Denali Bound

Greetings from the Alaskan Railway!

It’s been a busy few days, but I’ve had time to catch up on sleep and my blog while traveling the rails today.  I left Anchorage at 8:15AM and will arrive at Denali in another two hours or so.  It’s been raining all day, so it’s a good one for traveling…and for Alaska; the entire state is in need of rain to stop the fires.

Camp ended this past Monday and I have to say I got a little teary eyed taking the bus back to the hostel.  I had the most amazing time and I am lucky to have met everyone who attended camp, worked camp, or presented to us!  While I love my co-workers and attending conferences with them, I have found that attending alone is a powerful thing.  I learned so much from the other twenty-some teachers that attended the conference… and not just Iditarod content either.  I learned about new technology, professionalism, creative projects, how to get the community interested in what’s going on in the classroom and more.  I got to know so many of the teachers from all around the country—California, Idaho, Utah, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, Florida, Maryland, Texas and more!  We will forever have a common tie to Alaska and the Last Great Race on Earth.  I’m hoping to make it up to the winter conference this March to learn even more and to see the start of the Iditarod firsthand.

Yesterday I spent the day down in Seward, AK with Kathy, one of the teachers from camp.  We started the day by having breakfast with the Columbus, OH teachers who were also visiting Seward.  It was so great to see all of them one more time.  Then, Kathy and I embarked on a 5-hour cruise through Kenai Fjords and we saw tons of wildlife—three types of whales, sea otters, sea lions, puffins, and bald eagles.  One of the whales we saw was the finback whale which is very rare to see so close into the shore, so it was very cool to see!  The finback whale is the second largest animal after the blue whale.  We also saw Bear Glacier while out on the boat.  After we docked, Kathy and I headed up to Exit Glacier which was very grand and neat to see.  This glacier has been receding for decades, so it will be interesting to see where the glacier is ten years from now.  After we visited Exit, we headed back to Anchorage; I went back to hostel and was greeted by KK (one of the workers) with a big hug!  When I first began my trip I was quite nervous about staying in the hostels, but I have learned that everyone is extremely nice, and they all have fascinating stories of their adventures to share.  The last two nights I bunked with girls from Germany and Kazakhstan—both living out their dreams to travel the world!  I am camping out at the next hostel in Denali, so that will bring new experiences and new friends!

Happy July!
RA

PS.  Made it safely to my hostel.  Sweet place they have up here!  I have internet, but no cell service… feel free to e-mail or iMessage.

This was probably one of the coolest things I have experienced so far.  On our day cruise out of Seward we spotted some killer whales (just like Willy), and the park ranger on board dropped this microphone into the water.  We were 100-150 yards away from the whales, but we were able to hear them “talking” under the water.  It was SO cool!  It sounded just like it does in the movies!

My quilt square… each year a quilt it put together from summer camp and each teacher is asked to create a square.  This quote came up a few times during the week and I thought it was perfect for my quilt square!  The quilt then travels to schools around the country!

This is from Girdwood, AK… in the mountains.  A few of the teachers and I spent time at Nick Petit’s (Iditarod musher) summer kennel.  It was a bit rainy, but a fun day.

The sea lions resting on the rock– this was out on the Gulf of Alaska during our day cruise.

The Alaskan flag on the back of the boat.  They seem to be quite proud of their flag, just as Chicago is!

Meet Buddy the Bow-tie Wearin’ Bison.  While Buddy doesn’t have a bow-tie yet, it’s coming.  Buddy is from the National Park Service and is for kids to take around the country with them as they visit all the National Parks.  Starting this year in my classroom, Buddy will have the opportunity to travel with my students as they visit National Parks with their families.  Buddy is starting out his adventures in 4 of the Alaskan National Parks.  Here he is at Kenai Fjords National Park visiting Exit Glacier.

Exit Glacier!

One for the Books!

