McCarthy

So I am realizing that I never talked about my trip up to McCarthy! Yoh, what am i thinking. It was amazing... well most of Alaska has been amazing. ( we often use the phrase "pretty great" or "pretty awesome" which translates to it is freaking AWESOME!) But anyway. So i flew up with Gaia one of the owners in a Beaver plane, small seats 6 people... and we flew up the Copper River Valley. Wow once we were out of Rainy/ Cloudy cordova, the clouds broke open and sunny skies for the next 5 days. Ahh. (that is one down side of the rain forest... rain all the time. at first it isnt that bad but after 2.5 months of it a little sun would be super )

The campus at McCarthy is super cool. The town itself is very quaint and St Elias Alpine Guides have a really cool campus. They use an old Power House as the offices/ kitchen/ fridge/ storage of gear and the every cool "penthouse" for sleeping. I stayed up in the Penthouse! This room is up at the top of the building and the room has 3 walls of windows so i was able to wake up to the sound of the rushing window and the mountain range surrounding, not to shabby.

The crew at SEAG we great. I had such fun getting to know all of them/ potlucking/ going to open mic and just hanging out. Everyone was very welcoming and hospitable!

I joined one of the guides on a glacier hike and we had a blast. what a day the sun was out and we had two great clients. We saw ice caves, climbed in them, a bear ran across the glacier in front of us... which rarely is seen. Basically, it was pretty cool! Both Jason and I were freaking out and i think our clients realized if the guides are geeking out.. something big is happening.
Jason and some others were kind enough to cook for me after a great day on the glacier.

I was also there for sauna night! neither our camp or the McCarthy camp have running water. So in McCarthy they have a sweet sauna for bathing! every few days there is a designated night where they literally fire it up! you go in and scrub up... talk about bonding. It is actually realy refreshing, you hang out and chat with whoever is in there, sweat out everything, then bath by pouring hot water over you and your good to go! amazing.

Bears.. oh my!

The fish have started to run, basically they have made their way up the rivers . So as you drive on one of the only roads in Cordova, we pass heaps of fisher people out there shoulder to shoulder fishing right off the side of the road.

But where there is fish there are bears. Oh and the berries are also out. Bears also like berries. Everyone's sighting of bears have gone up. I dont mind bears as long as I am in the car or the bear is far away. The other day I was taking some clients on the rain forest hike, as we were just driving over the hill to the trail head... baby bear run across the road up the trail we were going to use. Going being the operative word.. because where there is baby bear there is a mama bear. So quick change of plans we went to a different trail.

The next day we were having dinner at our friends house and turns out , Dane, was charged twice on the trail! Yikes...and everyone who has been on the trail recently talks about how you can smell the bears etc. So needless to say I wont be taking clients on that trail! I am hoping to not be charged by a bear while I am here.. though I have been told it is inevitable...here is hoping not!