Facing the Music in Bush Alaska

This is pretty characteristic hiking in Manokotak

Time is like money. The more you have of it, the more you spend. I thought about it, and last year I was commuting at least two hours each day. That’s 10 hours a week, which means that now I should have a surplus of 40 hours a month, but I don’t feel like I do. My days are still full until the wee hours of the night; they are just packed with really different forms of “entertainment” than in New York City.

Here are a few of my favorite “different” activities:

Berry Picking
This is becoming an obsession. Somehow I feel like my womanhood is being measured by how many blueberries I’ve foraged. And I’ve foraged a lot. Gallons. Believe it.

Hiking
There are endless places to hike and climb, plenty of goals to be set, but “trails” don’t exist. “Bushwhacking” through the tall, thick brush and walking across the marshy tundra is the only way and it never gets old, just hard. See photo.

Cooking
Planning elaborate meals and cooking with our very basic food supply is usually challenging and bizarre but always turns out much better than expected. We don’t have access to anything but what is in our cupboards, so we use what we have. Right now we’re searching for unique ways to cook our 24 pounds of what I've been calling the perfect food; lentils. Any ideas? Max?

NPR
Ah yes, the radio, and one station: NPR. This is a big favorite, both informative and entertaining. Through NPR, we get a radio station out of Dillingham, AK. KDLG hosts a number of really unique shows. “Open Line” happens throughout the day, which allows its listeners to call in and leave messages for others for any reason. It's like a live answering machine that everyone has access to at the same time. For many, this is how messages are relayed. Nothing is screened, so any number of (painful) verbal catastrophes can unfold live. Just use your imagination. In the evenings, KDLG plays interesting sets. Last night the playlist was entitled, “Music You Can Skin Your Moose To.” It included many songs that were dedicated just that, hunting and moose. Then, there is the “Trading Post,” which is basically the craigslist.com of the bush. The hot items right now to be bartered and sold are berries and “snow-go’s” (snowmobiles). In addition, KDLG also lets its listeners know the schedule of the tide as well as when the sun rises and sets (right now it’s setting at about 10pm).

Yes, life is simple.