That's a Wrap!

View across Sitka Sound to Mt Edgecumbe

Sleeping at the terminal!

The final location on our Southeast Alaskan tour was a beautiful town called Sitka. We had quite the time reaching Sitka from Skagway. We had to spend an extra day in Skagway and ended up spending two unrestful nights in the Juneau ferry terminal. But finally made it to Sitka a day later than we were expected.

Sam all packed up to go

 Sitka Trail Works, the organization that we are working for, had us remove boardwalk from the Lower Gavan Trail. Estimating about three weeks to remove about .5 miles of board walk, we got to work early Tuesday morning. Providing the team with pack frames we removed wet soggy board after board. The addition of protein powder in Nate and Vinny's diets made for remarkable results. On the first day alone we moved well over 2.5 tons. Taking between 20 and 30 trips per person per day we were able to finish this section in less than four work days. This work week took a toll on everyone’s bodies, which resulted in a relaxing weekend watching movies in the bunkhouse.

Team work makes the dream work

The second week we removed boardwalk from another trail, again more quickly than we were expected to. We also worked on some revegetation and brushing. We had more energy the second weekend and were able to explore Sitka and more of Sitka’s trails. Sarah, Vinny, Nate, and Lesley hiked around Beaver Lake on Saturday. (Lesley actually ran the trail because she’s a beast). The weather ended up being perfect and the hike itself was beautiful. That night Lesley and Sarah made a raspberry rhubarb pie with the rhubarb from Kat’s garden and it was delicious. We had a very lazy Sunday because the rain returned with a vengeance.

Beaver Lake

Our final week of work was not terribly strenuous because we had wrapped up the main projecs Sitka Trail Works had planned for us. We ended up repairing parts of Upper Gavan Hill that had been destroyed by a landslide. On Wednesday night we went out to eat at Larkspur Café to celebrate the end of the season. The food was delicious and Amanda Johnson, who we have worked with through our time here, joined us. Lesley baked more pie, this time pumpkin, and had ice cream too to continue the celebration once we returned to the bunkhouse.

Before

After

After

Get To Know AK Team 5

Nathan Kemp

What has been your favorite location this season?

Working on the Chilkoot in Klondike Gold Rush was definitely my favorite. Sitting in Forest Service housing writing this right now just makes me miss the calmness of living 13 miles into the back country.

Which project has been the most meaningful to you?

Building our puncheon/ turnpike structure in Glacier Bay was my favorite. After just coming off weeks of brushing and swamping, it was nice working on a project that involved some construction.

How do you like to spend your time after work?

It all depends on the day. Sometimes it involves timing myself on how fast I can make it back down the trail to camp and then immediately taking a nap. Other days I like to jam out to some funky fresh music.

The biggest obstacle that you have had to overcome this season?

Realizing that I don’t get to keep my picky appetite while being on a trail crew was hard. But within the first few weeks I learned that almost anything tastes good after a long day of work!

What are your plans for after this season?

10 days after arriving back home I get to head back into the wilderness with a 211 mile trek on the John Muir Trail!

What is something new that you have learned?

I have learned that having wet feet is the worst thing ever, and clean socks are more precious than gold!

Favorite trail meal? Dinner/ sandwich go to?

Pesto pasta night is always my favorite. Favorite sandwich: Summer sausage, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce, onions, bell peppers, and lettuce! I created this masterpiece one day in Glacier Bay National Park, still working on a name for it.

What is one thing that you have done this season for the first time?

Go to Canada! I found out that Poutine is one of the most delicious dishes in the world!

Sarah Pickett

What has been your favorite location this season?

My favorite location this season was our work site on the Chilkoot Trail. We had beautiful views to look at as we worked and blueberries on the hike up and down. In general though, my favorite place we have been was Glacier Bay. I liked everything about it and would go back there in a heartbeat.

Which project has been the most meaningful to you?

