestar

Well closing was supposed to be on November 28th. It was delayed 4 times.  Finally closed on December 13.  They had let it run out of heating fuel and so it froze up.  The person they had paid to keep an eye on it, wasn't.  So I ended up with a new water pump, a refurbished hot water on demand system, two new toilets, shower valves, pipes, sheet rock and some new paint.  All had to be covered by them.  

Anyways, it's been a busy busy time.  I'm working extra due to the mortgage being more then my cabin.  I'll have my vehicle paid off in a bit over a year so that will really help ease things a bit.  Until then, I know how to buckle down.  

Outside front.
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Outside 
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You can see the enclosed back porch.
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Shop, one of the 3 small sheds, part of the wood shed.
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One of the three bedrooms.  The previous tenants had little kids so the closets where made into perches.
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My room has the stove pipe running through it, which will help to warm the upstairs.
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Third bedroom.
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Downstairs bathroom which now has a new vanity.  This is an old photo.
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Upstairs bathroom which also has a new smallish vanity instead of just the sink.
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Kitchen, wood stove, part of the living room.
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Living room, back door that exits into the enclosed back porch, pellet stove.
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Kitchen and front door with arctic entry.
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I now have a cupboard for dishes above the counter where you would imagine one should be.
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The small, wooden door to the left of the kitchen is a wood chute.  Load up your fire wood from the outside, retrieve to fill the woodstove from the inside.
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Downstairs bathroom which leads to the laundry room, which leads to the pantry.
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Sauna that's in its own little log shed out side the back porch door.
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Back porch.
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Anyways, lots of plans for things to be done.  But I have years to do them all.  Right now, it's -36 so I'm basically just cooking a pot of beans and staying cozy in my super insulated home.

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## hunter63

Fantastic.....looks real good....
Good to see you back.

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## kyratshooter

I am really glad to see this.

You have earned it.

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## crashdive123

Outstanding!  Looks great.  With the indoor plumbing you won't have to deal with a 2 story poopsickle.

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## Rick

Looks like a great place. Congratulations. I happy for you.

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## Antonyraison

very nice cabin, its waaaaaay better than my house hahah.

Really really epic place... 
it looks like a dream place to live, in the woods. Envious!!!!

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## Solar Geek

WOW 1sttime you really really scored here! What an excellent setup for you and for the future. I am very happy you now have a dream home to come home to. Kudos and Congrats (from a former log home owner).
SG

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## WolfVanZandt

Perty place - I love wood. If I had enough money I'd visit you - I like beans. You should be glad that I'm retired and on a limited budget.

 :Wink:

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## Rick

Yeah, beans, closed up in a house at -36, gonna be ugly.

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## crashdive123

It would save on using too much firewood. :Innocent:

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## fjrmurph

Very nice , love the open concept in the kitchen and the wood chute , I've never heard of a wood chute before , its a great idea . Now you have me thinking where can I put in a wood chute at home .

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## Batch

I really like it! I love the kitchens counter space. Congrats!!!

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## Phaedrus

What a beautiful house!  Congrats!

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## Pennsylvania Mike

That is a beautiful place.   Congratulations!   I like the shape of the house, that is different, and I love the wood stove.    All wood around the house, I'll bet you will get a lot of wildlife come to visit.

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## LowKey

That is one nice-looking house, Star! 

What's an arctic entry? Couldn't figure it out from the photo.

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## crashdive123

Think mud room with doors on either side to keep the outside outside and the inside inside.

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## 1stimestar

> very nice cabin, its waaaaaay better than my house hahah.
> 
> Really really epic place... 
> it looks like a dream place to live, in the woods. Envious!!!!


I lived and raised my kids in a 700 sq. ft. damp cabin (have to haul water in to a small internal water system) for the last 4 years.  We lived in a 400 sq. ft. dry cabin before that.  I worked and saved, and repaired/developed my credit for all those years in order to be able to get this place lol.  Now my kids are teenagers, it's great they can have their own space. 




> That is one nice-looking house, Star! 
> 
> What's an arctic entry? Couldn't figure it out from the photo.


Yep, what he said.
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On the left hand side, the part that sticks out.  You enter, then close the first door before opening the door to the inside.  Keeps from losing so much heat.

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## 1stimestar

This is why we need arctic entries.  
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Wow heat wave coming up on Tues.

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## Phaedrus

Wow!  I'll try to stop complaining about the cold in MN! :Laugh:

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## kyratshooter

> This is why we need arctic entries.  
> Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
> 
> Wow heat wave coming up on Tues.


Yes, I noticed the warming trend.  You are actually going into the positive numbers for a while.  

