My spirits were lifted slightly when I noticed a large stash of National Geographic Magazines tucked underneath a bench in the corner of the hostel. By army crawling underneath the table, I had a quick peek at them, but decided that I would investigate them later on. I left the hostel in the hope of another great breakfast. Today, I decided I would take the left turning out of the hostel to see if it would cut the journey time. Perhaps it did, but if it did, it only saved me maybe a few minutes. The houses I passed were once again made out of timber, some of them with very imaginative designs, and in contrast to the huts on my usual route downtown, they were built in a space of forest clearing, which allowed for a greater garden.
I ordered a 'Summer of 76' special at the Bake House for Breakfast. It's basically three sourdough pancakes, with bacon and egg; the man on the counter asked how I liked my eggs- sunny side up or sunny side down. Recalling a conversation with Dad about this a few months ago, I went for 'Sunny Side Up' which meant the yolk faced upwards and didn't spread all over the pancakes, which I think would have spoilt the taste of the pancakes. I did however decide to put some pure maple syrup on them, and perhaps went over the top in terms of the pouring! Why it was called the 'Summer of 76 Special' I didn't know. I was going to ask the man behind the counter but he was having difficulty in finding the 'Hot Chocolate' button on the till. A little bit of internet research has told me that Camille Seibert first created the special in 1976, and it was served to commemorate the bicentennial of the nation- so now both you and I know!
With every last pancake crumb eaten- yes, they're that good- I proceeded first to investigate 'New Girdwood Town'. In the 1964 earthquake, most of the old town was destroyed so a new one was built. On the way there, I noticed some very large Shasta daisy flowers.
A little further on my trip, I crossed a bridge over Glacier River. Glacier River eventually flows to the Turnagain Arm, and for the geographers, it is a 3rd order river, fed by the Winner Creek, the Crow Creek and another creek that isn't named on my map. The view from the bridge shows the river in turbulant flow, with several ripples, and an eyot, most probably made up of outwash glacial materials from the summer ablation.
Eventually the path meets the start of Girdwood New Town, if you can call it a town. By definition, it should really only be a village, and I noticed the amount of services (shops, cafes, restaurants and the post office) were quite high considering the small population of Girdwood and the fact that most of the population would cook for themselves anyway. I made my way through the town, firstly to see the school, which turned out to be a pretty long walk. I did, with perserverance, find it and went into the front reception to have a quick chat with an available member of staff. I did ask about how safe children were from bears and moose, and I was reassured that the fence surrounding the playing grounds was adequate yet sometimes in the winter, the occasional moose would be seen on the playground, as it would be easier to walk on. I was very kindly invited to take a walk along their 'Physics Trail' beside the 'Beaver Pond'; I decided to pass this up, and walk back to the town. The New Girdwood Town is having quite a makeover at present, and no doubt the noise is having an effect on local wildlife. A six block and a four block house is being built out of timber. Alaska is on a fault line, and earthquakes are frequent, and I would have thought timber not to be the best material. Surely it doesn't insulate well as concrete either and it surely gets damp during the winter. I may be wrong, but it's something that I might well ask before I leave. Resurfacing roads is another part of the revampment at the moment. I asked a worker in the 'Greengoods Girdwood Pet Store' (a tongue twister) and apparently it's been happening all summer. I know that in some parts of Alaska, the thawing permafrost makes this an annual task but in Girdwood, it seems like this is just for aesthetics. I came out the shop with a bottle of Kombucha. Apparently, it's "Living food for the Living body" and is full to the brim with enzymes, probiotics and detoxifiers. To me, it tastes and smells like medicine.
The second half of the day I devoted to more hiking in the Chugach Mountains. Despite the adverse weather conditions, a walk in the mountains isn't something that people of my age have the opportunity to do everyday so I wanted to make use of every available minute of the day. I took a shuttle to the tram and proceeded up 2000 feet, to the start of the trail. It must have been the windiest and wettest of all the days I've spent in Girdwood. Hiking up the trail certainly was tough on the legs, but it was well worth it when I reached the top.
I remember something that someone on the tram said; in the grim weather, you certainly do recognise the brightest of flowers. I couldn't identify the particular type of heather on the hill top, but it was very bright and contrasted the mist very nicely in my photographs. I headed back along an arete, very carefully too, as one loose footing would mean a fall of about 2000 feet. I safely made it back and dried off at the Glacier Express Restaurant with a meal and a hot chocolate, overlooking the mountain range. NEWS ON THE STORM:
As I write this, a storm is brewing. It seems the hurricane that I mentioned earlier might have some truth, although I wouldn't class it as a hurricane- more like a winter storm. A major low pressure system is making its way down the coast; it's already hit Anchorage and is making its way down to the Turnagain Arm (where I'm staying). Gusts of up to 100mph are scheduled, and people living near rivers should watch out for raising river levels. I doubt it will affect me, but I may well see some damage tomorrow when I venture out. I shall let you know the latest, as and when.
No comments:
Post a Comment