Yesterday was one for the books!  My fellow teachers and I spent the entire day at Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla, AK at the Iditarod Volunteer Picnic.  Talking to the volunteers was great and I loved listening to their stories, but the real highlight of the day was meeting all mushers as they signed up for the 2016 Iditarod.  While meeting all the mushers was wonderful, there two that stood out to me.

First, is Mary Helwig.  A few other teachers and I stood close to the sign-up table as the Seavey men signed up for the race, and while they are quite famous in the mushing world, I was more focused on figuring out who the young woman was who was signing up.  She looked vaguely familiar and as she was signing autographs for us, it finally clicked.  Mary had visited my classroom over four years ago with Chicago musher, Pat Moon.  After Mary took her official picture with Jeff Schulz, I asked her if she was in Chicago with Pat many years back, and she smiled back and said yes she was!  We talked for a bit and then I asked if she would be interested in my being my classes’ rookie musher, and she graciously said yes.  I am really looking forward to following Mary’s journey to the Iditarod with my students this year.  Also, I know I’ve talked quite a bit about the Sockeye fire that destroyed many homes in Willow, AK, but I wanted to mention that Mary lost everything in that fire.  Her house burned flat to the ground, so please keep her, and the other two dozen or so families that lost their homes, in your prayers.

The other musher that made an impact on me yesterday was Rick Castillo.  Rick has mushed the Iditarod before, but it was his Battle Dawgs Project that I found fascinating.  Rick’s wife is an Air Force Lieutenant and he saw a need to help our nations’ warriors as they come from battle.  The mission of Battle Dawgs is to “expose our warriors to therapeutic and exciting experiences by harnessing the natural splendor of Alaska’s landscape and the power of sled dogs.  In doing so we are able to provide a natural portal to help rehabilitate the battled wounded and the battle weary.”  When I was talking with Rick about it the project he was so passionate about it, and I could see he really enjoyed helping our service men and women.  When the warriors come up to Rick’s kennel they are given a mission and purpose by helping with the dogs, going on dog runs, packing Iditarod drop bags, and much more!  His project is truly inspirational!  To learn more about Rick’s project you can visit his website here: http://www.battledawgsracing.com/index.html

There are 62 mushers signed up for race currently, including several from the lower 48.  It should be a great racing season in 2016!

Now it’s off to ATVing through the wilderness of Alaska.
Happy Sunday!

RA

DeeDee Jonrowe and me… DeeDee is a staple in the Iditarod family.  She is a breast cancer survivor and she recently lost everything in the Sockeye fire.  DeeDee was one of two mushers two won a free entry to the race!

Rick Castillo and me!

Dallas Seavey, his daughter Annie, and me.  Dallas is a 3-time Iditarod Champ!

Mary Helwig and me.  My 4th graders will be following Mary this year!

Charley Bejna and me.  Charley is from Addison, IL and will hopefully be coming in to talk to my students this year!

Alaskan Night Life

With the sun being up nearly 24 hours a daylight here in Alaska some might wonder what the teachers are doing with all the extra sun light!

Most nights we hangout until the late hours of the night chit-chatting until we can no longer keep our eyes open.  We work on our quilt squares, college credit hours, or catch up on the news of the world.  With the sun always around it is always harder to get some shut-eye.  But when we’re not just hanging out, we go on little adventures!

One night we went up to Talkeetna, an eclectic little town directly north of Anchorage 114 miles.  We spent time popping into all the little shops and taking in the culture that surrounded us.  A few of us hit up the town establishment, Denali Brewing Company, for a pint of local beer (which was delicious!).  And we all finished up at the Wildflower Café with dinner and the delicious and well known carrot cake!

Another night we went on a moose hunt!  In Alaska there are thousands and thousands of moose roaming around, and we were lucky enough to spot 13 of them on our nightly hunt.  Most of them don’t come out until after 10PM, so we were out quite late on our quest to find the moose.  When I was out on the hunt earlier this week it was the first time I had stayed up to see the “midnight sun” as many people call it.  It was so fascinating to be out at midnight and the sun was just setting!  It is very easy to lose track of the time up here.

