Since I left Florida on April 26 (wow!), I have lost more than 35 pounds, I’m under 240 and dropping. I now have lost enough weight to ride the zipline that I have been unable to all season; but had ridden when I was here 5 years ago. For my first ride on the zipline, my team member at the bottom and I decided to have a little fun with our manager who has been encouraging me and watching the numbers on the scale drop.
We didn’t tell her when I made the weight, and planned for me to be on the tower with guests one morning that she stopped by the zipline. Up until this point, after the last guest went down, I radioed to my team member that I was walking back to the bottom of the hill and zipline. This time however, my team member radioed our manager and ran over to her; informing her that she was needed at the bottom. She arrived just in time to watch me coming down the line and into the brake area. The clients knew that it was my first time also, and were cheering me on, as well. Being able to lose enough weight to ride the zipline was a major goal for me while I was up here, and I was thrilled to meet that goal just before July 1.
Many people have been asking how I’ve been losing weight. The best I can tell, it is a combination of the following:
Food – I am eating food again. By that I mean ingredients that I can pronounce - eggs, spinach, carrots, chicken, vegetables, salads, etc. Of course, some packaged/processed food still finds its way onto my plate– bacon, pasta, etc; but not having restaurants, especially fast food/quick serve places around for 60 miles sure does help.
Exercise – in my previous job, I would walk between offices and a conference room (sometimes it felt like running with the pace), come home exhausted and sit on my couch all night until it was time to come home.Most days I would walk under 2,000 steps, total.Now I wake up and walk 140 steps, slightly uphill, just to get to the kitchen to cook for breakfast.On days I work on the zipline and lead the nature hikes, I easily surpass 10,000 steps.Our guides walk even more.In addition, I run at least twice a week, and hope to be ready to run a 5K soon, and even attack my old personal best time for it by the end the summer.
Stress – Yes, I have busy days, and occasionally they run long and are can be stressful.But my most stressed day here is still better for me than what my typical day had become.I have no doubt that making coming to Alaska was needed for my physical and mental wellbeing.(I do miss you guys, though)
Environment – I love being in nature.Even though it has been rainy for long stretches (including today, which is bitterly cold for July), I still love waking up looking a glacier, realizing that I am in Alaska, surrounded by such natural beauty.It truly has affected something deep in my soul in a positive way words cannot adequately express.
Best of luck to all those trying to find what works for them!
I know I have been lacking in the photo department, I will try to get better and posting some.
Thinner (1996) - Stars: Stars: Joe Mantegna, Robert John Burke, and Lucinda Jenney. Plot: An obese attorney is cursed by a gypsy to rapidly and uncontrollably lose weight.
Up until now I have been the person at the bottom of the zipline, unclipping people after their adrenaline filled ride. For the last few days I have been learning the process to secure people at the top of the zipline while standing on top of the ledge of the wooden tower, 40 feet in the air. Over the past few weeks I have been working to build my tolerances, fighting my slight fear of heights. At first, I was unconformable going up the spiral staircases, but now I am leading groups up the staircase to the top of the platform, as it sways in the breeze. Then I clip myself in, and pass through a gate out onto the ledge where I help clients get ready to go down the first zipline. It doesn’t even feel like I’m off the ground when I’m helping them. I’m sure being attached to two harnesses to help keep in place is a factor as well.
The night that I passed my reviews and was signed off to lead groups on the zipline tours, we arrived back at camp to one of the staff members excitedly yelling at us to hurry up and change as a ”Family Ice Climb” had been called. It had been a slow day and no one had booked our late afternoon glacier treks, so the owner allowed everyone to shut down and head out to the ice. Our ice climbing guides volunteered their time as the rest of us swung our ice axes and kicked our crampon laced boots into the walls of the glacier. Despite my fear of heights kicking in about 30 feet up, I trusted everyone who had me on belay and love the idea of climbing. I hope to improve and get more comfortable with it as the season goes on. I also hope to learn how to learn how to belay others, and learn more about the glacier I’m fortunate to wake up to and see everyday.
I had Saturday off and took the opportunity to hike a local rock formation a few miles from camp called Lion’s Head that has a commanding view of the area, including the glacier. Others would call it a hill about 1,800 feet high. For my Floridian friends, you would probably classify it as a mountain.
Regardless, the hike to the top had a special meaning to me, as I had first climbed Lion’s Head almost five years ago to the day, when I was on my trip as a client for the company that I now work for. The trails were just how I remembered them – steep, narrow and muddy. As I walked up the trail, I remembered so many things that are still the same - my inability to hike up inclines with any speed, my enthusiasm to try it anyways, my lack of daily stress, even my hiking boots were the same ones from 2012. Other things seem so different, my age; why I am in Alaska; and my future, uncertain of why lies next for me. In reality, I know that why lies ahead is never as guaranteed as we think. Reaching the top, I found what I believe is the same spot that I sat at when I first reached the top. Surprisingly, the glacier looks the same. This is partially due to the fact that the Matanuska Glacier is thinning, more than it is retreating as is slowly melts away.
