Sunday: I usually choose sleep over breakfast on Sundays. But, I try to peel myself of bed by around 9:00 AM, and will head for the Bunker to scrounge up a late bowl of cereal or a banana. At 10:00 AM we all walk over to church which is only about five minutes away from camp. During the season, the Lake Clark Bible Church grows to nine or ten times its normal size, so we meet in a covered, open-air pavilion called the Praise-anasium. I know, it's a funny name, but the building does double duty as a gymnasium for the Tanalian Bible Camp kids during the week and as a church on Sunday -- thus the name.
After church we return to the Bunker for a huge "Thanksgiving" meal of turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, cranberry relish, rolls, salad, and dessert. After lunch, we roll out of the Bunker and are free and comatose until staff meeting at 4:00 PM.
At 5:00 PM or thereabouts, we all go down to the airfield to meet the veterans and their spouses. Almost all of Port Alsworth comes out to meet the vets waving flags and welcoming them with sincere appreciation. I usually greet one couple in particular and give them a guided tour of the camp before showing them to their individual cabin. It's a bit like an Old West town with all the buildings off of one main boardwalk. There are no saloons or, ahem, bordellos. But the locals do look a bit rough and carry various weaponry.
We have a fire-pit, but there are no beans and biscuits. At 6:00 pm, the couples have dinner in the Tanalian Dining Hall where Jeane-Claude (our french chef) reins supreme. They dine on prime rib, creme brulee, and a variety of other delicacies. I eat almost as well in the Bunker (though I did have baked beans and pork this afternoon). Then I have the rest of the night off.
Monday:
I'm up at 5:30 to read, pray and get ready for the day. Breakfast is at 7:00AM followed by our daily staff devotions which kick in at 7:30. At 8:00, the guides head for our little office to check on weather, see what the couples have signed up to do for the day, and fill out our float/plane/hike plans. Then we ramp up for the day, getting SAT phones, walkie-talkies, bear spray, fishing tackle, and whatever other personal gear we need. I might load kayaks onto the top of the Jay Hammond (our 35-foot boat), restock air-sickness bags and earplugs on the float plane, or help size women for their waders (always a delicate business).
Meanwhile, the couples have a kayak lesson, procure their fishing license for the week, and get out-fitted in their fishing waders and boots for the week. Then their Alaskan adventure begins!
This week (Week 5), at 11:00AM, Mark Lang flew four couples and myself to a historical site on Twin Lakes for a visit to Dick Proenneke's Cabin.
(http://www.nps.gov/lacl/historyculture/proennekes-cabin.htm).
John (our other pilot) flew two more groups to the site over the next several hours, taking the previous group out on each return trip (the plane holds room for 12 including the pilot and guide). I stayed behind with each group to catch the plane and host the group while they ate lunch and toured the cabin and outbuildings.
Kay and Monroe are the NPS volunteers/care-takers for Proenneke's Cabin. They live in their own tiny cabin (Spike's cabin) about a mile away from the site and give guided tours of Proenneke's throughout the season. Then they return to their own home in the Lower 48.
They are a fascinating, lively, and completely adorable couple in their late-60's or early 70's. We have made fast friends already. Kay is teaching me all about the botany of the area and I have pulled out my sketchpad for the first time since my arrival. I managed a few small pen-and-ink sketches of plants while various groups toured the cabin. Monroe was tickled pink about the sketches as his daughter does similar artwork.
The second and third group of veterans had the opportunity to take a photo with the new NPS supervisor for the Lake Clark area and the senator for Alaska Lisa Merkowski (Dem). Then we took off for home.
Mark started calling me L12 today. He saw my lunch sack and said, "Who's L12?". I had written "LIZ" on the side of the bag (Elizabeth is just too long to spell out) and he read it as L12. We got a good laugh out of it and now I'm "L-12."
Tuesday: I went out on the Jay Hammond (our 35-foot boat) with our boat captain Josh Sanner and three couples. We fished for Pike and Lake Trout, picnicked at Indian Point on Lake Clark, and then made for home.
Each morning, the couples fix up a bag lunch and pack them in their backpacks or load them in a cooler. We always take hot water and coffee in thermoses, and I have developed a mean bush Alaska-style mocha-joe recipe.
Lake Clark Mocha Joe: Combine 1 packet of powdered cocoa with two containers of half-and-half. Stir and add coffee.
Wednesday: I hiked to Tanalian Falls with three couples, including an AK (above knee) amputee who out-hiked the entire group! We fished below the falls, caught some Arctic Grayling, ate lunch and then headed for home. Wednesday is usually our Barbecue Night at the fire-pit. Everyone shares a huge picnic meal al fresco: guests, staff, volunteers, resident staff, and often, a few extra visitors to the camp. But this week we moved our picnic night to Thursday to celebrate the 4th as an impromptu family.
Thursday: I hiked to Tanalian Falls with two couples. We fished below the falls, ate lunch, did a little rock-climbing to reach the top of the falls (we had an agile foursome), and then headed for home.
Thursday night was our 4th of July barbecue around the fire-pit. The rain didn't dampen spirits at all, and spending Independence Day with our injured vets made for an awesome 4th.
Friday: We started the morning with a worship service, followed by a baptismal service. Four couples were baptized in Lake Clark on Friday morning. The couples had to be packed and ready to depart by 1:00pm, but we had time for a short fishing trip out on Lake Clark. Carlin (another associate guide) and I took two couples out on the 16-foot skiffs. We fished for Arctic Grayling on 22-Mile Creek. The couples both had fish on the hook from the moment we arrived until we departed. Well, that may be a fishing guide's exaggeration, but it was pretty close to the truth. One guest finally got tired of catching fish and just sat on the beach! It was a great fishing day.
At 1:00pm we gathered around the fire-pit for our closing ceremony. The couples, staff and volunteers all have the opportunity to say something about the week and there's always a lot of laughter and tears. Each week, we hand out Bibles that are signed by Franklin Graham and all the staff. At the end, the chaplains give a benediction and we all head for the airfield to see them off.
Friday is Movie Night for the staff, but so far, I have only made it to two movies in six weeks! Usually, I hunker down in the laundry room to wash my dirty clothes from the previous week, catch up on email and work on my blog. Then I head for bed.
Saturday: I sleep until I wake up and then roll over and doze for another thirty minutes. At least. Then I read for a bit before heading to the Bunker for lunch. Some weeks, I don't even make it in for lunch. Some weeks I might not make it in for dinner!
We are off all day Saturday. Sometimes I'll go on outings with other staff, volunteers, or friends. Sometimes I'll just stay around camp and take it easy. This past Saturday, I took three of our volunteers out on Lake Clark in the skiff. They all purchased a 1-day Alaska fishing license and we got them fitted out in waders, boots and rain gear. Les & Donna caught their first fish in Alaska and got some great pictures. Pat got shut out, but big-hearted guy that he is, he was thrilled for Les & Donna and said that he caught plenty last year. We hit some nice rollers on the way back and everyone was glad to have worn their rain jackets.
Saturday night is pretty laid back. If I haven't finished my blog, I try to wrap it up on Saturday. Same for laundry. Then (yawn), it's to bed. And (yawn), it's way past time for bed. Thanks for reading my longer than usual post! I hope you've enjoyed a week in the life of L12.
