I have a
record of miles I have run since 1980, when I first started to log miles
with a purpose. Yes, as odd as it seems I do have a little bit of Type A
personality in me. By the time you read this I will be well past 20,000
miles. It is hard to imagine that many miles. That distance is over seven times
across the United States and roughly eighty per cent of the circumference of
the Earth (a distance mark that is on my Bucket List) and all with original
equipment. I have endured very few overuse injuries. A sore knee here a
strained muscle there, the odd sprained ankle but nothing that I ever feared
would end my running. I have run through hard times and joyous times. Within
the 20,000 are miles of pain both physical and emotional. Loss of friends, loss
of jobs, loss of relationships, fear of the unknown and failure, fatigue and
strain, literal blood sweat and tears. But also within those miles are
celebrations: births, new jobs, enduring relationships, smashed barriers and
wonderful revelation. I have seen sunsets and sunrises. I have smelled the
tropical rains of Nicaragua and breathed the dry winter air of Banff, Canada. I
have pounded melting pavement in Guam and the heather choked rolling hills of
Scottish highlands. I have heard mountains crumble and seas roar. I have run
barefoot on Mexican beaches and along trails established by Indians in the
Appalachians. I have run away from home and back again. I have run from myself
and from my God. Only to find Him and who He has created me to be.
Running is
like learning to cook or learning to appreciating art. At first you are taught
the basics in rigid fashion learning from patterns established by those who
blazed before. Then you are allowed to practice and develop your own style.
Soon you dabble here and there with different aspects and nuances, landing on a
few themes that suit your style. Sometimes you are influenced by the latest fad or by
what others suggest but in the end you find what works for you, what you like, and
stick with it. Sure you will try new things but there will always be your
foundation. I have always favored Asian cuisine and Leroy Neiman. As my running takes me well into my fifth
decade I reflect on how it has improved my life. What have I learned, avoided,
gained, and appreciated more because of the miles behind me? How will I grow as I
cover the miles before me? What will happen when someday I am no longer able to
run?
A few days ago Cheryl, the boys and I went back to that special five mile out-and-back route
Dad ran to get ready for the Seattle Marathon so many years ago. I actually rode along side him the first couple times. Soon, the trip to Northup Way and back along West Lake Sammamish Parkway became my first run. It was a fun
celebration of how far I have come and it was a true pleasure to share with my
family. The run was enjoyable and easy but running with the little guys on
bikes was nerve-racking in that I was now in my dad’s place being concerned
about the boys riding out into traffic or crashing. He never said anything but
I am sure he had the same thoughts as my little red bike spastically swerved
about with every turn of my head. With the run complete we loaded back in the car and headed to
the "Little Store" for ice cream bars. I reflected on the fact that this run
brought my life mileage to 20,000 and Cheryl joked (in her best old man voice) about how, when I am 80, I will be fixated on recording my mileage saying, "I've got to run at least one mile today." She is probably right.
Tony
Jon did very well winning Grand Champion Jersey with Peanut and runner up for Best Udder. Gabe got a blue ribbon showing Polly, who didn't really want to be too cooperative. 
Tatoosh Lake was covered with snow last year and was not accessible. I think that is why the fishing was so good this year, lots of cutthroat trout and big ones at that. The wildflowers ins the Tatoosh Wilderness area were once again AMAZING, as you can see. We made the ridge in a couple hours and set up camp in a sandy area with a couple nearby snowfields for water. We had just a few hours to fish the first night and made the most of it whetting our appetites for the next day. Early up and to the lake.....
Here are a few of the catches of the day. All wonderful cuts with incredible markings. We kept four for dinner and we were glad we did, they were delicious. Above you can see gabe's fish in mid air, jumping out of his hand and the boys playing under a snowfield at the edge of the lake and the "Mudpuppy" salamanders we found at the lake's edge. We camped by ourselves thursday and friday nights enjoying a small campfire and sitting under the stars.
