Today is a three-ship day, but two of them leave early, so people tend to buy fewer tours for fear they won't get back on time. What do they think, that we run out of gas or get stuck or something? Sheesh, we are all professionals here.
So I opened the office and played Maytag repairman until noon. Nada.
I was going to replace the taillight on the truck, but Don was free too, so we had to go do something.
Stop giggling, nothing crazy has happened yet!
We both have wanted to hike the trail beside International Creek (it is called that because it forms the border between BC and Alaska) because there are numerous waterfalls and runs into a pretty little alpine valley into a lake. So we decided to do that. The only warning bell that should be sounding is that we are together so there is nobody to rescue us if necessary. We saw a couple of goats on a vertical cliff on the way up the valley. That was cool.
When we got to the pullout, we got water bottles and jackets and set out down the trail. It was a steep trail. We both commented that it would be harder coming back up. Halfway down we came to a point where we could see that the lake on the right drained via a creek to the lake on the left, a fact not obvious from the top. Somebody had placed almost enough rocks to make the crossing possible. Nobody fell, but Don swung a boot through the water unnecessarily. We got up to the first waterfall, but there was no way to get to the bottom, so we went to the top. Then we wandered around for a while until we found a pretty pond. I sat down on the tundra or whatever you call that soft plant and found a nanny and kid to watch on the opposite hillside.
When we decided to go back after hiking about a mile and getting only a half mile away from the truck we wanted a zip line or bridge. We were level with the parking lot, but had to go down about 200 vertical feet and back up about 200 feet. Vertically. And we were at high altitude, 3000 feet or so!
Anyway, it was at this point that my little toe reminded me that it was broken, and my thighs remembered how heavy my feet are, and my lungs got real small. Don said his glutes were complaining the loudest. But we persevered. The climb (I said vertical, didn't I?) was accomplished in only four stages.
One of the friendly officers was at the customs gate and she said something like "Oh, the two of you are together, huh?" Her tone suggested that she thought we might be a problem together. Afterwards Don told me that he had told her he had to pull me out of the sand on Friday.
So now we are home safe and sound. Fresh-caught halibut is baking at Don's, Peggie is fixing asparagus and potatoes to go with it, and I am posting. I always get the hard job.
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3 comments:
Don says
Peggie has the hard job. All I did was add spices and wrap the fresh caught halibut in aluminum foil and pop it in the oven. The fresh caught halibut arrived late at night via our bus driver Sam. He had gone fishing, caught more than he could eat so was going around giving away the excess.
As for the high altitude affecting our climb, Bill neglected to point out the high latitude increases the effect of altitude on lung capacity (or lack thereof). Just look at a map, the effect is obvious.
Of course they persevered. Remember, they were together so there was no one to rescue them. We're compiling our bucket list for the last few weeks. Darn, the employers want us to work. What an interruption.
How come you get to do all the fun stuff after I leave. Peggie, maybe we could have split the job the last month
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