I most enjoyed building the stone steps on the Chilkoot Trail because we got to see the hikers that used the trail every day while we were working and afterwards at Sheep Camp. It was nice to see a talus field that was difficult to navigate get easier every day because of the steps we put in.

How do you like to spend your time after work?

I like to read after work. Or if I don’t feel like reading, I enjoy drawing and using my watercolor pencils.

The biggest obstacle that you have had to overcome this season?

The biggest obstacle I had to overcome this season was learning how to use a lot of the tools that we used such as Pulaskis, double jacks, and rock bars. I had not previously done work like this so there was definitely a learning curve for me.

What are your plans for after this season?        

I plan to go back to Texas, take the GRE, visit friends, and find a job.

What is something new that you have learned?

I have learned how to identify so many plants, which is nice because I like knowing the plants that are around me as we hike the trails.

Favorite trail meal? Dinner/ sandwich go to?

My favorite trail meal was coconut curry. My favorite sandwich didn’t happen often, but when it did it was glorious: cream cheese and preserves on a tortilla. It is more like a pastry than a sandwich.         

What is one thing that you have done this season for the first time?

I sea kayaked for the first time and I loved it. The water was so tranquil, except when the tide was changing, and seeing whales and sea lions so close was wonderful. I liked gliding across the bulb kelp and thinking about all of the life swimming through the kelp forests. I also really enjoyed how close I was to the water and feeling more like a part of the ocean than an observer of the ocean, which is how I felt on the boats we rode.

Scotty Martell

What has been your favorite location this season? A toss up between Glacier Bay and Skagway

Which project has been the most meaningful to you? Our time on the Chilkoot for sure, being so remote was refreshing

How do you like to spend your time after work? Relaxing, reading  jammin’ to some tunes

What are your plans for after this season?  

Taking a gap year to hopefully get my job back at the boarding kennel and ski.

What is something new that you have learned? 

That everyone has something to teach, due to the fact everyone has been through different experiences.

Favorite trail meal? Dinner/ sandwich go to?  

Trail burritos are top notch

What is one thing that you have done this season for the first time?   

I have been on a ferry for the first time as well as being on the open ocean.  I come from being land locked

 Lesley Seale

What has been your favorite location this season? 

Everywhere! South East Alaska has so much to offer with mountains meeting the seas and the most beautiful rain forests.

Which project has been the most meaningful to you? 

The work at Klondike was really rewarding, knowing that the stonework we did will stay in place for such a long time. 

How do you like to spend your time after work? 

Playing banjo, or trying to. I still have a lot to learn and appreciate the crew for listening to the same 5 songs over and over.

The biggest obstacle that you have had to overcome this season?  

Getting together the logistics for travel and accepting that sometimes things don’t go as planned.

What are your plans for after this season?  

Serving on a leader team at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, then catching up with family before moving to Alaska.

What is something new that you have learned?

 I really love a good night’s sleep, I have no shame going to bed early.

   

Favorite trail meal? Dinner/ sandwich go to? 

  Falafel! And I still love peanut butter and jelly.

What is one thing that you have done this season for the first time? 

Driving a 4-wheeler at Dry Bay, along with being fun it’s the best way to get around the 65 miles of trail stretching through the area.

Sam Sea

What has been your favorite location this season?

I think my favorite place was definitely Gustavus and Glacier Bay, at least so far.  I loved the atmosphere and the people. I would love to go back and stay for a longer term sometime in the future, it was simply beautiful. I feel like I took some of my best photos there, and that’s when I realized just how much I liked capturing my surroundings through photography.

Which project has been the most meaningful to you?

I really liked working in Glacier Bay, Bartlett Cove. When we worked on the Forest Loop Trail, I felt as if there was an instant gratification. We saw hikers on the trail actually using what we had built, and it felt good knowing that people appreciated our work. I don’t mean to say that people don’t normally appreciate our work, but it was nice to see people enjoying it in the moment.

                                                                                                       

How do you like to spend your time after work?

