Neglect

I haven't written anything on this blog for over a month ... and there had been a long lapse between previous posts as well. Nothing to write about? No, not at all. Just haven't had the ambition to put anything down in the blog. Lazy? More like procastination.

In two weeks I should be in the Denali backcountry ... volunteering for the NPS as a Backcountry Observer. For a whole week!! I can hardly believe that this is happening.

A few months back I was surfing the web, looking at NPS jobs, and ran across a Volunteer America webpage, and just out of curiousity, checked the Alaska page for volunteer opportunities. Lo and behold, there was this Backcountry Observer position, and people were needed for hunting season, or at least until September 25th or so. I filled out the application, submitted it, and waited for some sort of response. And then I e-mailed my daughter-in-law up in Alaska ... she's the volunteer coordinator for APLIC (which is part of the NPS) ... she contacted her counterpart at Denali and put in a "good word" for me. In early August I received a call from Ranger Scott at Denali ... about the position! We exchanged several e-mails, and I confirmed my interest in the opportunity ... and then I was set ... September 12 to September 19!

Of course, no problem getting the time off at work. I have the best boss around, most definitely. She's probably more excited than I am!

So now I'm getting ready ... I have dehydrated meals to take with me, and I'll be bring a variety of clothes. I'll borrow equipment from Patrick once I get to Fairbanks. Awesome!!

In the meantime, we've gone canoeing a bit, exploring the Raquette River a couple times, and likewise for the West Branch of the Sacandaga. A lot of fun.

The weather has been uncooperative ... lots of rain this summer. And I mean LOTS of rain. Which kept the bugs around much longer than they needed to be. Mosquitoes and deer flies ... in great abundance all summer long. Crazy.