Not the recommended route

So after weeks of working and fixing the boat, Sarah and I had to get out into the woods. So after contemplating our choice of trails (higher means snow and avalanches, lower means boring) we decided to go with boring. Well sorta. We spend a fair amount of time out at Pt. Bridget and so we decided to try out this other trail we had seen along the highway that leads into the south side of the park. Well the trail itself was a complete joke, ten minutes later and we are at the beach. Nice for an evening run out after work, but we were looking for adventure. So we decided to hike up the coast towards Camping Cove Cabin and see what the scene there was. This cabin had been on our radar for some time, but we never actually made it there, till today. The hike up the coast was beautiful, partly sunny, cool breeze from the north and a hint of spring all around us. We went through several little picnic areas and eventually found the cabin. Most this part of the trip was uneventful, it was after the cabin that things got weird. Now we have been all over this point, but not to this side. After leaving the cabin we immediately ended up loosing the trail and heading into deep snow. We brought our micro spikes, but not our snow shoes so we decided to head back down to the beach and walk up it. It didn't seem like the point was that far. Ha ha ha. Just like a mountain, you never see all the ridges in the middle. The point we were looking at wasn't the one we thought it was and neither was the next or the next, well you get the idea. At a point we decided that going back wasn't an option due to the terrain we had already crossed and the amount of time spent. The amount of daylight left was getting short and we knew if we could just make it to Blue Mussel Cabin we would be able to walk out the two miles left in the dark if we had too. This is our usual stomping ground. So off we went. Along the way we did some pretty sketchy crossings clinging to rock faces and hoping we didn't slip into the ocean. Some of these were damn near vertical. This area drops 500 ft. in less than an 1/8 of a mile. Wow! We did some crawling on hands and knees over snow that we really weren't sure of its depth or attachment. We decided on several occasions that there just wasn't any option and scrambled our way up into the trees, continue along until we couldn't get through the under brush or the land simply fell back into the sea. Then we scrambled down again and continued on the coast. Now for the family, we played it safe and we helped each other when needed and spotted some of the really sketchy spots to make sure the other knew where to put foot/hand etc. One of the other deciding factors was the tide was going out so our options would increase, although as we learned, some places just never have a beach, or a trail in the woods. It was the first hike of the season, really pushing that, lol. We got out there with a roar and both got home safe. Tired, sore and starving and a bit dehydrated, but really glad we challenged ourselves and held together as the strong team we have become over the years. Below are pictures of what I could get, at a point the camera got put away and only cell phone pics available, at some points there just wasn't picture taking time or place. Also I have included a map of the direct line circumnavigation, but this doesn't account for the up and down or the bouldering/scrambling that we did. Straight line is about 9-10 miles, but we figure it came closer to 12, at least it feels that way. Little stiff today! lol

This was the first little cove we came to, it has 3 private cabins and I wish I could live there, but the land is in a state park now.

A little further up the coast we found this camp area that is obviously well used by the same group. It even has a basketball hoop on the tree and large area to hang around the fire

They named it Camp Freedom. I like, would be a perfect place for a cabin right back in the trees

After wandering down the beach we finally made it to Camping Cabin, it sits in the most beautiful well protected little cove with a really deep bay that is so clear you can see all the way to the bottom. Going to have to stay there some time soon.

This is looking out from the cabin, as you can see there is a snow storm coming, the white out conditions it brought helped us to loose our way

The last of Mab island and off into the snow flurry we went.

Sarah looking up the coast as we discuss our options.

This is what we were looking at. This terrain continued for about 4 miles. If you look in the back ground you can see an almost vertical face we had to cross. There were deep ravines we had to go around, and headlands that we had to go over. Somewhere along this route a whale surfaced right next to us on the shore and a sea lion followed us for a couple miles keeping us company and I am sure laughing at us.

We cheer ourselves for a job well done and look to the next leg. From here it is about 3.5 miles to the truck

By time we cleared the mile of beach and looked to the trail the light was almost gone, about 7 pm, we still had 45 minutes of hiking through the snow and forest before we reached the road. There we had another mile and half to hike back to the truck. I pushed us so hard, our knees where shaking and we were tuckered out, but we were so close and all I could think about was going out for dinner and stuffing myself on some fatty foods. I sang cadence and plowed through in just under 40 minutes, a record for us in any condition!

We started our hike at the arrow (bottom of map) we then headed north. At about pt. 2 we lost the trail and started following markers that we thought would take us home, but no they ended at a cliff about 100 ft tall. From there we got back to the beach and headed north. The area marked 3 is the most ridiculous coast to walk on, there is no safe passage by foot and I recommend using a pack raft if you want to go this way. Not the recommended route!! At the north tip there is an cabin, that is Blue Mussel, but the actual trail picks up at the next cabin, near the red 11. From there its smooth sailing over ice and snow. We have since spoke to others that have tried the same trip, no one has found that damn trail from this side,  most turn around but those that do what we did, understand and feel for us. All in all a great trip, next Echo to Berners!!! Not without a boat!! Lol

A week of "summer"

Well we just got back this weekend from a week long trip to Oregon. The weather was awesome, like a summer day here in Juneau, ha ha ha. Fifty five degrees and sunny! We had a great time seeing friends and visiting our favorite restaurants. We also did the classic and spent time shopping for things you just cant find or afford in Alaska. Lance and Mary were kind enough to lend us their car and so we even got some coast time in. Nothing like putting your toes in the sand and relaxing while thinking of the frozen harbor back home!! So as usual we will just get to the point and present the pictures!!