It depends on how tired I am and where we are. Sometimes I like to explore, other times just relax and read. Lately, it’s been more of relaxing and trying to soothe tired muscles. Halfway through the season I got my hands on some yarn and was able to start crocheting. It’s especially nice to crochet while we had story time.

The biggest obstacle that you have had to overcome this season? 

I think that one of the biggest obstacles I’ve faced this far was my fitness level.  I have definitely gotten more fit as time went on, but sometimes I realize just how unfit I am. I’m proud of how far I have come, but I still have a long way to go.

What are your plans for after this season? 

Actually, I’m not sure where I am going or what I am going to be doing. I think that I am heading to Canada for a bit to visit my dad’s friend, but that isn’t really set in stone yet. I’m likely headed home at least for a little while. Honestly I would like to keep traveling, seeing new places, hopefully through an internship.  

What is something new that you have learned?

I’ve done trail work before, but not as extensively as we’ve done this summer. I learned more about working with rocks than I thought I would have at the beginning of the summer, and am astounded by the amount of thought that has to go into making things work properly.

Favorite trail meal? Dinner/ sandwich go to?      

I think that my favorite meal would be the falafel and flatbread. It was my first time ever having eaten falafel and I absolutely loved it. I can definitely see myself making it when I get to where I’m going.

What is one thing that you have done this season for the first time?

There were several things that I did for the first time but I guess my favorite thing was when we hiked into Canada on the Chilkoot Trail. It was my first time ever having been out of the country and it was the longest I had hiked at any given time.

 

Vinny Salvato

What has been your favorite location this season?

My favorite location to work this has been on the Chilkoot trail. Being surrounded by majestic views sure was a treat.

Which project has been the most meaningful to you? Creating stepping stones across a stream on the Chilkoot trail was very meaningful to me. It’s extremely rewarding knowing that you have positively impacted the trail for hikers in saving feet from being wet. Also, these stones will be there for a very long time.

How do you like to spend your time after work?

Eating the delicious meals that fellow crew members make.

  

The biggest obstacle that you have had to overcome this season?   

The biggest obstacle has been constantly trying to make mommy proud even during difficult times.

What are your plans for after this season?

After this season I will be taking my talents to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota for a leader crew. The leader crew will last four weeks doing a variety of trail work. I'm very excited to gain more trail work knowledge and improve my leadership skills.

  

What is something new that you have learned?

I have expanded my knowledge regarding the griphoist and different rigging setups. The griphoist is a very useful tool so it was helpful being able to use it for three weeks on the Chilkoot.

Favorite trail meal? Dinner/ sandwich go to?

My favorite trail meal is anything that can fill the tub multiple times. The sandwich go to is called the trail tornado which consists of peanut butter, cheeses preferable cheddar, and Sriracha.

What is one thing that you have done this season for the first time?

Running through Yukon Territory with my woes. A woe is a friend or an associate.              

These interviews were brought to by Vinny Salvato  

Our Time pon the Chilkoot

By Scotty Martell

After our six weeks in Glacier Bay were up we were all ready to see some new scenery.  Hopped on the ferry to Juneau for 2 days of relaxing and preparations for our month in Skagway(which is a Tlingit word for whitecaps).  I spent my time in Juneau exploring the downtown area, enjoying the new scenery and indulging in good coffee and exploring the new place.  After Juneau we ferried on down to Skagway. 
 We had one day before work started to explore the ever so touristy downtown of Skagway which is filled with diamond and gold shops and sheep like cruise ship goers.  The first few days of work were spent brushing around the Dyea area.  On Friday we saddled up to begin the 13 miles to sheep camp. Our larger camp gear like stoves, weather port and cooking utensils as well as tools were being flown up via helicopter to the sheep camp area. 

