flour child: ever looking back

in light of the fact that our trip ended two months ago, i decided to sum up our last 3 days in alaska in this blog. i need to get on with writing blogs about the rest of my life :)
Thursday, Day 7
we now had 2 days of "free time" since canceling the trip to fox island. on our river rafting adventure, our guide had told us about a free glacier hike, just at the edge of seward. having spent the previous day ogling one of these magnificent ice chunks, we were intrigued by the idea of climbing one. so off we went.
at the glacier tourist center, we found 3 possible hikes listed. the wheelchair accessible route to the base of the ice, the 2-3 hour route to the middle of the glacier, and the 8 hour route to the top of the glacier and the harding ice field where it originates. guess which one we picked...
it began with a 2 hour trek through thick woods, up rocks, and over babbling brooks and waterfalls. i will admit that i was a bit distracted on this part of the journey. the chalkboard in the tourist center had claimed several bear sightings on the trails that morning, and i wasn't taking any chances. marcus indulged my frequent "hey bear" warning shouts and ridiculous clapping. i cringed every time we happened upon fresh bear scat. i don't think i would have been so afraid if the trees hadn't been so thick and the trail hadn't been so winding. i kept imagining myself surprising a bear face to face as i turned the corners. so clapping and shouting were my ways of preparing him for my arrival. who knows if that actually works. like i said....marcus indulged me.
we made it to the top of treeline to discover our first snow patches. they were more like mountain blankets really. there were paths marked through the snow in order to cross them. they were slippery and melty from the warm sun. from every direction you could hear trickling water. it came from above us, ran below the snow under our feet, continued on towards the massive glacier to our left, and poured from deep within the crevices of the ice itself. the snow blankets were separated by rocky climbs and then followed by more snow blankets. this pattern of rock and snow went on forever. i think that the majority of this walk was spent mentally urging ourselves to keep going. we were tired, but it seemed pointless to turn around when we had already come so far. we weren't about to waste our efforts. so we kind of shifted into the robotic mode of just picking our feet up and setting them back down. each time we crested a hill, we found more to look at and more to climb. at some point, after the air had cooled down and the number of hikers had diminished, we found the view we had been waiting for. we were perched on top of the world. pristine, sparkling white snow COVERED the mountain tops for miles. it makes you feel so tiny and in awe. we were literally in the midst of a winter wonderland, only it was summer. but it sure felt like christmas...like we had opened this beautifully wrapped package, and the rocks were strewn about us like bits of paper that had been torn off to get inside. our immaculate present lay before us....all is calm, all is bright.
back down at the base, we found that the round trip had taken us 6 1/2 hours. we blissfully drove back to anchorage, snuggled into bed, and dreamt dreams of cozy mountain cabins nestled in the twinkling crystals of ice and snow. talk about peace on earth.
Friday, Day 8
this is the day of doom. with every incredible, unforgettable moment we had consumed, there was bound to be one disaster before the trip ended. we started the day with a trip to girdwood for some baked treats and a stop at the wildlife conservatory. it was a laid back and simple outing. nothing terribly impressive, just a relaxing drive, some fresh air, and great views. it was on our way back to anchorage that fate stepped in. we had passed a tourist stop called beluga point several times in the past few days. it was along the coast and you were supposed to be able to spot beluga whales at certain times of the day. we were nearly past it when i urged marc to stop. we didn't have anything else on the agenda and it was most likely our last time to drive this way. we might as well stop and soak in the ocean breeze, maybe catch a whale sighting or two. we walked over a lone train track to the coast which was sprinkled with giant, craggy rocks. it was beautiful. photo op! up to this point, marc had done the majority of the "fancy camera" picture taking on the trip. that thing was heavy, so he was usually nominated to carry it. but here, it was a short walk up the rocks and down to the beach....i could carry it this time, no problem. i enjoyed myself, snapping pictures of marc skipping rocks and the ocean spray as it came rolling in, practicing with the zoom lens and the lighting. but when we turned to leave, instead of walking back to the trail, marc headed up the big, coarse boulders. i'd been climbing all week, so i didn't think twice about following him up them. but oh, how i should have taken the trail. the borrowed camera, dangling loosely from my neck, swung away from my body and into the rocks as i took the first big step. i heard the scraping noise, i froze, and nausea hit me. after 10 seconds or so, marc turned to see if i was coming and saw me standing there, with that mortified look on my face. the guilt was overwhelming. i felt like i had ruined our trip. he was mad. i don't blame him. it was HIS co-worker's camera. there was a big grainy scrape right across the lens.....the $300+ lens. we rode back to the hotel in silence. there's really no one person to blame here. he had taken the lens cap off at the beginning of the trip and stored it in the glove box. i had carried the camera without putting it in the bag first. he had led me up the teetering rocks. but i had followed instead of taken the wiser, flatter way out. there was nothing that could be done. we finally talked about it over dinner. i couldn't apologize enough. but i had increased our trip cost by more than a few dollars. we eventually took some pictures with it and found that the scratch did not affect the quality of the pictures in the slightest. but there was no way we could return it to her like that. we had a beer, calmed down, and resolved to buy her a new lens and keep the scratched one for ourselves to use one day....one day in the far future when we could actually afford a camera of our own. we were already $300 short in the camera savings fund. Saturday, Day 9
our flight didn't leave until 9 at night. we looked into leaving earlier, but the flights were all full. we spent this day literally wandering around the streets of anchorage for hours. it was the fourth of july, so we waited for the parade to clear and then headed into the multitude of shops and outdoor markets that lined the main roads. i think i took a nap in the car at one point, and we sipped a coke and hot chocolate at an outdoor cafe. mostly we just stayed quiet and reflected on the incredible week we had just spent together in this unparalleled place of wonder. it is hard to imagine that we will ever be able to top this one....and i don't know that i really mind.

Pictures, Day 7

~on the glacier trail, thinking about bears~