The New Soft Shoe

Big Tracks

It has been a while since we have written here but not as much new has occured since summer left us. Kathleen has been busy helping the kids move back from California and get the Edmond house ready for Christmas. Reagan and I have kept the Ak fires burning until she left for Ok about 10 days ago. Now I know why old folks get a dog when they are alone….this has been one quiet house.

So today I decided it was time to try out the new snow shoes we purchased last winter and never got around to using. With a good month of below freezing temperatures behind us and at least a foot of snow on the ground, it seemed a good time to pull them out and see if I could figure out how to put them on and walk without falling down. I bundled up in layered clothes, winter coat, snow boots and strapped the snow shoes on. First few steps were rather clumsy but I got the hang of it fairly quickly without falling or having any neighbors out to rescue me. I slowly made my way to the slope above the  now frozen coastal mud flats in the Cook Inlet. In summer you can only go to the bottom of the slope and you quickly run into knee deep marsh. Now, since it has been frozen for several weeks, you can walk for hundreds of yards on ice and snow.

I ventured out onto the tidal area well past where I could see others had left their tracks  to where the previous tides had gradually caused the ice to pitch up into weird shapes.  It probably would have been fine to go much further but I was alone and not looking to set a record for distance from my home. To break through ice is a thrill I will leave for another day…..
The temp was about 14-16 above zero so actually higher than it had been earlier in the week and I was very happy with my gear. Nothing was feeling cold except what was exposed, ie, my face. Fortunately there was little wind. There is a saying here that “there is no bad weather, just bad gear” so people just assume a significant part of their income has to go to proper gear for the conditions.

A moose had left his/her offering along the walkway to the coast and may have been the guy who was munching on our dried up vines along the side of the house earlier this week. He had lost the right half of his antlers so was an odd sight hanging out just outside our front room window. He was nowhere to be seen today  on my excursion nor was anything else. My walk  started about 2:30 in the afternoon  and as you can see from the pictures, the day was beginning to become dusk. We are only a day or two from the shortest day of the year for us in the northern half of the earth.  In anchorage we will get about 5 hours of light on that day since we are a few hundred miles south of the arctic circle.

My main activity other than work these days is either preparing for or having my flight lessons. Since I am only doing the Sport pilot certificate for now, the lessons have to be in the daylight which for me is the weekend. I have 12.9 hours accumulated and was told I am not far from being ready to solo…..I can’t believe they are about to trust me to take that little plane up and come back alone.    wow     For those few of you who happen upon this blog, have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year.

A look back toward the houses

Only way I could get a self pic

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