Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Surfing the wind


Spent a weekend playing with the toys and hiking through the fall colors. The water was cold and the wind howling, skirting dead salmon the biggest challenge of the day.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

My backyard



Daylight is dwindling, the devils club turning yellow and orange, and the tundra is a carpet of red. Fall storms usher in one of my favorite times of year up year, a time for hiking, for breathing, for that scent of autumn in the air, for the trails, and towns to empty out, and for the bears to stock up on berries and fish.


The rain comes down an inch and hour. You can either curl up to a good book or go get wet. I chose wet. Waking to the dark this morning, I lit some candles and slithered into a wetsuit. Got to the beach by 7:30 to meet Seward Surf Cult member, Nick. The waves were bigger than I've ever seen there. The water glass, pocked with fat raindrops, waves breaking big, sending spray higher than the retaining wall. The surf zone was as turbulent as a clothesdryer. I was pummeled from waves in all directions while attempting to maintain my grip on the 50 pound windsurf boards we were using after each ride. The dogs sat on the beach and howled as we paddled out, cheering us on. A harbor seal head emerged not twenty yards away as half dead salmon showed their fins. Nick even caught one bare-handed. I conquered my fear of waves today. I went for it and I was rewarded. Now that I've stood on a board and rode a wave, there's no turning back...