Hardcore Alaskan gifts, lupine, and a pack-test

After sitting out this last storm smoking eulachon (sp?) hoolagain with my roommate Chris before he heads out to Naknek and Bristol Bay commercial fishing for the summer. Maggie and I have tried them pickled, fried and smoked, and smoking was by far the best way to eat these minnows.


The rain broke in the afternoon so BBG and I did the Post Office run. The cottonwood trees have that sticky sweet smell in the air the grass is growing inches a day and the Nootka Lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis) is blooming.


I took the bike for a spin after the walk and headed north to Indian. I only saw three other bikers in their new rain gear and money bikes on the trail. Why don't people say hi back to me? Must be the second hand clothes and the bike from the 1970's or it is just the summer crowd. It took just over an hour to get to the Brown Bear and Diamond Jim's in Indian. Mary Lou is a riot at the liquor store, she will talk your ear off and try to sell you some hardcore Alaskan Gifts.

As I'm lamping in Indian before I head back to Girdwood ~14 miles left to ride I get a call from the Girdwood Fire Department and they tell me that the pack test is tomorrow at 8am sharp for my Red Card Refresher. Well this is going to hurt as I have not trained at all. I bike home and hit the sack dreading tomorrow. The Pack Test went well I still was 5 minutes under the cut off. Three miles with a 45lb pack in 40.30 minutes with a cut off time of 45 minutes. It was good to see many of the summer seasonal friends that I used to work with. Noonan said he beat me by a beard because his is longer and mine is all trimed up, but he was still behind me. I'll add pictures of my walk and bike soon.