While the night are fun, the last few days have been packed with excitement too!  We have visited Iditarod headquarters, Jon Van Zyle’s gallery and home, and the Alaskan Native Cultural Center.  At Iditarod headquarters we had the opportunity to meet members of the Reddington family (Joe Reddington is known as the father of the Iditarod), listen to speakers, go on cart rides, and buy some Iditarod goodies.  Jon Van Zyle is the official artist of the Iditarod and we were able to visit his home, kennel, and gallery.  His house and yard are so artistic and beautiful! And his gallery is filled with years, upon years of Iditarod memories, including the two years Jon ran the race (1976 & 1979).  We also visited the Alaskan Native Cultural Center which is a wonderful hands-on museum about the native traditions of the Alaskan people.  We learned about the native sports, dance, lifestyle, artwork, and more.  I highly recommend visiting the Native Cultural Center if you ever make it to Alaska.

Tomorrow is one of the highlights of the conference—we get to attend the Volunteer Picnic, which is also the first day mushers can sign up for the 2016 race.  We will get to meet many of the mushers we have been following for years and talk with the many volunteers about their race experiences.  It should be a great day!

That’s about all for now!
Have a great weekend!
RA

PS.  We also had two earthquakes in Alaska the last two days.  One was a 5.6 and most of our group felt it, and the other was a 4.8 and further away so we didn’t feel that one.

Iditarod Headquarters.

Jon Van Zyle’s yard and dog kennel.

MOOSE!

Beautiful stop during out moose hunt!

Barbara Reddington and me!

Denali Brewing Company!

Willow Lake… were the restart of the Iditarod takes place.  It is usually frozen over in the winter.

Stealing the cart for a little ride! 🙂

Dream a Dream

I can’t believe that I’ve only been in Alaska for three days now… so much has happened already!

On Saturday I ran the Mayor’s Midnight Marathon which was quite the experience.  A large part of the race was on an old pipeline trail; very different terrain than the Chicago lakefront.  The hills also presented an obstacle for my little legs, but I still finished the race!  My time was not the best (5:25:33), but I stopped many times to take in the scenery… including a MOOSE!  I was running down the trail around mile 23, and the women in front of me stopped and pointed in shock!  She was from Kentucky, and me being from Chicago, neither of us had seen a live moose.  We look several pictures before continuing down the marathon route and finishing the race.  Besides my new friend from Kentucky, I also met a friend of Mrs. Gabianelli, Mike Duquette and his wife from Willowbroo k, IL (six-degrees of Annie Kelley).  I also enjoyed a delicious Café Tola donut when I finished… and yes, I really brought it all the way from Chicago!
On Saturday afternoon I met up with the teachers at Vern Halter’s Dream a Dream Dog Farm in Willow, AK.  The other teachers and I have had the opportunity to walk the pups, clean up poop, play with the dogs, and experience the day to day life of a dog musher.  We have also had some incredible presentations includes the 2015 Iditarod Red Lantern award winner, Cindy Abbott.  Cindy is a woman of perseverance and is a great role model for students and adults alike.  Eight years ago Cindy was diagnosed with Wegener’s Granulomatosis, a rare disease that affects blood flow to organs, but she never let that stop her.  Cindy is one of the few people in the world who has both climbed Mount Everest AND completed the Iditarod!  Her story is inspirational and I encourage you to read more about her on her website.  http://reachingbeyondtheclouds.com/

The last thing I did tonight was something that broke my heart.  In my last post I talked a bit about the forest fires in Willow and how they have affects the community here.  Well, tonight a few of the teachers and I had to opportunity to drive up to the areas that had burned and see the damage that was done.  One of Vern’s displaced neighbors drove us up to her house, which was miraculously saved from the fire.  All of the land around her house burned, and we were able to see the hard work and bravery that the firemen showed in saving her house.  It was heartbreaking to see the devastation, but I am happy to report that all human life was spared.

