I became an outdoor woman
I got back from my trip last night. I'm so tired and sore but I had a good time. On Friday we left Wasilla..there was some blue sky but it was really cloudy and foggy in the direction we were going. There was a little drive we could take to see Knik Glacier but the weather was too bad. We could still see some mountains and the Matanuska River though. It took maybe an hour to reach the camp (though it wasn't in Chickaloon..which was like 3 buildings haha). We got checked in and took our stuff up the steep hill to our cabin (all or almost all were named after mountains..ours was Iliamna). That was so much fun..ugh. It was basically camping cause we had to take sleeping bags to put on the beds and the bathroom was separate (luckily our cabin was closest to the bathroom haha). I think we may have had lunch (they definitely fed us well haha) and went to the first class (I didn't get all my first choices but oh well. All the classes were 3 1/2 hours long). My first was archery. I did archery a lot as a kid but I hadn't done it in years. It took some practice but eventually I kinda got the hang of it again. It was so fun and addictive. Of course when I was getting good they moved us back and had to start over again haha. They did it twice but by the third time we were good enough to get it from that distance. They also put balloons on the target for us to try and hit and I got two! I did it till my arm said "no more!" haha..it was so sore but I still wanted to do more. :P I used a recurve bow (http://www.patnorrisarchery.com/lightbox/martin_recurves/X-200.jpg but less fancy). I was pretty good with it..the instructor was impressed too. When I walked out of the building after class I was stunned..the clouds had gone away and the sky was brilliant blue against the white mountains. It was so amazing and beautiful
After class was dinner. Before each meal they did a raffle drawing..I won twice. I chose a blanket and chocolate. After dinner we went to 10 stations for 5 minutes and they told us about different things (animal droppings, fishing lures, etc). Then after that there was snow tubing haha. Mom and I walked over there and saw the hill was really steep..we were both scared. :P Everyone really wanted me to go and eventually I was persuaded to go. I gained everyone's respect and basically became famous after that. When Maryann (the other person we came with) mentioned me people were like "yeah I know her! She's awesome..she's small but she has lots of spirit!" Someone else told me I was her hero and her favorite memory of BOW (Become An Outdoor Woman) was me going down that hill. Wowww haha. At the bottom of the hill it was really dark and the stars were incredible. There were millions and millions everywhere..the sky was white with them. I don't know if I've ever seen stars like that before (if I have it's been a LONG time). Going up that steep hill dragging the tube behind me was SO much fun..eesh. Then we went back to the cabin and crashed
Saturday morning we had breakfast. At that meal or the next I got called for the raffle. The guy in charge of the tubing was there and when I got up there he was like "she was the star of tubing! Everyone clap for her!" and everyone cheered and clapped..oh jeez haha. After breakfast was the next class which was snow machining for me. It definitely helped I had done it already at George's house. We practiced on an airstrip and then went on some trails. It was very fun! The weather had stayed nice too. At one area we had to go by a steep cliff..I was so scared but stared ahead and went on. I fell off the machine once but it was just into soft snow so I was fine. We came to a road and when I came around a corner..I about DIED. Through the trees I saw MATANUSKA GLACIER. I couldn't believe it. It was HUGE. I couldn't stop saying "oh my gosh!" to myself haha. When we came back we got to the cliff place again..the left side sloped and I felt like I was gonna plunge down the cliff to my death. I was TERRIFIED. I had to get off the machine. One of the instructors came over and put the machine in a better position and told me to just go slow. I got back on and made it through. *phew* There was this one steep hill we had to go up fast..I went screaming up the hill haha. It was very fun and definitely got my adrenaline running. Doing that class made me want to snow machine everywhere..like up the hill to get to the main lodge and my cabin haha
We had lunch and after that was the next class..cross country skiing for me. It also helped I had done it before and knew what to do. We went around a frozen lake and a trail in the woods. I hadn't skied in awhile and was out of shape so it was pretty tiring. Other than that it seemed too easy for me. :P Then we had dinner. There was tubing tonight too but I was so sore and tired I just went back to the cabin, took a shower and went to bed
I was SO SORE when I woke up yesterday. My arms from archery, controlling the snow machine and using the ski poles. My legs were sore from skiing too. I so didn't want to go to my next class haha. My next class was snowshoeing..the only thing of the classes I took I had never done before. The instructor was outgoing and funny haha. Just walking with them wasn't that hard..except my ankles naturally turn in and had to do extra work to keep the shoes from crossing each other. On one part we had to break trail through very deep snow. The snow practically came up to my waist! You had to figure out how to get out of it and how to get up if you fell (I used a tree :P). That definitely worked up a sweat. Then the instructor told us how to get up if we fell and how to go up and down hills safely. When we got back to the lake we again had to break trail but going downhill through deep snow. Of course I chose the steepest part of the hill to go down haha. Luckily there was a tree for me to hold on to and that and the instructor helped me down. Everyone was impressed with my tree skills haha..the instructor told me I should have taught that part. :P Then we had lunch and it was time to leave. Oh yay..more going up and down the hill for our stuff! I was sooo sore and tired when we left
We didn't have to drive very far to see Matanuska Glacier. It's huuuge..the pictures I've seen so don't do it justice. The terminus of it is 4 miles wide and it's advancing! (Or at least remaining stable) We couldn't walk down to it since it was closed for winter..we could come back though. From the Glenn Highway I also saw Nelchina Glacier and maybe Tazlina Glacier. I definitely saw the huge lake the glacier made but it was too snowy to tell which was the glacier (and I had to look behind me which didn't help). The mountains were so pretty too. The scenery looked so different when we got on the Richardson Highway. It was interesting seeing the rivers and lakes all frozen. I was SO tired when I got home (9 something *dies*). I took off work today since I'm so tired and sore (and I need to catch up)