Our first day of work on the trail we were divided up into two teams, one team (Sam&Nate) stayed around camp to finalize things and make it a little more homey feeling by setting up tarps over tents, digging tent pads.  While the rest of us(Vinny, Sarah, Lesley and I) hiked on up to the talus field on the Long Hill section of the trail(named because it is a very long hill).  This section is right before the "golden Staircase" which leads hikers up and over the pass into Canada.  On this part of the trail it is one big scree field which makes it difficult to hike through.  Our project was to construct staircases on the tales section and stepping stones over the first stream crossing.

Ascending the stair case

After our first week of work was over it was time for us to begin our adventure up and down the Chilkoot trail.  Our humble Guide Nate Dogg had instructed us to pack enough gorp and oatmeal for 3 days.  After a early rise we began our journey back into time.  After the Long Hill section of the trail it turns to "the scales" named so because it was a stopping point for gold rushers who had to weigh their goods and have exactly 1 ton of goods for the Canadians to even let them into Canada.  If "stampeeders" did not have enough goods they would abandon all of their goods at the scales.  This is evident in all the random items scattered around this section of the trail.  From the scales it was time to start our scramble up the "golden Staircase".  I found this section to be rather aggressive as it was a very steep and rocky section with parts steep enough that you must use all four limbs to maneuver through.  Upon making it into the Canadian side we were greeted by fog and mist.

Looking down the Golden Stair Case

Our next stop after the pass was at happy camp for the night which was a good eight miles from the pass.  The next day we would hike on to Lindeman city, another campsite along the trail.  From here we would spend a night and hike on to Bennett, our final destination on the trail.  From here we would ride the White Pass Train back to Skagway(shouts to Aric Baldwin for hooking us up with the tickets).

After our time on the trail we headed back up to the Dyea area for one night to rest up after our excursion on the trail.  The following Monday we would hike back into Sheep camp for our final hitch on the Chilkoot.

Bottom of the "Golden Stairs" in "the Scales"




The first few days of work I spent working on the talus field stair cases with Lesley and Sarah while Vinny, Nate and Sam worked down below on the stream crossing.  Around the fifth day of work I was recruited to join the stream team along with Ezra(NPS trails) and Cocoa the trail dog to dig a reroute from the new stream crossing to the trail.  

 Cocoa(Coca Locz) The Trail dog, with leg tuffs blowing in the wind


Our time on the Chilkoot was relaxing although we were at work it was a nice change to be so far away from roads and cars and large numbers of people.  During our time on the trail we encountered, one Mama Black Bear and Cubs in a tree as well as many Ptarmigan and Marmots.  This past Monday(the 17th) we hiked back down from sheep camp to begin our preparation for our final endeavors in Sitka.  We were treated to Pizza at the Red Onion by the NPS trail crew folks.  Much thanks to these guys for all the things they did for us on the Chilkoot, from arranging our train tickets to delivering mail to us on the trail and flying our gear in/out, they made our time unforgettable without a doubt. 

Talus Field

Glacier Bay and Juneau

The Playlist

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. Out final hitch in Bartlett Cove was eight days long. Luckily Nate had the wonderful idea of creating a crew playlist to help us through it. We each get the same number of songs and we listen to the playlist on shuffle, so we never know whose music will play. The playlist is all over the place because although we have overlapping musical tastes, everyone’s favorite genre is different. The playlist made mornings and car rides far more enjoyable and we are all thankful for Nate’s idea.

Eight Days a Week

Our eight day work week began with the end of the turnpike bridge structure we had started our first week in Bartlett Cove. It turned out very well and the revegetation makes it look like it’s been there for ages.  I enjoy doing revegetation because piecing together the moss mats and making them blend in with the preexisting vegetation is kind of like a puzzle. Upon completion of the turnpike, we set to work clearing out and rebuilding two little culverts. One culvert was dry, and the other one constantly had water—so much so that we had a bailing bucket to allow us to see the bottom and keep us from continuously splashing ourselves as we chopped out roots. (Nate and I got very muddy before the bailing bucket arrived).  We secured and camouflaged the drain pipes with large rocks and lots of gravel. Redoing the culverts took about a full day of work and after completing the culvert revegetation, we were finished working on the Forest Loop Trail.