In these pictures you can see the burn line and how close it came to the house. Without the firemen the house would have been destroyed.

That’s all for tonight.
RA

PS. It’s 11:01PM and the sun is still shining… it is awesome!
PPS. For those keeping track of my new foods each month today I ate a WHOLE piece of salmon and it was way better than anything I’ve ever tried at home and I ate a piece of cheesecake.  BAM!

SALMON!

Oh, and I went on a little run with the dogs today.

Greetings from Portland

Today is one for the books.  I have been waiting for this day for months and months.  My family and I have spent countless hours talking about it and planning for it.  I’ve told my 4^th graders about it and almost anyone who would listen.  I’ve been praying about it and couldn’t wait for the day to come.  While most of you are thinking that today I left for Alaska, which I did… I’m writing to you from the Portland airport, today I also became an AUNT!  I received an early morning text message from my brother, Tommy, telling me that I should swing by the hospital this afternoon on my way to O’Hare to meet my little nephew.  While the time was short, I got to hold that nugget for a few minutes before I jetted off on the trip of a lifetime.  Welcome to the world, little baby boy Kelley (to be named later… but I really think Patrick Stanley Kelley is quite fitting) and congratulations to my brother, sister-in-law and Hayden.  I’m so happy for all of you… and I’ll be home in 32 days to start my babysitting duties!

Having this day finally arrive is a dream come true.  I decided two or three years ago that I would one day make it up to Alaska, but never thought I’d be going on a trip quite like this.  A few years ago my 3^rd grade teacher, Mrs. Banas, passed away very suddenly.  She played a big part in the reason I am a teacher today, and at her wake they gave out cards with the saying, “Be Like Susie”.  The last thing on the list said, “don’t just think, do!”  The phrase has stuck with me since then, and today I am done thinking… I will be out doing for the next month!  Thank you, Mrs. Banas.  I know you are watching over me as embark on this adventure!  And if any of you are thinking about doing some big adventure… Stop thinking and go!  You are not guaranteed tomorrow.

The people of Willow, AK learned this lesson, you are not guaranteed a tomorrow, the hard way this past week.  On Monday afternoon news about a forest fire popped up on my Facebook newsfeed… a fire was running ramped through the large mushing community of Willow, AK.  It is estimated that 5,000 sled dogs live in Willow.  The fire burned many homes, including two Iditarod kennels.  Many of the displaced dogs are being housed at Martin Buser’s kennel, and many other mushers have reached out to help those in need.  This is the dog sledding community at its’ finest—the mushers may be competitors out on the trail, but they will flock to the aid of each other in times of need.  And I know I told many people that the kennel I am staying at later this week was evacuated, but I received an e-mail late last night that Vern, his family, and dogs are all headed back to the kennel today and are expecting the teachers on Saturday.

If you want to read more about the forest fire, here is a link to the Alaska Dispatch News.

http://www.adn.com/article/20150615/unpredictable-sockeye-wildfire-appears-shift-directions-moves-north

And before I sign off for the evening, I just wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes, calls, texts, e-mail, etc. in the last few days!  It was so kind of all of you to take time to wish me well on my trip!  I will have reception for most of the trip, so feel free to keep the calls and texts coming!

Now, onward to Alaska.
RAHolding Baby Boy Kelley for the first time!

All packed and ready go!

What’s in a Name?

In early June 2014 I texted Colleen and asked what she was doing the week of August 10.  She replied that she was going to be in Door County, so I asked her to change her plans and join me on a camping trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  It didn’t take much convincing, and soon enough we were planning our week long camping trip to the south.

We left Chicago on August 10 as Annie and Colleen, but came back two completely different people.  By the time we reached the city limits a week later we had hiked nearly 30 miles, showered only once, endured terrible storms (while sleeping in a 2-man, very smelly, tent), stood front row at a Rodney Adkin’s concert, and earned our trail names.

