Levitating dogs on snow

Brewster levitates on snow

Today after work I took the dogs skiing.  The snow has moved beyond the isothermic, 'post-holing' stage, and is now officially solid and dog joint friendly even if it does not freeze overnight.  Earlier in the year I try not to take the dogs up when the snow is soft because it is hard on their 'knees'.  The snow is now solid all the time - no matter what the temperature reads.

The great thing about skis is that it is the only time I can outpace the dogs.  In their minds I must have God-like powers when I am on snow.  Doggy think goes something like, 'How does he go that fast?  Ordinarily he just pokes along'.  

I race off ahead and they chase. 

On this trip I used the 'paparazzi' fast shutter on my point-and-shoot camera to try and catch the dogs chasing me.  I actually had to bleed off a little speed to let the dogs catch up to me.  Then clickety, click, click I'd look back and take Brewster's picture as he chased behind at the back of my skis.

I found the results hilarious.  Patrick

It's not Abercrombie!

Note plume of thrown up snow - the dog is going FAST

On the down strides the G's push all Brewster skin down and he closes his mouth

Brewster is officially faster than Sheba

Gregg and Lisa were up there too

Afognak Survey

Afognak Spruce Forest

Last week two days after my archaeological survey to the treeless southeastern corner of the archipelago, I headed up to the densely forested northern portion.   Another archaeological survey but the landscape could hardly have been more different.  No more snow capped mountains looming overhead, and seemingly endless vistas.  Just the green, green forest and a rocky coastline.  About the only thing in common to both areas are the thick salmonberry, alder and devil's club thickets.  Its hard to escape the brush anywhere on Kodiak.

Over the next couple of years I will be doing a lot of surveying on Afognak Island for one of the major landowners.  Much of the coastline has not been surveyed and I hope to find lots of previously undiscovered archaeological sites.  Another goal is to check on site conditions - how are they doing?  Are any sites in particular threatened?  What are the threats? The whole point of the survey is to help the landowner better manage and protect the sites on their land.

It was almost 20 years ago since I had last visited some of the sites, and I was able to assess how they've changed through time.  The area has been rebounding ever since the 1964 earthquake when it sank precipitously.  And the rebound seems to be outpacing sea level rise.  Many of the sites now have grass and brush growing on what had been active beach berms.  However, this past winter was particularly stormy and appears to have opened up a few of the sites to new erosion.

By far the coolest thing I found on the recent survey was a cluster of petroglyphs.  Circles and dots pecked into a slate outcrop in front of a site.  We'd heard that there were some petroglyphs at this particular site, and I looked hard and found some.  But they did not match up with what the informant had said we'd find.  And then on our return when we showed him where we found the petroglyphs he informed us that we were at the wrong site! So now I guess we'll have to go back and look again.  Patrick

Interesting marine debris

Circle and dot petroglyphs pecked into slate

Prehistoric hearth eroding out onto a beach

Severely eroding site in 2016

Same site in 1998 - 20 years ago (when it had just recently been severely vandalized)

Sea lion by the boat in St Paul Harbor

Weekend Activities

Stuey goes on to score a goal on this play

One of the highlights of the weekend was Stuey's soccer game.  His team was down 1-0 when he scored the first goal for his side.  My favorite part of the games is when they line up at the end to slap hands.  I think learning to be a good sport is just as important as the soccer skills.

Another memorable moment was on Pyramid when I was trying to out pace the dogs on the way down and had an epic wipe out.  I was going very fast when I hit a patch of new, wet, and very slow snow.  I came to an immediate halt and did a face plant cartwheel.  I actually did 2 spins and ended up about 30 feet downslope of where I started my wipe out.  I was sure I was hurt and all the dogs caught up and were licking my face.  Miraculously I only sprained my wrist.

But boy did I dig a deep hole with my face!  If you look closely at the photo I took the next day the crowd of doggie tracks marks where I ended up, and you can see the big hole a little higher up slope.

Patrick

 

Thank you Sharon!

This photo from Saturday captures my Friday stitzmark and happy dog tracks

Ski tracks off of the face of the North Bowl

Hike Through the Woods

 Yesterday Zoya came home from Anchorage and we all went for a hike in the Termination Point area.  Zoya recently watched a wildlife documentary on beavers on she really wanted to see one in the wild.  So we brought binoculars and a spotting scope in the hopes of spotting one.  But no such luck - we found beaver dams and beaver cut trees, but no beavers.