One of the boundaries of Glacier Bay recently changed, so our next task was making the new boundary obvious. To get to the border, we drove for about an hour and then hiked on a trail marked by blue flagging. To get onto the trail, a river crossing was necessary. Luckily, some very large logs had fallen across the river so we just walked across those and then along the river to the start of the trail. Although crossing the river on a damp, mossy log with water rushing beneath me was nerve-wracking, I came to enjoy the crossing as the week progressed.  The trail was really not much of a trail (I started thinking of it as the non-trail) and because this is rainforest, there were lots of muddy patches and open spaces disguised by moss. At every step we risked sinking down into the mud or having our feet find the open spaces created by fallen trees that have been blanketed by moss. It was a fun, challenging hike to do as a way to get to work. We dealt with the same conditions as we brushed the border. Brushing the border involved clearing out the trees and bushes (so many blueberry and huckleberry bushes) to create about an eight foot wide emptier space. We also installed NPS Boundary markers. The forest was full of blueberry and huckleberry bushes, so we snacked on berries throughout our days there.

The maze of logs we used to get across the river and to the trail

Part of the border we cleared.

On the sixth day of our eight day work week, we took a break from brushing the border and helped clear out the trees in front of the Glacier Bay Lodge. The Lodge is its own entity and thus has different maintenance people than the park, so we worked with them. The Lodge provided us with a delicious breakfast (second breakfast really) before we actually started working. We got bacon, eggs, biscuits, danishes, coffee, tea, fruit—everything we could have possibly wanted for breakfast. We were very appreciative of the food. We were also provided with a lunch of burgers and fries. Once trees were felled and piled, we used the wood chipper to condense everything and take it away from the Lodge. The wood chipper is quite a beast. It was entrancing to watch the chipper gobble up spruces and alders like they were French fries. We fed the beast through the entire day and now the Lodge has a clear view of Bartlett Cove.

SCA Dinner

The night of the last day of work, we had the SCA interns over for a potluck dinner. We had garlic bread, black bean burgers, fries, pasta, rice with sausage, and cornbread, and it was scrumptious. It was lovely getting to know other people with the SCA better. We ended the evening by watching the sunset on the dock.

The sunset on the dock after our dinner with the SCA interns.

The Day Boat

Once our eight day week was finally complete, were able to be tourists instead of workers. We started off our stint as tourists with a ride on the Baranof Wind graciously provided by the NPS. The Baranof Wind is the day boat that takes people up bay to see glaciers. The weather on Tuesday could not have been any better! The skies were splashed with clouds, the sun was shining, and it was warm (relatively speaking). We were lucky to see multiple whale breaches very early in the trip. We passed South Marble Island slowly to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of sea lions. Scotty said he was particularly amused by the sea lions as they “took five heavy steps and then collapsed from pure exhaustion.” After admiring the sea lions and the birds for a while, we continued up the West Arm of the bay. We stopped again when a grizzly bear was spotted on the beach. She turned out to have a cub with her! We watched mountain goats scramble gracefully over steep cliffs—the agility of mountain goats is quite impressive. Because the weather was so wonderful, we were able to go into the Johns Hopkins Inlet, where seals breed on the icebergs that calve off of the Johns Hopkins Glacier. We admired the Johns Hopkins  glacier longer than any of the other glaciers we saw on our way up the inlet. We saw it calve a few times, looked for seals reclining on the icebergs, and took lots of photos.  I am so awestruck by the power and wildness of glaciers. They are incredible.

We witnessed more whales, sea lions, and otters on our return trip. It was a wonderful way to spend the day and see more of Glacier Bay. I am so thankful that we were given the opportunity to ride on the boat.

Stellar's Sea Lions and birds on South Marble Island.

A mama grizzly bear and her cub. The cub is to the right of the mama. 

