Observation Peak

It's a good thing Chris is normally focused on school, because when he isn't we almost get too ambitious with our adventures. This week was full of trails, mountains, and sore legs.

Monday morning we had the chance to bike out to Herbert Glacier. This was a beautiful wooded trail and was just hilly enough to make biking fun. We enjoyed getting splattered by some mud, and loved seeing the glacier at the end of the trail. (Chris's edit: we wanted to see some wildlife, but Dani screamed so loud down the hills we only saw a porcupine. Haha!) (Dani's edit on Chris's edit: everybody knows things are more fun when you scream - this is taught in Roller Coasters 101 and applies to many other facets of life as well.)

Herbert Glacier

On Tuesday we went to Glacier Gardens - the local botanical gardens. We were taken on a short golf cart ride through the woods, and saw some really beautiful flowers. The owners put a lot of work into the planting and care of their plants, and we couldn't help but think how much Grandma and Grandpa Andrew would love to see this place. Their specialty is finding fallen hemlock trees and putting them upside-down in the earth with their roots splayed out in the air, so they can plant flowers on top. Pretty neat.

Wednesday was our big adventure of the week. It was forecasted to be a perfectly sunny day, so we planned a big loop on some mountain ridges near Juneau. We started with the Blackerby Ridge, summited Cairn Peak, descended and summited Observation Peak, descended again and traversed the Salmon Ridge, and then joined the Granite Creek Basin trail at the top of the Mount Juneau Ridge and hiked into town. We fell in love with hiking ridgelines on this trail -- it was awesome to hike in the rainforest, ascend through the alpine, scramble to the top of two peaks, and be able to see endless mountains and glaciers in every direction. We couldn't have asked for better weather either. These are the same mountains that most times we can't see the tops of through the clouds for days on end. It was 16 miles, over 9,000 feet of elevation gain and loss, and coming down Observation Peak was the scariest descent I've ever experienced in my life. This trail was beautiful but it was not for the faint of heart.

Started at the north trailhead, up Blackerby ridge, west up Cairn and Observation, south across the Salmon ridge,
zig-zagged on the Mt. Juneau ridge, and then dropped down into Granite Creek Basin.

Hiking into the alpine

Cairn Peak is on the far left, and Observation is just to it's right.

Cairn Peak overlooking Douglas Island, the channel, and beyond.

Lemon Creek Glacier between Cairn and Observation Peak.

At the top of the world! Elevation 4610 ft

Mountains as far as the eye can see.

The descent from Observation - this facial expression says it all, this was NOT our favorite part

Granite Creek Basin

Huckleberries

Thursday and Friday we stayed home and cuddled, not because Blackerby Ridge took it out of us (this is a half truth), but because the harsh rains and winds definitely necessitated such activities.

On Saturday Chris had the opportunity to go fishing with the rescheduled Elder's Quorum trip. The bishop's boat was leaving early enough in the morning that Chris would get back in time for work. He had a great time on the water, and though he didn't get lucky enough to catch a halibut he did catch some Coho salmon.

Sunday evening we had our friends Ben and Camille over for dinner. We cooked up the fish that Chris had caught the day prior and it was great just talking to them! They are surely friends cut from the same mold as us, and we love getting together with them because of all we have in common.

Since it was the fifth Sunday this month we had the opportunity to go to a combined adult class instead of sitting with our nine year olds during Sharing Time this week. The counselors in the bishopric gave an amazing lesson on the importance of marriage and family, and highlighted the relationship that a husband and wife have. I am so grateful to have a husband who loves our Heavenly Father and me completely. The sealing powers of the temple are real. But so is the adversity of life. I know that when we stay rooted in the Gospel of Christ that we can overcome all challenges. We can love deeper and we can be the light that we all want to see in the world. I know that when a family prioritizes church attendance, personal and family scripture study and prayer, and Family Home Evening they will be blessed.

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

Hatchery

Here's a short post for you, as this was a pretty lazy week for us and we really didn't do much.

On Tuesday we had the opportunity to go on a tour of the local hatchery. It was interesting to learn about the life cycle of a salmon and have an opportunity to see salmon in all the different stages of their life. We were lucky enough to be there when they had the huge king salmon in the fish ladder and were helping them to spawn. We also got to touch some of the other sea creatures in a tide pool "petting zoo" of sorts.

Swimming up the fish ladder!

The fish ladder behind us.

These pools are where they let the salmon mature.
Right now they are the size of minnows. 

Saturday we had the day off for a ward activity -- Chris was going to go fishing with the Elder's Quorum and then bring their catch to the church to provide dinner for the ward, but the weather was so windy that it was cancelled. The winds were so strong that the swells were too dangerous for fishing. So went on a bike ride out to Skaters Cabin, near the Mendenhall Glacier. It was a fun day biking around, and we also had the opportunity to go out for sushi and a movie. It was a great date!

Do it for the picture! Chris getting the shot of a Bald Eagle hunting.

