This past weekend I went on a small adventure into the backcountry of Wrangell. One of my friends asked my roommate and me if we wanted to hike to a cabin Friday. It was already two in the afternoon, so we decided to take on the adventure even though it was late in the day. We packed as quickly as possible and left for our little adventure with a few other guides. We got a driver who had 4 wheel drive to get us as far as he could on the mountain. We also had a second car parked so that we would have a ride off the mountain. We began the hike with snowshoes on and it was awesome! I had never gone snowshoeing before and it was a blast. We hiked about three miles uphill to the cabin. It was challenging, but fantastic all at the same time! It was snowing during the hike, which made the hike even more beautiful.
The log cabin was so beautiful!!!! It had an amazing stove that warmed the entire, two floor cabin up. The cabin already had fire wood so we stayed nice and toasty while in the cabin. After arriving, the rest of the evening was dedicated to good food and hanging with good people.
When we awoke the next morning, we could not have asked for more beautiful weather. The skies reminded me of Santa Fe skies. The skies were deep, deep blue. We went off exploring to a ridge that was near our cabin and saw beautiful views of Etolin Island and the surrounding area. It was awesome!
After our little adventure on the ridge, we headed back to cabin to clean up. We hiked back down to the car and the views hiking down were amazing too! We saw everything from snow capped mountains to beautiful, open waters. Enjoy the pictures of our little adventure.
The Cozy Cabin
I fell thru the snow with my snowshoe on. Laughing at myself trying to get out.
Group Shot
Another one...
The ferry is an amazing way to see Southeast Alaska. I took the ferry from Wrangell to Juneau, Alaska. The price of the ferry ticket is fairly inexpensive. On the boat that we took, there was a bar and a restaurant to enjoy, but we brought our own food since the food is a little more pricey on the boat. Some people on the ferry rented out cabins, while we slept in the recliner lounge. We were going to sleep outside on the top deck, but the ferry had so little people on it that we were able to sleep inside the boat. The ferry ride that I took actually took the long way to Juneau, which was nice. We went from Wrangell to Petersburg, to Kake, to Sitka, and finally to Juneau. The boat went through The Tongass Narrows, which was very beautiful with its mountains and rainforests. It snowed and rained most of the way there, which had its own beauty to it. Below I posted a map of the journey.
Overall, it has been a busy month of February. I am glad that it is finally slowing down. I got back from my ocean expedition a week ago and it was epic. We had some of the most mild, beautiful weather one could ask for. We canoed about 10-15 miles a day going from one island to the next. The islands were magical and fairy tale like because of the vastness of the rainforest. Southeast Alaska is one of the most beautiful places I seen so far. I cannot wait to continue to explore it.
On Wednesday I will be taking the ferry to go explore Juneau. The ferry ride to Juneau takes over 24 hours, which I hear is a beautiful ride. I can’t wait!
The Group Photo
Beautiful weather, Beautiful scenery, Great people...
Hey Again,
Just finished my two weeks of theoretical training with Alaska Crossings, which is awesome! I loved what we were learning, but sitting and listening fourty hours a week can be exhausting. This week coming up I will be doing a three day flat water canoeing course, which will be awesome. I am looking forward to working on my awesome paddling skills. I have been out canoeing a couple of times while in Wrangell to work on my strokes and so far it has been fun. I bought one straight shaft paddle and Crossings gave each new guide an Ottertail paddle which I need to sand and varnish. After the flat water canoeing course, I will have Thursday off to prep for the seven day ocean trip. I am totally looking forward to the ocean trip. The trip will be pretty cold and wet, but it will be nice exploring different islands in and around Alaska. I will also be looking forward to putting to use those classroom teachings into the field.
Have a beautiful day!
PS:
Please send mail to:
Cat Anthony
PO Box 1004
Wrangell, AK 99929
Shrimp
White Salmon
Crab
Clams...
I thought I would list all of the amazing seafood I have had so far living here. The seafood here is to die for! The locals here have so much seafood that they will give it away easily. For example, a friend of mine received pounds of cooked shrimp from a local just because she had extras. The idea of giving is a simply a normal occurrence here in Wrangell.
Overall, life has been good since I have been here. I am building a nice, solid community here with both the locals and the other guides. I just finished my first week of training and it was great! I am learning a lot and will continue to be learning for a long time, which is awesome! I will be doing another week of lecture training and then a three day canoeing course. Finally, I will be doing a seven day ocean trip.
All right that is a quick update. Hope to hear from you guys soon too.
Cat
It is starting to set in that I am leaving Richmond, VA very soon. I have been really enjoying my time with friends and family, but I am also looking forward to new adventures. Since I have been home, I have been getting a lot of questions about where exactly the small island of Wrangell, AK is on a map.
Here are a couple for you to enjoy:
Oh Santa Fe, how I miss thee....
I have now left Santa Fe, NM and drove to the beautiful state of Wyoming. I am sitting right now in a coffee shop called Coal Creek in Laramie, WY. The reason why I drove here is because I am here visiting a friend who works at Solid Rock Outdoor Ministry. Laramie is a quaint town with friendly people, cowboy boots, and the Snowy Range Mountains surrounding the city. I like this town a lot. I have gone to the local climbing gym.. or I would call it a room in an apartment with a bouldering area. Tonight, I will be getting to eat steak at a local restaurant. I expect it will be amazing since I past so many cattle farms while driving here.
On Friday, I will be heading to Ouray, CO with a group of people to do some awesome ice climbing. I have never done it, but I am way psyched. It will be cold, but I hear there are some nice hot springs there too.
Cat
PS. I am thinking about buying some cowboy boots while I am here. Might as well while I am in cowboy country.
