Summer Activities

Well, there were lots of things to add to the scrapbook this summer. Here are some favorite photos of a few adventures to get ourselves caught up.

Packrafted a bit on the Mighty Boardman River.

The mighty portage of the Mighty Boardman.

Good day for a float.

Enjoyed some Michigan sunshine. Currently leaning towards an investment in road bikes. This was very pleasant and heart healthy.

Very good.

Also, very good.

This too was very good.

Julia trained a horse. Nice work wife.

She's got a good-looking seat.

Caught salmon in a net near Chitina.

The sunrise on the Copper River. 

Einar caught a king salmon. Fun for all members of the party.

Packrafted a bit on the Chena River. We forgot food for this trip. Really. I never thought that would happen with Miss Julia along. Thankfully there is a Hershey bar stashed in the emergency kit. We ate it.

Nice day for a float.

Hiked on Murphy Dome. Complementary hot dogs were provided by kind hiking partners.

That dog was not consumed by hikers.

Climbed Mount Prindle. Julia may have to expound on this trip. I hope she does. A beautiful gift of a day. All the way around.

This is where we had lunch. This cracked the top five favorite picnic spots of all time.

Packrafted a bit on the Delta River. I hope Julia expounds on this trip too (cheesecake!). We get to wander some amazing places up here in Alaska.

Our boats are making the only waves on this calm section of the river.  Other sections were class III rapids. Both sections were worth floating.

Explored the Kenai Peninsula. This was incredible too. Describe this trip too please, wife!

Floating Grewingk Lake avoiding icebergs from Grewingk Glacier.

While Julia helped coach some aspiring college skiers, I hiked a portion of the Crow Pass Trail and floated down Glacier Creek in Girdwood.  Both quite incredible. One fun part of this 16 or so mile hike on the Crow Pass trail was at the top of the pass mist was flowing down from a small glacier just above the pass. I was standing at the top of the pass watching some of the mist descend to my left, towards the Turnagain Arm, and some of the mist descend to my right, towards the Knik Arm. Eerie but pleasant.

Looking down Raven Creek on the Crow Pass trail.

Raven Glacier, near Crow Pass.

The view from the tram used to cross Glacier Creek.  Winner Creek is entering river left.

The video below was taken by another packrafter who had begun his float a bit higher on Glacier Creek.  At 2:45 there is a little rock bar on river right where I put in. Above that rock bar is the tram. The waves just past the rock bar but before the confluence of Glacier and Winner Creeks may have induced a very exciting test of my ability to maneuver a packraft. The gauged flows of Glacier Creek for the guy in the video and the trip I took were almost identical (around 24-25 cfs). The only difference I noticed between our two runs was that he had a bit more sun. He probably didn't see a dead dog/wolf washed up on a gravel bar when he went down the river either. In short, this was really fun.

Packrafted a bit on the mighty Tanana River. Julia most certainly has some comments to add about this adventure.

We saw a lot of this...

Picked 15 cubic yards of low bush blueberries. The berries are very good. Raspberries from a local u-pick and low bush blueberries are very good on vanilla ice cream.

Annie and Greg joined us for some of the fun.

The following two pictures are from adventures from the end of the summer that will definitely be described with greater detail in the scrapbook. I hope Julia describes them, but if she doesn't...I'm on it.

"It sure is beautiful here."

Almost to our highest point on the ridge.
"It sure is beautiful here."

OK, three pictures! What a day for ridge walking!

All this summer while we wandered about Alaska, I started to see a little more clearly the weight of Psalm 97. Nature is just one tiny opening where God allows us to look on His greatness. The connection presented in the Bible is that to enjoy the beauty and greatness of nature is to enjoy a brief and incomplete view of the beauty and greatness of God.

[1] The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
  [2] Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
  [3] Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
  [4] His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
  [5] The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
[6] The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.

If nature is simply one method God uses to put Himself on display, then I want more of God, not just to experience more of nature. Nature only points!

More thoughts on nature by wiser men:

"'Be glad thou sleeper and thy sorrow offcast. I am the gate to all good adventure.'"
C.S. Lewis from That Hideous Strength

Jonathan Edwards