Johns Hopkins Glacier 

Family photo on the Baranof Wind.

 Sea Kayaking

Wednesday we went sea kayaking. Sea kayaking is one of the best ways to see Glacier Bay. I really enjoyed being so low on the water and being able to look through the water at the bottom when we were in shallower water. Because we were not in a large motorized boat, whales and sea lions came much closer to us. Sea lions seemed very interested in us and are playful, curious animals. Clumps of them kept popping up near us as we kayaked along the kelp beds. It was fun to kayak across the top of the bulb kelp because I felt like we were gliding across the top of a forest.  I really wanted to see what was below the water in the kelp forest. We saw several humpback whales and would stop to watch them as they surfaced. It was awesome to be so close to such large animals. The weather wasn’t  as good as it was for the boat ride, but I thought it was great weather for kayaking. The clouds blended with the islands and mountains and it looked like a dream world of blues and greys. The water was so smooth and glassy. On the way back, we had to go against the tide. I found it rather disconcerting to be paddling and paddling and barely move relative to reference points on the shore. It reminded me of the Red Queen and Alice running to stay in the same place. Once we didn’t have to deal with the tide, the rest of the way back was quite pleasant. Sea kayaking was one of my favorite things we have done so far. It was relaxing while being very active, and allowed us to be a part of the environment rather than being strictly observers of the environment like we were in the day boat. 

Kayaking across bulb kelp.

Sam and Lesley watching whales on the glassy water.

A whale surfacing right by our kayaks!

Scotty and I kayaked together.

Sea Kayaking family photo! 

Park Potluck

Wednesday evening we (and by we, I mean primarily Lesley) made blueberry and huckleberry cobbler from the berries picked at the border. Mashed potatoes were also cooked before heading to town to the National Park Potluck dinner that was being thrown in honor of AJ (one of the maintenance guys), our crew, the SCA interns, and a few other people. It was a lovely, food-filled evening. There was even a Forest Loop Trail themed cake! The cake—and everything else I ate—was delicious.  The potluck was a wonderful way to spend our final evening in Gustavus.

The beautiful and delicious cake made in honor of AK Team 5.

Juneau

Thursday we rode the ferry to Juneau. We stayed in Juneau International Hostel. We got to sleep in real beds, with actual pillows! It was amazing. We all really enjoyed the carpet and couches as well. The hostel was a nice place to stay for our time in Juneau, especially because when we arrived, it was pouring, and continued to rain heavily the rest of the first evening.

Friday we split up and spent the day exploring downtown Juneau. Lesley went hiking, and Sam explored on her own and saw Jurassic World, which she has been waiting all summer to see. Vinny, Nate, Scotty, and I went into bookstores and galleries and souvenir shops galore. We (minus Scotty) also saw Jurassic World, went to a ridiculously overpriced Mexican restaurant that shall remain unnamed, and then went to The Rock Dump. The Rock Dump is a rock climbing gym. I hadn’t climbed for almost exactly a year, so I was really excited to climb again. Nate, who is a much more serious climber than me, was so happy to be climbing again, that he stayed until closing time.

Being touristy in Juneau.

On Saturday, after some group shopping, Nate, Vinny, and I were dropped off at the West Trail to hike to the Mendenhall Glacier. Our goal was to touch it. We talked to people along the trail to figure out how to best get down to the glacier. After a couple hours of hiking over slick rocks and through streams and mud and down a hill of loose, rocky dirt, we made it onto the glacier. I felt so small and insignificant while standing on the glacier. I am so glad we were finally able to get onto a glacier instead of just admiring them from afar. We stayed on the glacier for a while so we could really appreciate it. 

Mendenhall Glacier from the West trail.

Mendenhall Glacier up close.

Nate, Vinny, and me on the glacier!

I enjoyed getting to experience the capital of Alaska, and am happy that we’ll get another day in Juneau later in the summer. Now we are headed to Skagway for about a month to work on (and hike) the Chilkoot Trail. We are halfway through our summer, and quite a half it has been! Thank you for reading about our adventures.