Our first full day in the park was a beautiful one.  Weeks before we had decided the first day we would hike Alums Cave—about 5 miles around trip (an easy hike to get the week started).  It was about a quarter mile into the hike when we realized we had very different hiking paces.  Colleen was a slower hiker– she claims she “likes to take in the scenery”, whereas, I have a much swifter hiking pace.  During our hike to Alums Cave I would stop every half mile or so to wait for Colleen as she took in the sights.  But, shortly before we reached the cave I had taken off at my quick pace and I came upon three older gentlemen who had stepped to the side of the trail to let me pass (trail etiquette calls for the uphill hikers to have the right-of-way).  I thanked them as I passed, and one laughed and said, “Oh, honey, we didn’t want to get in the way of the antelope running up the mountain right now.”  I had a good laugh myself, and then continued up to the top.

Once we reached the top and sat down for our daily peanut butter sandwiches I told Colleen the story, and she turned to me and said, “Running Antelope, I think you’ve earned your trail name.”  I smiled and nodded back at her, as I thought the name was very fitting.

In the hiking community, trail names are an important thing, especially along the Appalachian Trail (AT), which Colleen and I hiked part of while in the Smokies.  Trail names allow people to escape from “real life” and to become someone else—someone adventurous, fearless, and daring.  Colleen and I did that down in Tennessee; we left our busy city lives behind and experienced nature like we had never done before.

It was an amazing trip, which made me appreciate the great outdoors so much more.  I learned about myself, how to push to the limits, and how to truly enjoy the beautiful country we live in.

I am thankful for my time in the Smokies (and can’t wait to get back), but I am looking forward to the grand adventure that awaits me in Alaska.

All the best—
Running Antelope (RA)

PS. Colleen also earned her trail name that day, but that is her story to tell (however it does include a few young men, whiskey, and me singing “She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain”)

**Also, I won’t be posting these on Facebook or sending an e-mail every time I post, so to be sure you are getting all the Alaska updates click on the “follow” button at the bottom of the page and enter your e-mail address.

Alums Cave August 2014

And yes, we really were in the front row for the Rodney Adkin’s concert in Cincinnati with Amanda!

One Month Away!

A month from today I will embark on an adventure I never thought I would be taking—33 days in the 49^th state.

My journey to Alaska began in the winter of 2009 during my student teaching at Spinning Hills Middle School in Riverside, OH.  I was blessed to have a great mentor teacher, Andrea Rastatter, help me become the teacher I am today.  Her guidance and enthusiasm for teaching continues to be an inspiration to me.  While I was so lucky to have Andrea as my mentor, it was her partner teacher, Kathleen Kelley, who sparked my interest in the Iditarod.  Kathleen introduced her 5^th graders to the race through persuasive writing during my time at Spinning Hills, and at the time I didn’t think much of it.  It wasn’t until a year later when I had my own classroom that I remembered that little activity Kathleen did with her students.   It was March 2010 and my students were in the middle of Terra Nova testing and I was in search of something educational, yet exciting for the students to work on.  I did a Google search, and up popped the Iditarod.

Ever since that day the Iditarod has been a staple in my classroom and it has been an amazing teaching tool that engages all types of learners.  My first few years teaching the Iditarod were great, but in 2012 my love grew even more.  My Facebook post from May 11, 2012 sums up why my love grew:

“Just had the greatest teaching moment of my life. My students studied the Iditarod this past March and each wrote a musher a letter. Instead of writing back, Pat Moon (musher from Park Ridge) decided to surprise my class with a visit!!! I was so overwhelmed with excitement that I cried!!!”

It was at that moment I realized that the Iditarod would always be a part of my classroom and that one day I would make it to Alaska.  Now that day is just 31 days away.  I am excited and nervous about my adventure, and I plan to share all of my adventures with all of you this summer!

Thank you the Andrea and Kathleen, without you I would not be who I am today, and I would never have found the Iditarod.  Thank you to my family who listens to me whenever I talk about this trip.  And thank you to my co-workers and friends who deal with endless Iditarod and Alaska stories.

Let the adventure begin!