Walking the Dog

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The temps have been around 32 this weekend and the heat wave lured me outside. Nali loves to go for a run and since it's dangerous for her to be off-leash alone, I decided to go for a walk. Since my skiing adventure on the river yesterday proved to be less than expected (no powdery snow, all ice - and the snowmachines out there make it feel like I'm skiing down a superhighway), I decided to walk out Airport Road. That's right, we have a road with a name. It's about 2 miles long and heads straight to... you guessed it... the airport (I like to call it the airstrip, because airport implies some sort of terminal building, which there is none).

I laced up my cleat-covered boots, grabbed a headband to keep the wind out of my ears, and we were off. It was uneventful and quiet, which was nice. We headed out around 10am, which is before most folks get out of the house here. Not much to tell, so I'll let the pictures tell the story.

The Kuskokwim Mountains (80 miles away).
This is the only place in the village where you can see them.

 

The airstrip is up ahead. The building is some sort of garage - I'm not sure what's inside.

My Nali LOVES to run!

Airport Road...

Escape

Books have become my escape, especially since I got my Kindle. I read with reckless abandon. I find books for under $2 on Amazon that are immediately downloaded to my Kindle (I have a library of 10 or more waiting on my Kindle right now) and I hoard them and devour them like a kid loose in a candy store (Tremblay's comes to mind).

As an English teacher, I find it especially convenient that all classics are free. My recent scholarly reads include Gulliver's Travels and Leaves of Grass. They take me to other worlds - Lilliput and the land of the Yahoos. I dive in every chance I get, put the world behind me, and swim for my life through words that drag me under like the bore tide in Turnagain Arm.

Movies on TV are losing their realism for me. I think it's from watching to many over the past few months. I've started to order seasons of Weeds, Corner Gas, and How I Met Your Mother, in addition to Love Boat and Fantasy Island on Netflix. My tastes are varied and I supplement Netflix with current Amazon episodes of Grey's Anatomy and The Vampire Diaries. But, the escape found in TV shows is shallow and short-lived.

With a book, it requires my complete attention - mind, body, and soul have to be in sync. I can't flip through a catalog or make dinner or chat online while reading. It completely absorbs me. Because of that, I'm able to go to other worlds in an escape that's so complete, it becomes insatiable. And, the books draw me in more easily with every passing day. As I sink deeper into the lives of others through the words on the pages, I can leave my life behind. I'm no longer a teacher talking to myself in front of a roomful of blank stares. I don't have to think about the 50mph wind outside or the cold and snow creeping in under my front door as the temps dip to 30 below. With my dog curled at my feet, I no longer worry that she'll be shot by some rebel cop or teased by those middle school boys. The fact that I say fewer than 20 words each day to adults (in person) fades into the background. The void of having no TV channels doesn't matter. The oppressing feeling of isolation that comes from spending weeks within a 100 yard radius disappears.

I am there. I am on those pages. I am in Ireland or California or Lilliput or Homer. I am not sucked in. Truly, I have made it out.

One Racer's Story

This past weekend was the K300 (Kuskokwim 300) Race which is somewhat of a legend among mushers. There is also a smaller race, the Bogus Creek 150 that’s run on a parallel route (www.k300.org) which is a 150 mile race run mostly along the Kuskokwim and Kwethluk Rivers here in the Delta Region. This year’s race held some exciting possibilities as it was going to run right through Kwethluk and include one of my students, Solomon "Sully" Olick, and the father of two other students, Herman Phillip.

Solomon at the finish line.

Solomon excitedly talked about the race in the weeks coming up to it. It was the longest race he’d ever run and he felt nervously ready. When I asked him if he had his sights on the Iditarod, he wistfully answered, “Someday…”

A Freshman at Kwethluk High School, Solomon is a 5’10” Yupik teenager as full of life and uninterested in school as most teenage boys. His jet black hair is cut short to reveal eyebrows that raise in confirmation when he talks about his dogs.

The race began Friday night in Bethel and Solomon took off 6th in a stream of nine racers. He was soon in 4th place, and by the time he reached Akiak, 30 miles from the start, he was in 3rd place. It was late into the night with temps hitting 20 below zero and 40mph winds coming from the north, hitting Solomon’s sled broadside. The westerly trail became hard to maneuver and Solomon’s lead dogs kept veering right, wanting to run with the wind instead of letting it plow over them. Solomon dimmed his headlamp to take a look behind the sled to see if he saw the other racers. When he turned back forward, the dogs had taken a right and he was headed off on another trail. It took him several miles to realize his mistake and by then, he’d lost his lead. Angry, he let the dogs know it, biting the ear of one of the leaders before getting them back on the run.

Solomon cruisin' down the river.

He got his dogs back on the trail and they continued on. He ended up dropping three dogs before the end of the race. One just gave up, burnt out. Two had frostbite.

He spent his mandatory 6-hour rest hanging around the bonfire at the check-in point, not sleeping, not eating, hyped up on race energy.