-Sarah

Bartlett Cove/ Crew Appreciation

Bartlett Cove

After a weekend of 4^th of July festivities and relaxing, it was time to get to work in Bartlett Cove. This week we were graced to work in the presence of the trail masters mentioned in previous blogs, Johnathon and Casey. We also had the honor of working alongside the tornado of trail building excellence known as Mason. He has the beard of a “Young, buff Santa Clause” (quote by Vinny), and a humorous wittiness that will have everyone within earshot dying of laughter. Then there was Dustin. This man is so good with a chainsaw, it is rumored he can do perfect bore cuts one-handed! With the help of these four great traildogs, the crew was ready to get to work Monday morning.

We started off the week clearing corridor around a heavily used boardwalk. The crew made fast work of encroaching Alder branches and blueberry bushes with loppers, giving the path along the boardwalk a crisp, clean look that left tourists smiling and thanking us for our work.

The next task for the crew involved building a turnpike on top of a puncheon (basically the coolest looking bridge you will ever cross) that would elevate the trail out of a wetland area. Half the crew took on this task while the other half worked on fixing trail tread and revegetation near a beautiful pond. The revegetation project looked amazing by the end of the work week. The turnpike/puncheon was in the final stages on Thursday, on its way to being the strongest structure you will ever cross in Southeast Alaska.

After a solid week of work, the crew was invited to a small get together among the seasonal park crew. Here we were fed “Halibits." Halibits is the amazing creation you get when you put fresh halibut, Mason, and a kitchen together. The crew was grateful for this feast of Halibits, alongside many other dishes provided by various guests. After dinner, we danced and sang on full stomachs into the sunset.

Crew Appreciation

I would like to finish this blog by giving a shout out to each member of the AK Team 5 crew!

Samantha Sea:

Sam has taken over the crucial task as team photographer. She is dedicated to capturing the most majestic photographs of Alaska that you will ever see. Then after taking the most amazing photo you have seen in your life, she will easily destroy you in an arm wrestling match, or any competition of strength. In her off time you might catch her wrangling Gators down south.

Scotty Martell:

 Also known as Scotty Fresh, this dude is a zen master. If he is not meditating or creating rock cairns that add a certain feng shui to the area, then he is probably blazing the trail with Pulaski in hand. A talented skier during his winters, his skier style carries over to the trail during his summers.  He wears the trademark baggy clothes of a skier and has dreadlocks that could make a Jamaican jealous. This is his fourth season on a trail crew and it is hard to find someone as hardworking as he is.

Vincent Salvato:

Everyone has used a wheelbarrow at least once in their life, it’s not that hard. But you will find Vinny, also known as V-Money, carrying a wheelbarrow full of wet gravel up a narrow, slippery ramp with ease. Some might be able to accomplish such a task once in a lifetime, but Vinny gets it done all day long. I’d like to meet a better swamper than Vinny, but I do not believe such a person exists. He carries the team on his back with his incredible work ethic. He is also the team “garbage disposal:” the term leftovers is not part of his vocabulary.

Sarah Pickett:

Ever seen the movie “The Incredibles”? Sarah is like Elastigirl but 10 times more flexible. She rules the stretch circle every single morning, pushing the limits of what the human body can do. She also dominates the dance floor. Whether she wants to dance as graceful as a swan, or get down to some new age dance music, she does it all with style. Often found sporting cheetah print sunglasses, she is always smiling and laughing, making her a crucial part of the crew. She keeps spirits high each and every week!

Lesley Seale:

There is one reason why Lesley is getting another shout out after being praised as our fearless leader in a previous blog post, she DESERVES it! She is the backbone of this team, and the only reason we do the things we do. No matter what project she is handed, she will lead her crew to accomplish it with excellence. Lesley recently received her banjo in the mail. If you close your eyes as she plays, you might think you just entered a Mumford and Sons concert. She always has answers to guide the team and the crew does not know what we would do without her.  

