Getting Wood For Ahna

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Yesterday we went to visit Uyaana's ahna. Ahna is the Inupiaq word for grandmother. Ahna lives year round out at camp on a slough on the Noatak River. She lives out there alone but has lots of visitors to check on her and bring her things that she needs. Yesterday we went out there to visit and get her some wood for her wood stove.




Ahna's cabin is surrounded by huge snow drifts.




Uyaana had a great time climbing all over this one.




Uyaana likes to follow to go get wood because he loveds to play in the trees.




Problem is this year we have had so much snow that he kept sinking in up to his hips.




He asked to try the snowshoes that we brought.




I thought for sure that he was going to fall over and not be able to get up.




I wasn't looking forward to postholing over to him to help him up when he fell.




He wobbled a couple times when he crossed the backs of the snowshoes together, but he never did fall.




He took to it like a natural.




He had a great time following the rabbit tracks all over.




He did so well that I told him I would get him his own snowshoes for next winter.




Here is the shelter that Uyaana boult for the animals. He said "See mom, just like Survivorman". He thought maybe a wolf might take a nap in it. If you look carefully you can see uyaana inside of it.




In the end we brought home two loads of wood for ahna.





The weather was warm (about 18F degrees) and we had a great time playing out in the trees.

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Kotzebue Dog Mushers Association Women's Race

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Here are some photos from the first day of the KDMA Women's Race yesterday.Day two was today but I didn't get a chance to go as we headed out in the country right after church.


Margaret Hansen, 1st place.




Allie Henry, 2nd place.




Joanne Harris, 3rd place.




Susan Beck, 5th place.




Iva Baker, 4th place.









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Today was the Kotzebue Sound Racing Association 2009 Women's Race. It's a 120 mile trail from Kotzebue to Noorvik and back.


Here is the list of racers. It does not include the late entries that entered the race after the list was published. I am not postine photos of all the racers. I missed a few poeple and some pics didn't come out so well so I am only posting the good ones. If I could figure out who racer was I posted their name under the photo. If anyone knows any of the other racers shown feel free to leave a comment and let me know who they are and what photo they are in.


Spectators stretched along the trail.


This is one of the cover planes that follow the racers. They keep an eye on everybody and will radio to race officials if there are any racers that wreck or run out of gas.



These three planes are following the winner back to the finish line in Kotzebue.



Katrina Carter, Arctic Cat 570.



Samantha Harris, Arctic Cat Fire Cat 700.



More spectators and cover planes.
















Helen Harris, Polaris XC 700




Lucy Nelson, Arctic Cat Z 570.




Leanne Viveiros, Arctic Cat Z 570.




Sonja Schaeffer, Ski-Doo 550.




Zazell Staheli on a Yamaha, minus her cowling and various other parts she left along the trail.




Muck Viveiros, Arctic Cat 570.








Carrie Goodwin, Arctic Cat ZR 500.




Agnes Anasogak, Arctic Cat Fire Cat 600.
















Autumn Mitchell, Ski-Doo MXZ-550.



Here is a video taken at the Noorvik Checkpoint where each racers pit crew gasses them up.

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It Has Begun

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Here they are folks, the first puddles of spring! Are you excited? I know I am. It only got to about 22F degrees today but that sun is pretty powerful this time of year and it starts to melt the snow. The pavement is starting to emerge form its cement like coating of snow and ice.



Gotta love this forecast. We'll be on the ice hooking for sheefish in our shirtsleeves. Rain? I vaguely remember that as drippy wet stuff that falls from the sky.


I read in the paper that the Northwest Arctic Borough has asked the state of Alaska to declare a disaster in Kotzebue due to excessive snow. Kotzebue averages about 40 inches of snow a year. This year the weather service says we got 102 inches. We need to get as much snow as possible out of town.



If this.....



...and this were allowed to melt as is, there would be a lot of flooding in town. City crews have been working long hours 7 days a week to scoop up the snow and dump it out on the ice. This has exhausted the city's budget and caused some major equipment failures.

The borough received a reply from the Governor’s Disaster Policy Cabinet basically saying that many Alaskan communities received above average snowfall and that Kotzebue should quit it's frikkin' whining. They stated “The Department of Military and Veterans will continue to actively monitor Kotzebue’s snow removal and seasonal melt-water pumping efforts, as this spring weather event is not finished.” In other words "Until you are totally inundated with water and cannot access vital infrastucture without a kayak we don't wanna hear from you buncha pansies".

This should make for an interesting, and soggy, breakup.

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When in Doubt....

...post photos of dogs. I drove my snogo to Noorvik today with a few friends of mine. They were going to a basketball tournament there. Unfortunately we left a little late and then had some snogo trouble so they didn't make it in time and they had to forfeit their game. I didn't take any photos on the way, so instead you get yesterdays dog photos.




















































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