I spent almost an hour in silence at the top enjoying the view and reflecting on life, family, friends I haven’t seen in a while, and new friends I’ve made. I then began my slow descent. The steep muddy steps didn’t make it easy. On multiple occasions, I slipped on my butt, one time getting my leg caught under me, twisting the knee I had been nursing for the last few weeks. Luckily, the pain was temporary and didn’t hurt the next day.
The landscape here continues to challenge me on hikes and trek, but I refuse to be discouraged. This place is too pretty, and the opportunity to be here is too rare – more hikes to come, maybe even a rock climb or two.
Thanks to all of you who read my ramblings each week. I hope you are all doing well, and I look forward to hearing from you about your own travel and life adventures. As an added bonus attached is a link my old journal from 2012 - and my YouTube video from my trip.... Enjoy, but ignore the typos and silly cinematography....
Vertical Limit (2000) - Cast: Scott Glenn, Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton. Plot: A climber must rescue his sister on top of K2, one of the world's biggest mountains.
Looking at the responses I receive in e-mail, Facebook, an Instagram, I think that people believe that I am on a glorious summer long vacation. While I am having the time of my life, I wanted to take some time to detail two recent days at work here in the Matanuska Valley.
Day One
The rain began around 5:00 this this morning. It was relaxing to lay in bed and listen to and I defiantly stayed in bed as long as I could, before I had to be in the coffee truck by 8:00. Finally, at 7:50 I left my tent and made my way up the path 140 steps to the kitchen to grab some pop tarts before continuing on to the coffee truck. After going through the morning startup process, we had our 8:30 morning meeting.
After preparing coffee for a few of the guides and working on computer to develop some new staff scheduling options, I was off to the zipline with the owner and some of the interns for them to observe how the operation runs with some clients. The owner let one of the interns drive the F-250 diesel for the first time, and it made me laugh to think that I was in the same position just a few weeks ago. After arriving at the zipline area, I helped prepare the harnesses, helmet, and trolleys (tethers that attached the person to the zipline) and we were ready for our 11:30 clients. The manager and I operated the brake area for a few of the clients, then the interns began their hands-on learning. One of the interns used to work on a zipline. She and some of the others are good with the customer service aspects of the job, and I think they will all work out well at the zipline. By the end of the zipline tour, the rain subsided. Fortunately, I decided to get a good raincoat, which continues to hold up to the rain.
After a quick bite to eat, cleaned the restrooms at then the interns were introduced to the well that we get our water from and the generator the runs the pump. We filled the 275 gallon tank in the back of the truck and drove back to camp to unload it. I then trained them on the different valves and tanks around camp, and how to fill each one using our gravity system – parking the truck on the top of the hill above all the other tanks. As there is no water/sewer system from the local municipality, the tanks in camp serve as the water that flushes our toilets, our drinking water, and our dish water.
I spend the rest of the afternoon in the coffee truck and bouncing over to the yurt, before finally closing the coffee truck around 5:30. Tonight was also the night for me to serve as “base and phone.” The person in that position is responsible to keep their radio (walker-talkie) on to monitor to the treks that have not yet returned, as well as answer any phone calls that come in until 9:00 p.m. While the radio traffic was routine, there were a lot of phone calls. Some of the callers did not speak English as their primary language, making it a tough way to end the long day. During the evening I made some curry and enjoyed it around the campfire with the rest of the crew.
Day Two
It was a sunny and somewhat warm morning. Warm enough to wear jeans and a t-shirt. I woke up early enough to make an omelet with spinach and cheese and enjoy it with a cup of coffee while still on the deck. Following the 8:30 morning meeting, I began splitting firewood with an 8 lb. maul (an ax made specifically for splitting wood) for about an hour. It was exhausting, but also therapeutic. Next, I was called up to the coffee truck to help out until 11:00, when I made the 4 mile drive to the zipline. I checked the 300 gallon gas tank that we keep there. Unfortunately, our fuel delivery company was yet to arrive. The fuel we keep here is used to keep our fleet of 15 passenger vans going, and it is not something we want to run out of.
After the zipline tour was complete, I returned back to camp to begin taking inventory of the general supplies that I am responsible for ordering which includes the camp's paper and cleaning products and all the supplies to keep the coffee truck running. Still learning the process, our coffee was getting dangerous low, but fortunately it did arrive just before we opened our final bag.
Additional projects I began planning are a revised system for our water valves and hoses that run throughout camp, and plans to begin selling some bakery items out of the coffee. Again, I was on "Base and Phone" duty for the night.
The days are full and at times are long when looking at a clock, but the pace and support keep my stress levels low. I will continue to try to post as often as possible. Now down 20 pounds, I continue to be happy with my choice to take the chance and see what this experience would be like.
2 Days in the Valley (1996) - Cast: Terry Hatcher and Jeff Daniels. Plot 48 hours of intersecting lives and crimes in Los Angeles.