The last 20 miles into Bethel on Saturday morning, the dogs were at a walking pace, spent and ready for a nap. Up against 50mph winds and 50 below windchill temps, the dogs repeatedly stopped in the trail and Solomon had to get off the sled and pull the leader by the collar while verbally encouraging the team on. He finished the race 8th with only seven of his original 10 dogs, earning a $1,250 purse and the title of Red Lantern Winner.

Solomon makes it through the Kwethluk checkpoint.

Today, he was solemn when talking about the race. The wind is temporarily knocked out of him, he no longer had his sights on the Iditarod. However, he is looking forward to the 48 mile Camp-Out Race coming up in March. He took 4th place in that one last year.

After he told me the story of his race this weekend, I asked him why his lead dogs acted that way and he explained that those dogs were pretty new to him. They were part of 16 dogs that he keeps at his sponsor’s site in Bethel. You see, his original 10 dogs that he kept in Kwethluk were all shot this past fall, “before freeze-up” were Solomon’s words. They were chained up in the dog yard and while Solomon was away for the day, a local police officer shot them all one by one and drug them away to get his $30/head that he earns for shooting stray dogs. However, these dogs weren’t strays. They were tied up. Five of Solomon’s best lead dogs were killed that day. When he got back to the dog yard that afternoon, he was stupefied that they were all gone. Then, he saw the blood. He went to a neighbor’s house and they confirmed that they had seen the dogs shot and taken away.

One of Solomon's pups just got plumb wore out!

I was talking with two other boys along with Solomon and they all confirmed that this is a common occurrence – the shooting of tied up dogs with known owners. Many of the cops out here are corrupt, on drugs or drunk, and just out to make a buck. I asked Solomon why he didn’t file suit or report the offense. He just shrugged his shoulders and the other boys confirmed that this happens all the time. It’s just the way life is. The dogs will be replaced. The lawlessness will continue.

At the end of the day, Solomon came to let me know that he’d already acquired one nice adult sled dog. He was happy. His story will go on.

(As a side note, Herman came in first.)

Solomon heads for the finish line!

Errands



Bundled up to take Nali for a walk ON the river.

When the thermometer isn’t expected to show temps above zero and the windchill is currently 31 below, but I really want to get my Netflix in the mail so that new ones will come, what do I do?
Wool socks, long underwear under heavy sweatpants, a parka over a sweatshirt, scarf to cover nose and mouth (parka hood pulled up), insulated gloves and boots rated to 70 below. I venture outside with my dog racing circles around me. I’ve got post office keys, Netflix envelope stuffed with two DVDs, debit card, and cloth grocery bags in my oversized coat pockets. I grab 5 empty boxes (from care packages and a Land’s End order) in the mud room to take to the dumpster which is not exactly on my way.

That’s how it is. You know how when you’re going to town, you try to plan to do everything at once – bank, post office, grocery store, whatever. Well, even in a village on the tundra with not a car in sight, the plan is the same. The cold makes me plan my trips outside accordingly. It’s not a lot of fun to put on and take off that many layers repetitively, so I consolidate my errands. Once outside, I realize that my eyes are the only things uncovered and they feel like they are going to freeze solid and pop right out of my head, so I pull my hood even lower, creating zero peripheral vision. I’m walking in a tunnel, my own private tunnel of warmth in a sea of frigidity.

The other thing about wearing that many layers is that it makes me run my errands quicker. I throw the boxes into the dumpster, which is not as easy as it may sound when wearing sight encumbering warming mechanisms. But, I get the job done.

My buddy, Nali, goes everywhere with me.

Once at the post office, I tell Nali to “stay” outside the front door and I pull my gloves off once inside (note to self… if I pull my gloves off before I open the outside door, my semi-sweaty hands may stick to the metal doorknob). I say HI to Ted (postmaster) as I dig the Netflix and key out of my pocket, drop the Netflix in the slot and head around the torn linoleum floor to my post office box. I drop the junk mail into the trash, stick my retirement funds notice into my pocket, and tell Ted to have a nice weekend as I head back out the front door. My loyal pup is sitting on the ramp waiting for me.

We head to the Native Store because we’re out of napkins and paper towels at home. Sarah told me on the way out the door to be sure to get some snacks, too. So, I’m on a mission. Again, Nali waits patiently outside for me while I head into the overly-warm building. There are several Yupik ladies sitting around the cash registers visiting as I walk in. They all look, smile, and say, “Hello.” I recognize one of them as a school employee and we chat for a moment about the upcoming Holiday Gift Exchange and Potluck to be held during lunch on Monday at school (the holidays last a solid month here in the village, but that’s for another blog). I gather a roll of paper towels, package of paper napkins, some Maui Onion potato chips, and some Crunch n’Munch and head quickly to the register to check out. I’m already sweating and haven’t even been in the store 5 minutes (I’m the only customer). I definitely get my errands done quicker when I’m all bundled up – the idea of unbundling just to spend more time browsing in the store holds little appeal.

I meet Nali outside (her chin is becoming frosty with mini-icycles) and we head for home. It’s a cold, brisk walk and we are both excited to get inside and shake off the cold.