As for the rest of the numbers, well good luck with that!

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## 1stimestar

Here's some video of what -50 looks like.  The ice fog is pretty thick, though this isn't the thickest.  When it was the thickest, I was paying attention to driving only.

https://youtu.be/co_qan6s0M8

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## 1stimestar

https://youtu.be/Wd-E8uQk5Qs

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## 1stimestar

No longer fun!

Ran out of heating fuel while I was at work.  Was able to get more fuel delivered so stayed at work.  Came home early because Olivia called me when she got home from school to say the toyo (heating fuel burning stove) was still not working even though I got fuel delivered.  Got home to find the water had also frozen up.  Took me about an hour to get the Toyo going, air in the line.  Toyo, pellet, and wood stove have been going since then.  Covered up all doors and windows using every rug, blanket, comforter, blankie hanging on the wall, sheet and pillow case in the house that's not being used for sleeping.  Closed off my bedroom.  Put both kids to bed under a pile of covers as it took a long time to get this big place warmed back up.  Got cold water to the kitchen sink back but still waiting for the rest.  Forgive my whine but dammit, I am not supposed to have to be doing this alone.  

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## crashdive123

Hang in there kiddo.  We're all rooting for you.

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## hunter63

That is  truely a bummer...hope there isn't any damage to the pipes.
Are you on a well?

But then again....Who was it that said..."Why do I live in Alaska? Because I can."

Sorry had to give you a bad time a bit....

But that is just tooooooo freakin' cold......

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## 1stimestar

Got all water back at 4:30 this morning.  One of the pipes under the kitchen sink came apart at a joint but I think that was due to poor workmanship rather then the cold.  I hammered it back together.  Then I went to the bathroom and my butt did not freeze to the toilet seat, so I'm good.

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## hunter63

> Got all water back at 4:30 this morning.  One of the pipes under the kitchen sink came apart at a joint but I think that was due to poor workmanship rather then the cold.  I hammered it back together.  Then I went to the bathroom and my butt did not freeze to the toilet seat, so I'm good.


LOL....Good news on the pipes......that can really be a PITA.....just a saying....not literally.

Frozen butt on the seat brings to mind one hunting season....10 below...
Port a potty in the shed.....and one of the quartz heaters,....pointed at it .....Was still colder then he__

So left it on, about 30 min...came back...air was still cold...sat down..... that plastic seat had about melted and stuck to my butt.

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## 1stimestar

> LOL....Good news on the pipes......that can really be a PITA.....just a saying....not literally.
> 
> Frozen butt on the seat brings to mind one hunting season....10 below...
> Port a potty in the shed.....and one of the quartz heaters,....pointed at it .....Was still colder then he__
> 
> So left it on, about 30 min...came back...air was still cold...sat down..... that plastic seat had about melted and stuck to my butt.


OMG Lol.  Wow did that leave some uncomfortable burns?  Actually when it was that cold, we would just set up the luggable loo in the shower room.  Easy to just empty it down the outhouse hole.

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## 1stimestar

Oh hunter, no not a well but a 1200 gallon bulk tank.  I have heat traces on all the pipes and lines that are outside, incoming water line and outgoing septic line. Bulk tanks are very common here as you can't have wells on permafrost.  Water is pretty cheap to have delivered.

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## hunter63

Yeah, was wondering......Thanks.

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## Grizz123

I was going to look for "Alaska 2017" thread but I see this one is still going...

It only got down to -27 down here on the Peninsula but that was plenty cold for me. I had ice forming on my beard just walking from my truck to the store, whew... But I do love it as much as you

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## 1stimestar

> I was going to look for "Alaska 2017" thread but I see this one is still going...
> 
> It only got down to -27 down here on the Peninsula but that was plenty cold for me. I had ice forming on my beard just walking from my truck to the store, whew... But I do love it as much as you


Oh shoot.  Yea I guess I've been too distracted to notice it IS a new year lol.  

Wow, -27 is pretty cold for Soldotna isn't it?  I do, really do love it.  I'm just stressed because of the frozen pipes thing and afraid of running out of money getting and keeping things thawed.  But we are supposed to get to ABOVE zero later this week so I am just trying to hang on.

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## WalkingTree

Uh, now wait a minute...why ain't we seen any pics of a dozen snowmen around your place, like doing some coordinated dance or something?

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## 1stimestar

> Uh, now wait a minute...why ain't we seen any pics of a dozen snowmen around your place, like doing some coordinated dance or something?


Because you can't make snowmen with our snow.  It's too dry and doesn't stick together.

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## Tokwan

Magnifico.....Beautiful!!!!!!!

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