BOW also had a silent acution..I got some books, AK PJs and flip flops and some kitchen stuff for my apartment
I shall post pics tomorrow..beware I took too many though haha. I also signed up for a picture CD from the camp and I might post some from there too (they said it should come Friday)
Would you rather be caught in a storm while it's raining rocks the size of baseballs or while it's raining darts? Hm..rocks if I have a shield haha
Today's trivia: In the ice in Antarctica, scientists have found remnants of lunar rocks blasted off the moon by meteoric impacts
After class was dinner. Before each meal they did a raffle drawing..I won twice. I chose a blanket and chocolate. After dinner we went to 10 stations for 5 minutes and they told us about different things (animal droppings, fishing lures, etc). Then after that there was snow tubing haha. Mom and I walked over there and saw the hill was really steep..we were both scared. :P Everyone really wanted me to go and eventually I was persuaded to go. I gained everyone's respect and basically became famous after that. When Maryann (the other person we came with) mentioned me people were like "yeah I know her! She's awesome..she's small but she has lots of spirit!" Someone else told me I was her hero and her favorite memory of BOW (Become An Outdoor Woman) was me going down that hill. Wowww haha. At the bottom of the hill it was really dark and the stars were incredible. There were millions and millions everywhere..the sky was white with them. I don't know if I've ever seen stars like that before (if I have it's been a LONG time). Going up that steep hill dragging the tube behind me was SO much fun..eesh. Then we went back to the cabin and crashed
Saturday morning we had breakfast. At that meal or the next I got called for the raffle. The guy in charge of the tubing was there and when I got up there he was like "she was the star of tubing! Everyone clap for her!" and everyone cheered and clapped..oh jeez haha. After breakfast was the next class which was snow machining for me. It definitely helped I had done it already at George's house. We practiced on an airstrip and then went on some trails. It was very fun! The weather had stayed nice too. At one area we had to go by a steep cliff..I was so scared but stared ahead and went on. I fell off the machine once but it was just into soft snow so I was fine. We came to a road and when I came around a corner..I about DIED. Through the trees I saw MATANUSKA GLACIER. I couldn't believe it. It was HUGE. I couldn't stop saying "oh my gosh!" to myself haha. When we came back we got to the cliff place again..the left side sloped and I felt like I was gonna plunge down the cliff to my death. I was TERRIFIED. I had to get off the machine. One of the instructors came over and put the machine in a better position and told me to just go slow. I got back on and made it through. *phew* There was this one steep hill we had to go up fast..I went screaming up the hill haha. It was very fun and definitely got my adrenaline running. Doing that class made me want to snow machine everywhere..like up the hill to get to the main lodge and my cabin haha
We had lunch and after that was the next class..cross country skiing for me. It also helped I had done it before and knew what to do. We went around a frozen lake and a trail in the woods. I hadn't skied in awhile and was out of shape so it was pretty tiring. Other than that it seemed too easy for me. :P Then we had dinner. There was tubing tonight too but I was so sore and tired I just went back to the cabin, took a shower and went to bed
I was SO SORE when I woke up yesterday. My arms from archery, controlling the snow machine and using the ski poles. My legs were sore from skiing too. I so didn't want to go to my next class haha. My next class was snowshoeing..the only thing of the classes I took I had never done before. The instructor was outgoing and funny haha. Just walking with them wasn't that hard..except my ankles naturally turn in and had to do extra work to keep the shoes from crossing each other. On one part we had to break trail through very deep snow. The snow practically came up to my waist! You had to figure out how to get out of it and how to get up if you fell (I used a tree :P). That definitely worked up a sweat. Then the instructor told us how to get up if we fell and how to go up and down hills safely. When we got back to the lake we again had to break trail but going downhill through deep snow. Of course I chose the steepest part of the hill to go down haha. Luckily there was a tree for me to hold on to and that and the instructor helped me down. Everyone was impressed with my tree skills haha..the instructor told me I should have taught that part. :P Then we had lunch and it was time to leave. Oh yay..more going up and down the hill for our stuff! I was sooo sore and tired when we left
We didn't have to drive very far to see Matanuska Glacier. It's huuuge..the pictures I've seen so don't do it justice. The terminus of it is 4 miles wide and it's advancing! (Or at least remaining stable) We couldn't walk down to it since it was closed for winter..we could come back though. From the Glenn Highway I also saw Nelchina Glacier and maybe Tazlina Glacier. I definitely saw the huge lake the glacier made but it was too snowy to tell which was the glacier (and I had to look behind me which didn't help). The mountains were so pretty too. The scenery looked so different when we got on the Richardson Highway. It was interesting seeing the rivers and lakes all frozen. I was SO tired when I got home (9 something *dies*). I took off work today since I'm so tired and sore (and I need to catch up)
BOW also had a silent acution..I got some books, AK PJs and flip flops and some kitchen stuff for my apartment
I shall post pics tomorrow..beware I took too many though haha. I also signed up for a picture CD from the camp and I might post some from there too (they said it should come Friday)
Would you rather be caught in a storm while it's raining rocks the size of baseballs or while it's raining darts? Hm..rocks if I have a shield haha
Today's trivia: In the ice in Antarctica, scientists have found remnants of lunar rocks blasted off the moon by meteoric impacts