After a few days of eating and drinking we needed a hike, so we went to the gorge, not really needing to go play in snow, plenty of that back home! For those that don't know this is Multnomah Falls in the Columbia Gorge, shot from parking lot to include the wonderful old building.

Final destination of our hike, triple falls

small but nice looking little fall on the way up

my good friend Anthony, was good to see him and get out in the woods together

Silliness in the woods, these two with their smart phones are "fishing", seriously guys? your in the woods,  ha ha ha.  (Matt, Sarah, Anthony enjoying the wonderful world of technology)

Out at the new garage at my folks house. My niece is so cute!! Sarah is trying to hide her Alaskan eyes from the sun! lol

Seal rock beach, just down from the folks

More Seal Rock Beach

Beautiful sunset!

Took my sister's new dog down to the beach, it kept chasing and biting the waves, sometimes getting its whole head buried, absolutely hilarious

We also visited the aquarium, thought this one turned out pretty good

Sea otter at the aquarium

After buying shades Sarah was much happier! Last stop at the beach, Agate Beach, before heading back to the valley

BW artsy shot of Agate Beach head

Visited the boys a couple of times, this time Cody played us some songs he has written, pretty good! I don't know where they get it, definitely not from me as those of you unlucky enough to hear me sing know! lol

 After the coast we stopped to see Fred and Jessica for a night in McMinnville, but there isn't photo evidence of those shenanigans, ha ha ha

On the shuttle plane from Portland to Seattle, sun lit the prop nicely!

All in all, we had a wonderful trip, thank you to everyone for a great time, we miss you all already. Next time you get to come up here! lol

Winter in Alaska

Well hello to everyone. Been very busy with work and play up here. Not too much to say right now, just thought I would post some shots taken around the harbor after one nights snow! It has been coming down pretty good, but this all occurred as we slept. Crazy!

Overall snow accumulation is the front part, this took two days to collect. I tend to keep the plastic cleared off, but left this for giggles

So much snow fell that it couldn't melt fast enough and covered the bay in snowbergs

The wind pushed all the "snowbergs" into the individual fingers of the dock

Looking from main dock to the beach next to my office. Harbor dept and ramp are in the far background

My part time job is at the building on stilts, took this picture in reverse of prior, shows just how much snow accumulated in the harbor over night

My truck was completely clear at about 9 last night, today it still hasn't moved and the plows buried me, almost cant even see it! lol. Gotta take her out tonight and clear it.

Afternoon view from office to the harbor.

Unfortunately there was a loss with all the heavy snow. This old wooden sailboat just couldn't keep up anymore. I have no idea what the plan is for salvage, but presently the dock is holding it up. So very sad.

We still live. ha ha ha

Its amazing how lack of Internet on the boat could lead to such big breaks in the blog! With two jobs and Sarah and I both taking classes there hasn't been many moments to do anything else. Developments on the boat are minimal. We have been re packing and figuring out where to put stuff. We have been doing some work on the engine and such. Oh, I guess the big thing was that I built a snow cover for the boat! We are completely protected and the snow load just slides right off. This hopefully will allow me to get some deck work done over the winter and replace or re-seat some leaking port lights. We also had a sad occurrence in that one of our cats has flew the coup. He started some really bad habits of peeing on things and spent the night on the back deck. I guess he decided to move on. He was sighted by a few folks up running around the subdivision above the harbor, hopefully he found one to make his own. We miss him greatly!

Tongass, the wild one! No he didn't wear his pack when he left. Lol

 So lately we have had record snow levels for November. Got the cover on just in time.

First snow, as you can see the water in the harbor even froze a little that week. Crazy weather

We have a really good heater on the boat and stay right around 65 depending on where you are in the boat. Its really amazing we have lived on it for 2 months now. Seems like we have always been here, so comfy and cozy. We anxiously await spring to go and play amongst the whales and waves!
This last weekend being a holiday weekend we actually had enough days to get things done and take an afternoon to ourselves. We decided due to short day light and time in our schedule to drive out the road. As the weather proved we should have gone the other way, we drove right into a snow storm! Ha ha ha. Its was fun though to drop the truck in 4 wheel and Cruise along. We did get some sun breaks about Eagle Beach and with the tide really high it made the area look totally new and strange. It all looked like islands due to the snow cover and high tide. Got a couple good shots and thought to post up the pano that I put together.

Such a gorgeous sunset! 

