An incredibly gracious guy, Paul put us up for our stay, and provided lots of adventure. He is one of the more interesting people you'd ever meet.
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In the above shot, we sailed to a remote cove off of Resurrection Bay, anchored, and took the dinghy ashore to explore on foot. This is an excellent way to get WAY off the beaten path, and see lots of interesting places and wildlife.
One of the treats of sailing these waters are the Dall's Porpoises. Looking like miniature Orcas, these aquatic mammals are playful as puppies. When they spot a boat, over they come, charging and frolicking about the bow, often coming within inches of the vessel. Check the video above, which I made from Paul's boat. That's Jonah the Icelandic Sheep Dog barking in th background - he gets very excited when the porpoises come about.
There he is, all geared up for seafaring. Even Jonah has to wear a life vest. You don't want to mess around on boats up here - the water is frigid enough that man or beast wouldn't last long if they weren't promptly fished out.
Should you be in the market for canine safety gear...
Paul's also a big runner/skier/snowshoer, and used to own lots of sled dogs. He is - no kidding - a finisher of the fabled Iditarod dog sled race, which entails nearly 1,200 miles of mushing in brutal terrain in often EXTREMELY inclement weather.
His next challenge is the Mount Marathon foot race on July 4. I've been on the mountain that participants run up, and down, and to say it is a challenge would be a gross understatement. Finishers often cross the line battered and bloody from falls.
It was great to see my cousin again on his home turf, and we were indeed fortunate to have such a great host and guide.
3 comments:
What a blessing to have an amiable cousin in AK. Those people that run up mountains amaze me. I can remember trudging up a mountain side huffing and puffing to take a few steps and some man ran past with his dog trotting behind. Then a short time later a fellow passed by walking a quick pace with a 5 year old strapped to his back. Amazing.
Kudos to your mountain-running cousin! The Hardrock 100 is another grueling endurance run. Starting at 9318' in Silverton, CO high in the San Juan Mountains, participants travel 100 miles up and down the mountains with a total change of elevation of over 68,000 feet. Last year's record setter did it in a little over 24 hours. It's an amazing sight to see!
Really neat post, Jim!
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