Still the hike was a total hit.  The kids ran ahead on the trail.  The green, green forest and moss was gorgeous.  And when we got back the dogs were exhausted, and are still even in nap mode the next day.  Patrick

Stuey runs ahead in his Orions teashirt

Zoya and Nora discuss Girlscouts plans

Brewster in attack stealth mode

'Daaaad - don't take my picture'

Low Tide

Patrick Star

Yesterday morning Nora looked out the window and noticed that it was a super low tide.  The dogs were very antsy and needed a walk, and so off we went down the cliff to the beach.   For some reason a short walk on the beach tires the dogs out as much as a longer walk on dry land.  I think it is because they have to leap up and down and cross water etc.  It is broken up and not flat at all. 

The beach at low tide is a whole different world.  Patrick

Quick Walk in the Rain

Muddy, Steep Trail down to the Beach

 Last weekend while Nora went tide-pooling with the Girlscouts, Stuey and I went exploring with the dogs.  We hiked to a little beach near the end of the road at Monashka that I have not visited in years.  To get there you park by the road at the end of the guard rail, and take a steep trail down to the beach.

When we left the house it was clear and, consequently, neither Stuey nor I brought our rain gear.  Of course it started to pour when we were half way through our hike - such is Kodiak.  We should have known better than to not bring rain coats (and in Stuey's case - rubber boots)!

On the way down to the beach Stuey and I picked the salmonberry blossoms and sucked the nectar - so sweet!  But only if you find the ones that have not already been discovered by pollinaters.  It got me thinking what insects pollinate Kodiak's flowers?  Who are we competing with when we try and find the blossoms with the sweetest nectar?  I'm pretty sure it is not bees.  Patrick

Salmonberry tunnel

 

Archaeology Season Begins!

Three Saints Bay harbor - this is where the Russians moored their boats

Yesterday I traveled with Matt and Larry to Three Saints Bay.  Three Saints Bay is the site of the first Russian Settlement on Kodiak Island, and the trip represented my first archaeological survey of the season!  Our job was to check on the condition of the local archaeological sites for the landowner.  I did not find any new sites but I was able to determine that all of the sites are in good condition - no animal damage or erosion.

It isn't often that I get to visit a site that figures so prominently in the history of Alaska.  I remember reading about Three Saints Bay in a James Michener novel titled Alaska.  It was a terrible book and I stopped reading it soon after the Three Saints Bay scene.  I recall that in the scene an Alutiiq girl escapes the Russians and runs away to hide in the spruce forest.  Clearly James Michener got his scenery a tad wrong - the nearest spruce tree is miles and miles away to the north.  Ironically, I gather he did visit Three Saints Bay while researching the book.  A local helicopter pilot told me he once flew Michener to the site.  Maybe he just used a little artistic license.

Anyway, what's amazing about the site is the small size of the settlement footprint.  It was a tiny place.  The engraving below makes it seem like a far bigger and happening settlement than it was in actually.  It's kind of hard to believe something smaller than most remote setnetting operations was the capital of Russian Alaska.  But they did not stay long. The Russians moved their Kodiak headquarters to St Paul Harbor where the modern City of Kodiak is located in 1790 or so, and the Three Saints Bay settlement was largely abandoned by 1820.

A beautiful place to visit.  Patrick

Three Saints Bay - the location of the first Russian Settlement on Kodiak

I stitched together almost 30 panoramics and then couldn't decide which I liked best

Big place and small footprint for a colony

Trust a biologist to find a completely unexpected skull on the beach - a mountain goat!

Matt contemplates the mountain snow

Lazy lunch - homemade bread and a wheel of brie

Stormy Waters

 

While helping to put together the upcoming Qayat Exhibit at the Alutiiq Museum I was tasked with finding a good 'stormy seas' weather photo.  This proved difficult. 

Part of the problem was that the orientation and shape had to be just right.  So a few good ones did get rejected based on orientation and shape alone.  But I also found that I just did not have many good 'stormy seas' photos.  When it is stormy the light levels are low - so many of the images I do have are grainy.  And who wants to take a good camera out in the rain?  Hence almost all my pictures were taken with my waterproof point-and-shoot.

So yesterday when it was really nasty outside I immediately thought, 'great day to take a stormy seas photo'. Unfortunately by the time we went hiking out to Spruce Cape it had settled down a bit.  And because it was raining HARD  I again took along the point-and-shoot.  So the photos are all grainy, and not quite as dramatic as I'd like.  

But now I'm thinking 'stormy seas' photos, and taking them whenever I see them. Next time it is super stormy I'll take the good camera out Spruce Cape, and since I've already narrowed down what compositions work I will not have to expose the camera to as much rain.  I bet the by the time the museum needs a 'stormy seas' image I'll have several to choose from.  Patrick