Walker Alaskan Ranger: Hiking the Tundra

My big adventure began Sunday afternoon with a text from my aide, Anna. She knew how much I was wanting to hike up the mountain. So, she asked the other teachers and her sister if they wanted to come, too! The group of us included Cody- the 7-12 math teacher, Susan- the 7-12 science teacher, Mary- the 4-5 teacher, Nichole the K-1 teacher, me- the 1-3 teacher, Anna- my aide, and Irene-Anna's sister.

We set off on our hike at 2:40 p.m. The hike has always taken about 3 hours total. So, we were planning on making it back in time for the teacher get-together that evening at Mary's house at 6:00. Boy, were we wrong! With four teachers from the lower 48, we took over 3 hours just to get to the bottom of the mountain! There was about 3 miles of tundra before the base of the mountain that we first had to stomp through. If you have ever been on tundra ground, you will understand why it took so long. Tundra ground is like a giant sponge. When you step on it, you can easily sink to your knees in the ground. Then, you have to lift your leg up really high to take the next step. It is better than ANY stair-climbing exercise program. Anyway, with four new tundra hikers, it took us forever!

We had to walk through this stream that was to my knees and two of the teachers sunk in the water. It flooded their rain boots which soaked their feet and socks with the cold steam water. Thankfully, the Eskimos taught us that by putting grass in their boots, the water would quickly be absorbed! It apparently worked like a charm! Along the way, we were all fascinated with the many things in the tundra. We came across many skeletons of wolves and birds. Susan yelled out "Bones!!!" every time she saw them! There were multiple berries as well including salmon berries, blueberries, and cranberries. We all tried them, and the salmon berries tasted like rubber and air freshener. Not that I have tried to eat those things, but you catch my drift! They were gross.

When we finally got off the tundra and to the base of the mountain, we realized what time it was and had to make a decision... go back to the teacher get-together or hike the mountain. Even though we all really wanted to finish what we started, we decided to go back home and save the mountain for another day.... only next time, we'd drive to the base and then climb it! So, with a bad knee, no water, full bladders, and aching feet we turned back and headed home. Along the way, we saw a white truck with some construction workers. Having never hitch-hiked, we gladly stuck out our thumbs and they pulled over and gave us a lift. Funny thing about a small town... everyone is so friendly, there is only one road, and strangers quickly become friends. Mary invited them over to the teacher get-together for their hospitality in picking us up. They came and we all shared stories, talked about our hometowns, and ate a lot of good food together!

When hiking in Alaska, always take a gun!