I
just returned from a twelve day kayaking adventure in the channels and passages
north of Ketchikan, Alaska. It was an amazing test of my limited kayaking experience in open waters. Although on arrival my sea kayaking skills and experience were not up to par with the rest of the team, I was able to learn quickly and with valuable instruction be a contributing team member. I was granted permission to paddle a single; a rare occurrence for a first-timer on these trips. Fortunately I kept my self upright even in the tumult of four foot waves and confused seas we encountered coming into camp one day. During the “Windows On The Past” trip we covered
over 100 miles of ocean waters, visited and monitored several historical
archaeological sites and marveled at the majesty that is Southeast Alaska. I was
invited to join the small team of volunteers lead by Martin Stanford, an
archaeologist working in the Tongass National Forrest, Ketchikan-Misty Fiords
ranger District and John Autrey, Tribal Relations Specialist for the Tongass
National Forrest. These archaeological survey and monitoring trips, via sea
kayak, are a vital program in discovering and monitoring historic and
prehistoric sites and have added a depth of knowledge regarding the history of
Southeast Alaska and the Northwest Coastal Region. During our trip we paddled up streams and silted fjord waters, around huge islands, and through passages made only inches deep due to tidal exchange. Most of the waters we traveled on were calm to slightly wind textured as we were blessed with very calm and sunny weather the first few days. I was excited to spend time with our team leaders and learn more about archaeology in a temperate rainforest's environment. I was pleased at the willingness and amount of time Martin and Jon spent answering questions from this new guy. The “Windows On The
Past” program is in constant jeopardy of losing funding due to government
cutbacks but it tenaciously continues year after year and it remains a strong connection between present culture and the people
who lived in these rugged areas in the past.
During our tour, our group of six volunteers was privileged to come in close contact with
many historical sites and gain a small amount of understanding about the
Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes. The depth of Martin and John’s knowledge
and passion for exploring and preserving these sites was exciting. As we
visited sites we were ushered into the world of archeology and the tremendous
amount of research that goes into knowing where to look and then finding them.
The most exciting archaeological portion of the trip was to locate the potential site of a village recorded by
British explorer Captain George Vancouver and his crew in 1793.
Many years of research had led Martin to believe the approximate location of the reported village. We spent the first day surveying the shorelines from our boats viewing the craggy areas at much the same angle Vancouver's men did. Pleased with the results Martin selected a spot to investigate. The following morning we headed straight there and began a much more in depth onshore investigation. We bushwhacked a bit to reach the higher ground that was described in the old ship journals. After a few core soil samples were taken with the special soil probes we carried, a small amount of charcoal was found under the layer of duff soil. The presence of charcoal indicates cooking fires. Martin and John picked a spot and we began to dig. First we used saw bladed tools to cut a well defined square out of the surface moss and duff soil. Once carefully cleared in one big chunk, we began the delicate examination of the underlying soil. We eventually found small fragments of shells and more well defined charcoal indicating that at one time there was a fire here used to cook shellfish. We bagged the samples and carefully replaced the soil, duff and moss. Martin was very excited to have his first indication that he may have found the village. As we took a wider look at the top of this 200' by 100' "mound" we started to change our view by imagining away several hundred years of fallen timber and the thick carpet of moss. This viewpoint brought out a rectangular shape at the exact peak of the mound, taking the shape of a collapsed structure. We took laser measurements confirming the shape and location. This evidence, along with the charcoal, was enough to establish with good certainty that we were standing in the middle of the village that was described 219 years ago. It was an exciting moment. The remainder of the trip was icing on the cake of this find. We spent most of the early morning paddling hours viewing known sites to record their condition. A typical day would find us up at 3-3:30am with the early Alaskan sunrise, packed, fed and on the water by 5:30. We would travel 8 to 12 miles a day and then make camp by lunch time, set up camp, eat rest and be in bed by 7:30 to 8pm. The schedule was challenging and exhausting.
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