We also got the salmon back that Chris caught and took to get smoked. Alaska Seafood Company prepared the fish, smoked the fillets, packaged and froze them for us. We've tried them and we love it! We're excited to try new recipes with smoked salmon.

Smoked salmon on bagels with cream cheese.

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew

Sea Kayaking

Let's start this post off with some good news - Chris finished his online math class!!!! Not only did he complete the class, but he got an awesome grade in it. I'm so thankful for the time and effort he put into this class, and that he puts towards his future career. He has a couple of weeks before his next math class starts, but don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to find something to pass the time.

As for adventures this week, the one thing worth mentioning (and it is definitely worth mentioning) was our epic day off which we spent sea kayaking around the ocean. The Wellings, a sweet family in the ward, lent us a double sea kayak and we spent the whole day on the water. Though we had near constant rain it was all-in-all a spectacular day. We paddled over 20 miles, exploring Gull, Sentinel, and Benjamin islands. The one thing I wanted to get a picture of but failed to was all the whales we saw swimming around. By the time I would put down my paddle and get out my phone they always seemed to be too far away to get a good picture (maybe this is a good thing, as they could surely tip a kayak). Sentinel island was one of the most interesting islands to explore with an old abandoned lighthouse.

We snuck up on this sleeping sea lion before it realized we were there!

The sea lion's graceful exit.

Who needs a selfie stick when you can have a selfie paddle???

We got pretty close to this pair on Benjamin island.

The picture never does it justice - this male sea lion had to be at least half a ton. We kept our distance.

Taking a paddle break on Gull Island.

After kayaking the Wellings invited us to join them in their home for some fresh homemade pretzels. We had a great time getting to know them better. They have a remarkable story, and are truly wonderful people. 

On Sunday our friends Brooke and Garrison Field had us over for dinner again. We had a great time catching up with them, but to be honest, Chris's favorite part was seeing Fynn (the dog we had watched for a week). Fynn even remembered who we were which made all of Chris's dogloving dreams come true.

The last couple of weeks Juneau has begun to smell pretty rank with the rotting salmon that have completed their spawning and life cycle. All the streams and rivers that are deep enough for a fish to swim up have been flowing with salmon, and now they are starting to die. We mused one night on our walk home from work if this smell is even close to the stench the Jaredites endured during their final days of battle, when they didn't have time to bury the bodies of the dead and they were left to rot (Ether 14:22-23). At least we have the luxury of being able to close the window and the smell doesn't keep us up at night. On that happy note,

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

Gone Fishin'

After Chris's picture-fail of the bear we saw on Sunday we decided to head back to the glacier Monday morning before work. We once again walked around the little trails where people "supposedly" see bears allllll the time. After waiting for a bear to come with no avail we finally decided to hike East Glacier trail. We did this trail back in May and really enjoyed it. We found a small un-maintained trail that broke off the main path and decided to take it. With just a little bushwhacking we found Nugget Creek, an ice-blue river and a beautiful hidden beach.  We stopped at this peaceful, serene place and couldn't help but catch the river blues. Chris and I started dreaming and talking about the day when we will buy a raft and go on private rafting trips. There wasn't rapids, but it still just made us itch to be on the water. What can we say, once a river rat ALWAYS a river rat.

Our water adventures continued on Wednesday when we finally got in some real Alaskan fishing! The Sunderlands (senior missionary couple who took us gold panning) let us borrow some fishing poles and we went to the beach next to the hatchery to go snagging. Snagging is a type of fishing where you use a weighted, three pronged fishing hook and instead of waiting for the fish to bite the bait you just cast and then jerk it as you reel in. As you are reeling in you snag the fish (it can be in the mouth, on a fin, in the side - just anywhere) and just hope that you are strong enough to get these large, fighting salmon to shore. We caught SO MANY FISH! For those of you that don't know, there are five different types of salmon. Our sweet primary boys had warned us that you absolutely do not keep the chum salmon if you catch them. These salmon are referred to as dog salmon - as in you can feed them to your dog. Our hometeachers actually confirmed the advice our nine year old boys gave, and told us that the dog salmon don't cook well and are too mushy. With this in mind we quickly became snob Alaskan fishermen and only wanted to catch the good salmon. Unfortunately for us we caught about three dog salmon to every one good salmon! But all was not lost and we still brought home five good salmon, and a broken fishing pole (these fish are big!).

First cast, first catch. Chum salmon.

Wednesday's catch

Once we were home Christopher filleted the salmon as I hid in the other room because I couldn't handle the smell or the dead eyeballs staring at me. Once he had the fish looking like something you could buy at the grocery store I rejoined him (with a good smelling candle and open windows) and we cooked a great dinner. We even bought some Martinelli's sparkling cider to celebrate our catch and make our at-home date night all the more romantic.

