Summer #2

Just like that, it's summer.

The snow and ice lasted well into May this year.  That resulted in a lot of puddles.  Thankfully Kotzebue got some road levelers to push around the dirt/gravel which helped a lot with our massive pot holes.

The lagoon with ever-shrinking snow piles

For Memorial Day, I went to Talkeetna with a couple other Alaska physicians.  One of them has a cabin on one of the lakes, it was wonderful to be there.  We spent a lot of time chatting, also kayaking and hiking.  Talkeetna is just south of Denali National Park, so though we didn't hike Denali, we got a peek at it through the clouds.

Denali (right peak) off in the distance

I slept up in the loft of the cabin.  On night #2, I was just lying down when I saw/heard something fly over me.  I went downstairs to wake the owner and when she came up with me to investigate, we found a little bat!  We tried to shoo it out without much luck so ended up removing screens and leaving windows open overnight while I slept on the floor in the kitchen.  We never saw the bat again, so presumably it found it's way out.

The beautiful cabin in Talkeetna

Then there was an earthquake on night #3.  We shook for a minute or so, my metal water bottle tipped over and the cast iron stove lost one of it's sides with the shaking.  Nothing terrible, but was still a significant quake, mag 6.1.  One of the docs was out in an Airstream and was rocking and rolling.

Headed out to explore the lake

That trip helped remind me how much I value connection.  Of course, my colleagues up in Kotzebue help some with that.  But we don't spend time together outside of work, don't go to each other's homes due to COVID-19 precautions.  What a bummer all that is!  So being with a couple fellow physicians and being able to feel comfortable and relaxed, what a glorious escape.

Miss Arctic Circle in the 4th of July Parade

I've been to a few villages over the last few months: for vaccines, school/sports physicals and to my village of Noatak for a week to see my chronic patients.   A PA (physician assistant) student joined me in Noatak.  I enjoyed the help she offered during our busy days and her company on our evening walks.  Then a friend flew up to Noatak and instead of flying back to Kotzebue, I found a local to take us back by boat on the winding Noatak River.  The weather wasn't perfect and the river was a bit rough.  But it was fun to return back to Kotz in a new way.  I was surprised at how many seals were on the river banks and sand bars fishing as we passed by.

A porcupine out for an evening stroll

On our Noatak river float back to Kotzebue

We stopped at an old fish hatchery on the way.  There is a family that lives there year-round, it was nice to visit with them and find out about their lives.  They have been catching a lot of fish and served us a few kinds of salmon cooked different ways, that was a treat.  They have super limited connectivity (wifi and such), there is running water but not a flushing toilet and they homeschool their kids.  What a way to live.

Quick stop to an old fish hatchery along the Noatak River

As with last summer, visiting the beach by ATV and kayaking has been a good activity to do on the weekends.  I also got a bike, so a 3 hour walk around the 8 mile loop can now be a 1 hour ride, not too shabby.  It's been very rainy this year so the tundra is wet and boggy.  It makes for a good berry season, though without waterproof boots, your feet get mighty wet & cold!

My new bike, visiting "the mother ship" at the top of the hill

Quite a bone find for this pup, along the 8 mile loop

Softball was a blast.  Because of the rain, we had several cancelled games and other games that were just really wet and muddy.  That led to some unfortunate injuries and all the teams struggled to get players to show up for the games.  Instead of coming in last place in the tournament, we managed to win a game and felt very victorious, despite our subsequent losses.  Overall, it was another fun season.  How I've missed interacting with others, the comradery but also some fun competition.

The Maniilaq softball squad 2021

I only have a few weeks left in this crazy place.  I'll do my best to end strong, maybe add a few more adventures to the list.

The Kotzebue cemetery, up the hill in the tundra