So all in all things are going good, term in school is wrapping up and we should start to have more time in the future. Hope all had a great turkey day and wish all well!!!

Boat update 2

Alright, having some formatting issues again so I just moved on. It took a couple of weeks to get the first part done. Next I had to cut the plywood for the bunk. My boss at Perseverance used to build sailboats for a living so he showed me a really cool trick for getting complex curves. It involves a template of scrap wood and a block of hardwood. Attach template material to area you want to cut shape too. Then moving the block of wood along and making little lines on the end away from curve onto the template. Then take the template and attach it to the wood you want to cut, take the same block and line it up with your marks, then mark the wood to be cut on the opposite end of the block. Connect the marks into a line and cut. The more marks the more precise. It worked like a dream!

First piece in and second laying on top of it.

Both pieces in. The bed space is 4' 6" wide and removable by a few screws. The outside area of that are separate pieces of ply that were permanently attached and will hold our storage cabinets for cloths and such. I also attached sacrificial 2x4 blocks to the support beams for more surface area to land the plywood and to screw into. This should eliminate damage to the actual supports. I also boat a new LED light and switch for the storage area, switch seen just under 2x4 on upper right hand side of bulkhead. It lights when the light is on so we won't be accidentally lighting the area.

Next came the nice Oak end cap for the mattress to keep it from sliding off. This was attached to the 2x4 supports. Starting to really look like a bed! So excited!

Sarah spend the whole day and made a canvas cover for the foam we bought and we slid it in. Perfect! This shot show a little better the side boards that will be our storage cabinets for cloths etc. We will also leave about 4" on either side of the mattress just for some more room. On top of this foam will be a thin memory foam pad that came off the bed at home, she is tailoring that today.

Sorry, boat was rocking pretty good. This shot is too show the new lighting on the boat. I took out the old 70's style camper lights and replaced them all with marine grade LED lighting. It really made a huge difference. This cost me about $300 to completely install but so worth it. 3 ft one over the future kitchen table, 18" one over the galley, 1 foot light on bulkhead of v-berth door facing into the room with a switch right there, also 2 small directionally adjustable lights for the front of the v-berth to read by, and an under the shelf adjustable one for the cooking area. I also bought an 18 inch one for the head. It has clips that attach it to the wall and internal batteries that charge and hold for 3 hours. This allows me a light I can pop off the wall and take where its needed. Pretty cool. Sarah also bought us Christmas lights for a mellower lighting that I put up just after this shot.

Took a moment to enjoy the view. Our boat in the foreground and another Rawson right behind us and Mt. McGinnis in the back ground. Great view!

View from my back deck tonight as the sun began to set. Love it!

Well that is it for now, we are in full move and organize mode now and some final touches to the v-berth. Will post as soon as I can. We are so ready to be done with the move and settle in. Snow came down on the mountains to the shoulders last night and want to get on with making the boat ready for winter. Looking forward to enjoying our nice new bunk and warming next to the Dickenson stove.

Boat Update

Alright, so been super busy with working the two jobs, school and the boat. Haven't had much time to post but I thought I would just stick up some pics of the progress with quick explanations and leave it at that. So without further adieu...

After sanding and cleaning I fiber glassed in the new bulkhead board for the bed support. We also glued in Reflectix insulation (1/4 inch thick) to the walls and epoxied in blocks to the hull for the attachment strips. This took a couple of days to finish. All wood is either oak (blocks) or 3/4 inch CDX plywood. 

another shot to show the initial insulation and block method.

Next we connected the blocks with 1/2 inch thick strips of luan, which is a hard wood material that comes in 1/4 inch thickness, cut strips from a 4x8 sheet. Its very flexible and allowed for the curvature. Next we cut and inserted 1" thick polystyrene that also has a reflective side into the "boxes" the strips had created and stuffed extra Reflectix under the strips in the hollow spaces. Not shown in this shot it we then used ducting tape to seal it all together and eliminate drafts. This will help to keep the interior and the hull isolated from each other and has basically eliminated sweating in the v-berth. Worked better than I hoped. Should also keep us pretty warm this winter!

another close-up of the wall look. Still feels like living in a jiffy pop! lol

So after the insulation we stapled in this plastic sheeting that is very flexible and almost indestructible to the strips and covers the insulation. This gives a water barrier on the inside for sweating and is also easy to clean until I get the wood panelling up and protects the insulation from our cats and incidental damage. I also cut a large door that pulls out into the bulkhead for access to the storage space under the bunk. Then the 2x4 bed supports were attached and support (cat blockers) blocks installed on the bulkhead top. We don't want the cats being able to get below.

This is the floor of the v-berth storage with an 8x8 inch access door for cleaning out the front of the keel. This area used to collect a lot of water, but since sealing the windows and the bowsprit along with the lack of sweating it has been bone dry for 3 weeks. None the less thought it was good to be able to check it quickly and easily in the future. As you can see I used hurricane straps to connect the 2x4 supports to the bulkhead. I am not sure how they will hold up, but once the rest was done they were redundant so I will watch and see.