Back in Akhiok!

Well back in Akhiok for some more training:)  Staying until Wednesday morning.  Pretty exciting visit really.  Woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise...Akhiok is one place where I don't think you'll find a dull one.  Limited tree cover allows for clear views to the mountains in the East as the sun tiptoes over them.  The pictures below were taken in 15 to 30 minute increments.  My favorite is the church silhouetted by the salmon colored sky.

                                                                               Upon first waking and getting dressed to start our   day...I took a moment to step out the back door     (being careful to smell and look for bears...) The sun was just starting to ascend the mountain tops...

The church in all it's glory,
surrounded appropriately enough by
ahem...a salmon colored sky..
Sorry couldn't resist...

 Perhaps 20 minutes later the clouds took fire!

And finally, the sun showed itself..What a beautiful day.

We worked all morning, (couldn't really tell you how - all I wanted to do was look out the window and marvel at my good fortune:).  Towards the afternoon the students here take a VTC class called Natural Resources.  They were a little ahead of the class in town and decided a hike was necessary! 

Margaret and Laurie, who came down on this trip with me, were on the porch rarin or should I say roaring to go...

The think about hiking in Akhiok is that you typically don't go far without a firearm. In this environment the high school students were the teachers and we were the willing students.  

 

Hiking Akhiok Style

Off we went to climb a mountain.  Now as many of you know.... I'm not in the best shape, nor am I known for wanting to do hours of physical activity at a time, but hiking...now there's something that interests me.  What's over that next mountain?  Never a boring moment.  Off we went...and the disparity between 17 year olds and 40 year olds becomes most obvious.  Notice the similarities in how the following pictures were taken... Bet you can guess where I was the whole time!  Ha ha!

View from platform of new Tsunami Shelter

Passing the Water Towers

 

View facing away from the water towers.

I stand by my belief that down is  better than up but when in Rome or rather Akhiok it's necessary to go up or swim when wants to go anywhere.

Brandon (one of the kiddos) took a break while waiting for us lollygaggers to get in gear. I'm amazed they were patient enough to answer all our questions.  By the way he's sitting on the old Tsunami shelter which is about half way up the mountain.






Continuing on our next stopping landmark was the Tsunami equipment, which I have no idea what it is, why it's there or what information it collects..Took a picture of where we going..Again up...

These look like solar panels to me ... Don't have any idea of what info they collect though.  Notice the big mountain behind it.  We didn't go up there.  The kids told us the other side had breath taking views, basically because when you got up there you had no breath left!

View of the village from the Tsunami equipment.  Think I can safely say that it's going to have to be a heck of a Tsunami to get up this far.

Friendly village dogs.  They came up with us and by this time I was kinda wishing I could stick my tongue out too.. pant, gasp, pant

Finally we made it!  Made it to the top.  As near as I can figure we were up 13, 500 feet.  Not sure why there is a rock pile or what it stands for but just to make my mark I added one to the pile. 

After collapsing...uh.. I mean resting for a few minutes we continued on to the far end of the rather flat mountain.  In the distance you can see the ocean and I guess if you had really, really, really good eyes (or were Sarah Palin) you could see Russia!







While we were at the top the boys took enough time to let us each try and hit some rocks below by shooting a .270.  Yeah....three feet to the left is where mine ended up...More practice may be needed here.   They were very good teachers as they instructed Nicole (one of their teachers) on the finer points of gun shooting.

After heading back down, again,  down is good I say, we went back to work until 3 when the entire community came up to the school for a airstrip dedication event!  Look for more on that in the next post!