Backpacking with my Mom

...except not actually. Since there are a lot of bears and other large critters around these parts, it's not so sfe to run around in the wilderness (or too far from your back door) without a friend, a gun or a bear-proof suit. I couldn't afford the suit (but I hear they make 'em), I don't have much skill with a gun, and I left all my friends in other parts of the world. But if figured that finding new friends would be easier than trying to work on the gun or suit option. So I hunted far and wide in the bustling community of Soldotna to find a hiking, climbing or mountain biking group. As time went on with no success in locating such a group, I pretty much asked everyone in sight. To make a long story, I have two success stories.

The first was that I foun a group of ladies that go hiking once or twice a week and backpacking once a month or so. But, they are my mom's age or older. In case you don't already know, my mom is about 55 (don't tell her I told you). But I was desprate. And it is a bit different going with people as old as your mom vs. actaully going with your mom (just kidding, well it is different but I would enjoy either). So I went on a backpacking trip with 5 ladies, jsut an overnight. For two of them, it was their first packpacking trip. I thought that was kind of rad. I wan to be trying new things like that when i am their age!

We took a side trip to a lake (Hidden Lake, i think) to eat lunch after dropping our packs at our intended camp. We stayed at a Forest service cabin that was build just a few years ago. I feel like there are a lot of these types of cabins in AK. Anyone can reserve them in a bunch of different places, but this is by far the nicest one I've ever seen. It was beautiful.

One of the big highlights of the trip though was seeing this sight on the way out:



Awww, a little black bear. But it only gets better:




Not just one black bear but a momma with THREE babies! Ya don't see that every day! It was cool.

My other friend-making success story happened at the coffee shop in Soldotna where all your free internet dreams come true. Pretty much this guy needed a place to plug in his laptop and I was sitting in front of the plug, so we started talking, ofund ou he was from Missoury and was here for a physical therapy internship. he mentioned that he biked to work every day. Again, to make a long story short, I was planning on checking out some mountain biking trails near town that eavening anyway, so i asked if he wanted to join me. So he did. I was a bit nervous going on to a trail, in the evening, with acomplete stranger, so I called my dear friend Stacy while Martin went to his apartment to get his bike and told her where I was going and if I didn't call her back in two hours, that i got kidnapped. I get this paranoia from my mother by the way. Everything turned out all right and I found out that he was a Christian. Not that that means he lwouldn't be a mass killer, but I feel like it might lower the chances. Maybe not. There are some crazy ones out there. Anyway.
This weekend, Rachel and Corbett, friends from college came to the cabin, today I learned how to drive stick and tomorrow I head north to Denali national park with Allie. Talk to you later!