Berries. More berries.

2013 was the year of the berries. Not just one or two kinds of berries but ALL kinds of berries. There were plentiful and huge salmon berries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, high bush cranberries, rosehips, etc. If it was a berry and it was growing in Unalakleet, it was flourishing.

Lookit the size of them!

One of my very favorite things to do is pick berries. Being outside, smelling that intoxicating tundra smell, is better for my heart than any amount of hours with a therapist. The profound not silence fills my ears until my thoughts are drowned out and quieted. It's incredibly cathartic for me.

Most everyone that I encounter is surprised that I pick berries alone. They're even more surprised when they realize that I enjoy it and actually prefer it. :) I'm comfortable in the country. I feel at home there.

Some of these little loves were made into delicious cranberry sauce

Playing in the ocean (usually after midnight)

I love trips out into the ocean. Even the scary, intimidating ones when the waves are big. I'm happy we were in a salmon boat this time instead of Frank and Heathers river boat because the waves were big! The ocean is such a powerful thing and I always feel so small when I'm out in it's vastness. Spence has no issues conking right out though. :) Little stud just passes out and rides the waves like a champ.

Captain passed out pants

In the bow, bouncing way up and down

When I was little and we lived out at Egavik, there were some times when we had to get to Unalakleet even though it was really rough out. I remember being scared until my dad told me to think of the waves as bucking broncos. I always wanted to be a cowgirl, so obvious this worked. It took away my fear.

There are some classy seats in an ocean boat

El capitan

Heading back home

We're totally serious about our ocean boating

This was a different night. Calmer waters.

Supposed to be a channel marker. It's more like an island marker.

I never get out into the ocean as much as I'd like. Mostly due to the fact that our ocean boat doesn't have a motor and I don't think I'd feel comfortable driving out in the ocean. Half the time I don't feel comfortable driving in the river! I'm always afraid I'll kaqisaaq (hit bottom) and I do often enough. And it's embarrassing. But I don't let it stop me!

Egg hunting

I went egg hunting this year with a friend and his mom and found zilch. :) But it was good exercise and a new experience. My friend's mom was the only successful one. She found two eggs. I think it was a little early for egg hunting. At least I know how to egg hunt now. I mean, it's really not that hard. You walk around on the tundra and look for eggs. You want tundra with little lakes and pools and such. Pretty basic.

How cute is this little guy. He wasn't very scared of me but just kept scooting around in the water as I looked in the tundra around him. I don't know what kind of bird he was other than small.

An empty nest, this was all I found.

Ducks! Too bad bird season was over. They were much more skittish than the little bird, probably because they get shot at all the time.

It was really bright out. I could barely open my eyes.

Seagull eggs!

Beaver hunting

This spring  I was a very lucky girl and was invited out beaver hunting with Frank, Heather, and Christian. Our adventure took us way up Chirosky.We left town at around 8 or 8:30 and sped off. It was my first time on the river this year. And it was perfect. There still weren't many mosquitoes out and the it stayed light all night.

Unalakleet receding into the horizon as we head up river

Looking for beaver in a little slough

Frank is a really good driver, much more adventurous than me. I tend to go a lot slower and am still pretty scared of tight curves. I was comfortable with him at the steering wheel.

A beaver house in the Chirosky River

There's a swan in the middle of this picture

It was an absolutely gorgeous night

We ended up getting 6 beaver altogether. I shot two of the six and one little muskrat. It was such a fun night. I can't wait till next spring. And I can't wait till this guy is all stretched and tanned and sewed up.

The other beaver I got had quite a hole in his head so I declined taking a picture of him

Spring time stuff

Spring time in coastal Alaska means fresh seal oil and fresh oogruk (bearded seal). This girl was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to help make both. I also ended up with three seal skins to stretch and turn into sewing material. This is my friend Chara and her family. She gave me the spotted seal skin that they're taking the blubber off of in this picture. Since I was being given the hide, I helped. Chara's Uncle stopped by and asked who the blonde was trying to cut seal (yes I dyed my hair blonde), this caused some laughter until he realized it was me.

My cousin Velma spoiled me with her eskimo salad. I ate the whole jar in one day. Not ashamed of that at all.