As we talked about the day it didn't take long to realize Chris had caught fishing fever. He had a blast and can't wait to go again - next time on a boat and fishing for even larger fish. On the other hand, I realized my favorite part of fishing was watching the sea lions. My least favorite part was when I caught a fish and it was really hard to reel it in, and then when it got to the shore it looked hurt because I was mean and got a nasty hook stuck in it, and even worse if it was a good salmon Chris would barbarically hit a rock over it's head and kill it, and later he would gut it and pulled out all its' insides!!! One fish had gotten hooked in the side and as it struggled to get off the hook it tore open its side until all its' eggs were flying around! Needless to say, I think I'm a little too sensitive to be good at fishing, and Barbie Dani came out this trip. I'll just stick with the hikes. We did enjoy looking through the pictures from the day though, and hope you enjoy this collage we put together entitled "How Dani REALLY Feels About Fishing."

Thursday morning Chris went back out fishing again (he bought his "day-license" strategically and made the most of the 24 hour time limit), and I opted to stay home because, well because I broke my fishing pole on Wednesday.... Anyways, Chris went at an opportune time and caught eight more salmon that he ended up taking to a warehouse to get smoked. He also brought home a bunch of salmon eggs because the night before we had the crazy idea to try caviar. We looked up online how to prepare caviar (soaking the eggs in a salt water brine), and tasted this delicacy. These pretty orange pearls popped open and gushed strong flavors in your mouth.... ok, ok, ok the truth is we don't care how expensive caviar can be - this stuff is disgusting! We will not be eating fish eggs again any time soon. Ewwwww.

Thursday's catch

On Friday we went to the stake youth conference. Our boss Mel Perkins was released as the Anchorage Temple president not long ago and had been asked to speak on temples to the youth. He asked us to join him because his wife was out of town, and because he thought the youth would relate more to us as we had gotten our own endowments and had been sealed in the temple more recently. It was an amazing experience. We loved watching his presentation, and also having the opportunity to bear our own testimonies of the temple to three different groups of teenagers. We know the temple is the House of God. We know the Spirit that you feel in there is real. And we are so grateful for the work that we can do there, and for the opportunity that it gives families to be together forever. Part of the presentation was watching pioneer John Roye Moyle's story about sacrifice and dedication to build the House of the Lord.

Let us all strive to be those people who act, and not those who are acted upon. 

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

A Whale Watching, Gold Panning, Bear Viewing Alaskan Week

We had an awesome week full of fun and adventures, so let me just start by promising you that we actually do hold full-time jobs and Chris really is taking an online class. With that being said let me tell you about our whale watching, gold panning, bear viewing Alaskan week.

On Wednesday, our ever-blessed day off, our good friend Captain Ben helped us to get on a three hour whale watching tour. Wow. We tried to take pictures to show to you all, but it really is impossible to catch the majesty of these enormous creatures. Pictures just can't do it justice.

"Thar she blows!"

Called "flukes," this part of the tail is what you see when the whale dives.

Sea lions on the beach.

When Saturday rolled around we had the unique opportunity to go gold panning! A couple weeks back the senior missionary couple from the Juneau Singles Branch, Elder and Sister Sunderland, came in for dinner at the restaurant. They were so fun to talk to that they actually invited us to go gold panning with them on their P-day. This is a fun hobby of Elder Sunderland and we loved spending the day with him (his wife had flown down to be with their daughter) and learning from both him and a prospector who was by the creek when we got there. Though we were at it for a couple hours we only found a few tiny gold flecks that would add up to maybe a dollar once they are processed and any other minerals are removed. In fact, the flecks are so small you can hardly see them in the picture - but trust us, they are there! We didn't strike it rich, but we sure had a lot of fun.

After church on Sunday we went on a nice evening walk around the local college campus. We heard there was a giant totem pole there and we really wanted to find it. When we found it we were really amazed by not only the size, but also all the detail. It would take a lot of skill to carve something like that, and it is unfortunately a dying art.

Once we found our totem pole we headed out to the glacier to find some bears! Rumor has it you are most likely to see a bear in the evening - right when we work every night. We spent over an hour walking some simple trails and waiting for our epic bear sighting. We just knew we would see a mother bear scooping up salmon from the creek as her cubs wrestled in the long grass. But we had no such luck. We gave up and went closer to the glacier to enjoy the view. When we were walking back on the paved pathway to our car we saw a park ranger whistling and hitting his leg as if trying to get a dog to back off. We continued to walk forward and all of a sudden a bear comes strolling out of the grass to our side and walks right in front of us less than ten feet away! Taken aback it took a moment for Chris to grab out his phone and get a picture. If you take a look at Chris's great pictures (remembering he's the one who normally takes all the amazingly beautiful pictures on our blog) I think you can safely assume he was a little more frozen in one spot and startled then he would like to admit. Last week when he wrote the blogpost he was begging for a close up bear encounter, and when he got one, well, you can take a look at the pictures yourself to see how great he was at capturing this proud Alaskan moment...

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Alaskans-Andrew