Week six, I said so long to the laid-back and relaxing vibe of the week before, and it was back in action!
Monday morning I decided to come into town super early (I think it was sometime around 6:30) to try to get some laundry done before work. Beforehand, I decided to stop at the dock to brush my teeth and change from my pajamas, but before I could make it into the bathroom, my boss – Joe Ordoñez pulled up in one of our rigs, asking if I could accompany him right now on a flight to Skagway to do another meet and greet for one of our Ultimate Nature Tour combos. Half-asleep, surprised, and still in my pajamas, I uttered the first words that came to mind. “Do I have time to eat first?” He laughed, told me no, and assured me I’d be back in two hours, so I agreed, grabbed some clothes, hopped into the rig, and put some jeans on over my pajamas on the way. It’s not often you’ll see me turn down the opportunity to meet and greet for a scenic flight through Glacier Bay.
Did I mention on the walk from the airport to the dock, poor Joe literally got attacked by an arctic tern? Perhaps he doesn’t find it as funny as I, but admittedly, it was one of the funnier things I’ve seen since being out here. Come to find out, the terns are nesting somewhere along the road we were walking on – and being highly protective of their nesting grounds, must have felt threatened by our presence. One swooped down, making an angry call while literally smacking Joe in the head. It surprised and scared us both, but I of course, could not stop laughing afterwards.
Tuesday was our first big cruise ship day. The Grand Princess docked in Haines for the first time this summer, and it was a really big day. We spent a good majority of our early season in preparation for this day, and I was assigned to help around the office, as well as down at the dock for meet and greets. It was a really neat job, greeting so many different people from all around the world, I really enjoyed my morning welcoming so many newcomers to our lovely town of Haines. We were happy that the day went smooth and successfully, and look forward to the next big cruise ship day!
Though Wednesday was for the most part an easy-going day, I had quite the humorous battle with Mud Bay on the way into town that morning, and I have to admit – Mud Bay definitely won. Because it was so incredibly windy, I decided to try to make haste, walking as quickly as possible across the mud flats. By now, I was so used to the walk that I felt confident with crossing – perhaps, too confident. My desire to get across as quickly as possible resulted in a bit of carelessness, and I decided I could take a bit of a shortcut across the creek instead of just walking the extra ten steps to cross at the usual spot. Turns out, this was not a great idea.
In fact, it was a pretty bad idea. Instantly, my right foot got sucked deeply into the mud. Typically, this isn’t a huge problem, but because I was walking so quickly, it sucked my boot completely off my foot, which in turn knocked me off balance, and down into the creek. I tried to stay as upright as possible, as I had my laptop in my backpack. Now, I must note here that the mud at Mud Bay is eerily like quicksand – if you don’t keep a steady pace moving through it, you can sucked in pretty deep. So by the time I was back on my foot (I was still in a pathetic attempt to keep my right sock out of the water) I was getting sucked in quickly and my boot was starting to float down the creek. Eventually, I had to give in – using both feet to quickly catch up to my boot, throw it back on (as water squished out of the top) and made my way to my car. Needless to say, everyone in the office laughed hysterically when I walked through the front door soaked, with one boot on, a wet sock in hand, and covered in mud. At the time, I did not find it so funny, but looking back – I can’t help but laugh myself.
Thursday I was lucky enough to accompany Joe on the ferry from Haines to Skagway, where we met up with another one of our guides, Thomas. Thomas showed us the route for a new photo tour we are working on in Skagway, where we take clients up to the White Pass Summit. It was really an amazing place. I felt almost as if I was on another planet. We passed gorgeous natural lakes, hiked down a couple beautiful trails, and stopped to take in the strange view of rocks that people have balanced and stacked on top of one another on the side of the road. I’m eager for that tour to take off, as I am really looking forward to going on it myself!
The rest of the weekend was pretty laid back, enjoying a picnic alone, and reading in the grassy area behind our library in the sun. But then came Sunday.
Sunday, I decided to take on the daunting task of clearing out the creek uphill from my cabin in which the plumbing for my running water is connected. Shovel in hand, I marched up the hill determined to finally get some running water in my cabin. It was a hot day, and the bugs were terrible as I started digging out a small water reservoir that had been completely covered with mud, silt, and leaves from the winter. I spent hours up there, sweating and fighting off the bugs. Finally, covered in mud and soaking wet, I decided it was clear enough that it should definitely work, so I trekked back down (more-so tumbled back down, actually, seeing that I couldn’t seem to find the trail back down) to my cabin, excited to turn on my faucet.
Here came the moment of truth, I turned the faucet on and –
nothing. Not even a drip.
Defeated, I headed into town, figuring that it was something I could enlist some help with during the upcoming week.
I know you’re all hoping for a picture of me falling into the creek, but unfortunately, I’m just going to leave you with this image from the White Pass Summit during our visit to Skagway. This is one of the stops on the new photo tour out there.
© Brooke Foorman 2013
-Brooke