Fat Ab gave me some beluga tail.

And an oogruk rib cage and back bone. I cleaned off all of the meat and and hung t up to dry. Now I have enough black meat to share! (Normally I have just enough to hoard.)

I took last years silver salmon out of the freezer and smoked a bunch of it. Just trim off a little of the freezer burn and twelve hours later you have your self a delicious tasty treat. Some of it will be made into a smoked salmon cheesecake for my friend Jay.

Here's a picture of my oogruk drying into black meat. I love this stuff. When I was younger I used to write on the bag that it was mine and for no one else to eat it. Yeah, I was that kid.

Home and the first run (<- see what I did there?)

in hiking shoes no less because my lovely running shoes are still in Anchorage with all of my lovely stuff. Hopefully the 30+ bags left in Anchorage will make it out here today. Word on the street is around 4:30 p.m. I ran about 2.6 miles. I was NOT fast, but I was steady and didn't stop. The first hill killed me, the second hill was just fine, how does that work? Granted they're not big hills, neither should kill me.

It was a little chilly. I still ended up sweating. Yup, that's my life. I physically exert myself, even a minute bit and then I sweat. It's great. I have less than two months before the AK Run for Women. I really wish that there was an inside track here. I'm too much of a pansy to run outside during the winter, even though there are brave tough souls that do it. I am not one of them. So in the Spring it's not exactly like starting from ground zero but it feels like it. Still, I started. Yay me!

Sashimi spring rolls

One of my favorite places to get sushi in anchorage is this place. I love the atmosphere and the food is phenomenal. My friend Shauntel and I go whenever we're not stuffing our face at Crush. True story. It's one of our places in Anchorage. Anyways, on the menu they have sashimi spring rolls. And I freaking love them. This was my attempt to make them at home.

Chop, chop. Slice, slice.

Plop, plop.

Mix, mix. Yes that's a snoopy spoon.

Yum.

Skinning like a champ.

Deboning

Final step? Devour. I made some with fresh king crab too, but didn't take any pictures of those because I was starving and wanted to eat already. I shared with my Momma too.

Rambing about trapping and work

Trapping season is almost over for me. For most critters the end of the season is April 15th. You can still trap beaver (and muskrats) up through June, but I have so much travel coming up that I'm going to pretty much miss the end of the season. Which blows but at the same time I think the travel is much needed.

Mink I caught and skinned while Gregg was gone.

I need some space and time away from work. I stepped into the General Manager position to help out the organization that I work for. My intent on stepping into the position was that it was going to be a temporary deal. However, I feel as though I was bullied into considering applying for the position. And I did seriously consider it. In the end I know that it's not me. It hurts me emotionally and mentally to deal with people that much. Mentally, I was prepared to fight fires and handle neglected paperwork. I was not prepared to manage people. After being in this position for 3 months, I realize that I am not meant for it.

Lynx and a mink

Back to trapping. From March 2nd through March 15th my trapping partner was traveling. Previous to this two weeks I had run the line by myself on occasion. He'd been running lines solo for years before he started teaching me. When we're both here in Unalakleet, we both go, we both love to trap. This season I knew I would have to step back from being on the line because of work (I stepped up to skinning after work). Last season I was able to finish my work in 6 hours. I worked through lunch, and took off to trap in the afternoon. Not so this year. I committed to an 8 to 5 day. Miserable.

Meet Penny, the neediest dog on the planet.

So when he was traveling, I was working a full time job and running the line by myself after work. I also volunteered to take care of his really need little dog and another friend's dog, who incidentally enough lived about 2 miles out of town. Now 2 miles isn't far but when you've gone 30 miles on a trap line on a rough trail, 2 extra miles to let a dog out is a long ways. Whine, whine, I know my life is so tough.

On the way back from Egavik. Mom always worries about me most when I head north.

That all being said, those two weeks on the line all by lonesome made me so proud of myself. Last year I remember saying, "I don't think I'll ever be able to run a line by myself." Now I know with certainty that I can run a line by myself. Sure I made mistakes, some really stupid ones like sticking my left hand in a set 330 conibear, but I did it. Not many young men in my village can say that, let alone any other young woman.