Blog by Nate Dogg and edited by SarahPickettFences:

The Calling of Glacier Bay

Hello to all the lovely peoples out there from AKTeam5!

It's been such an amazing experience here in Alaska that I am having trouble adequately describing the magnificent country around me. I figure some eloquent wording might just be the best thing,with tons of pictures.

The low clouds caress the Fairweather Mountain Range like a long lost lover, slowly obscuring them from view. A fog glides over the creek-like waters of the slough allowing but trickles of sound through its thick curtain. The eerie laugh like call of a snipe calls out echoing across the camp. The sunset around eleven casting an orange glow over all in its shine and painting a picture of hues on the horizon. Eagles screaming nearby as they begin to nest for the night. This is how our nights generally were while in Dry Bay.

Days were spent working in a relentless bug infested work that not even the exhaust from a chainsaw could keep them away. We worked on the trails doing as we had been the previous weeks, clearing the corridor of ATV trails so the commercial fishermen of Dry Bay could haul their catches to the processing plant. We were blessed with clear weather all of our stay in Dry Bay except during the last week. Even then the weather wasn’t as bad as many had told us to expect. One day we had a light rain to work in all day, and the other we had only half of a morning with light showers as well.

On our ‘last’ night there we had packed up all of our belongings and were prepared to leave the next day. However after a morning of chores and picking invasive daisies, we learned that we weren’t leaving that day due to high winds in Gustavus, so we spent another night. That night after we had finished all of our chores, we looked like bums hanging out on/in the maintenance cabin eating, and just generally relaxing. It was a pleasant way to spend our official last night in Dry Bay.

The next day we had one plane arrive for us, and were told that some of us would be left behind, for a return trip of the plane. Scotty and I volunteered so that we might get to hang out with the fisherpeople as they celebrated the fourth early. It was interesting talking with the different peoples and learning their stories.

On our flight back to Gustavus we flew over the mountains instead of around. The views were spectacular and indescribable. Only seeing it for yourself can you truly understand, however some pictures might help you to see a little better. 

We spent the 4^th of July in Gustavus, Alaska. We all rejoiced in being in a town after having been in relative backcountry for around three weeks. Since there were so many activities going on, we decided to participate in the different events: a 5k race, 3-legged race, slow bike race, and a greased pole event; all of which happened after the parade.

We started the morning off right by eating ‘Pie for Breakfast’. I bought a piece of each the beaver pie, a bacon quiche of sorts, and a peach rhubarb, absolutely delicious. After was the Declaration of Independence reading (should definitely happen everywhere) and the parade. While small, the parade participants were extremely festive, including the preschoolers, Indian Islands Institute, a local inn, and various officials in their designated vehicles. After the parade began the events, which were just as exciting to watch as they were to participate in.  

I personally did the greased pole, which my body is still recovering from. The pole was a fresh cut spruce that had been debarked and all its nobs taken off. It was around 25-30 foot long and was suspended from a bridge over the Salmon River below at high tide. It was absolutely frightening to do and I had to conquer many fears in the process. I had already watched 4 other participants go, two of them successful (and really young) and the other two not. The two who succeeded had stayed on top of the log, and the others had fallen victim to the grease and were trying to climb underneath. I decided to try and take the winners’ approach and stay on top. I slowly inched my way out on the log taking almost 5 minutes to complete, but I came away victorious winning $100. At one point the guy in charge of the forklift had decided to shake it with me on it, I hollered out that I was afraid of heights and the guy seemed to not do it anymore. I barely made it to the end and when I splashed in the water, I had a smile on my face that couldn’t be wiped off.

Our Sunday was spent checking out the town and relaxing. We utilized the fact that we finally had service to catch up with relatives and check essentials in our home lives. We knew that the next day our work would begin in Bartlett Cove, so we decided to make the most of the day.