Afternoon at Aana's

I spent a wonderful afternoon with my husband's mother today!  My son and his cousin, who he doesn't get to see nearly enough, got to play, build snow forts and sled. Aana, Inupiaq for Grandma, lives in a small, dry cabin in the hills, beautiful in the summer and in the winter. 

We were talking about the caribou meat a friend had sent her and how we both prefer caribou to moose. As we were chatting, she started to tell me about her mother and father making snowshoes when she was a little girl. They lived near the western coast of Alaska in the Kobuk River area. 

"He would bring in willow and peal at it until it curved the way he wanted them and punch holes in them. My mother would take a caribou hide and soak it in brown soap for about a week until it was very soft. She would scrape the hair off and then lay it outside at 40 below to half dry and freeze. My father would slice thin strips out of it and lace it through the holes. He would use thicker moose for the foot area. He made the best snowshoes."

We have a pair of his snowshoes hanging on the wall of our home!  Amazing!

Fire, Fireweed and Jam

It has been a very eventful week. Since last Sunday's evacuation, sleep has been lacking and I have been super busy trying to catch up. I am happy to say that, after spending only one night at my sister-in-law's house, the evacuation was lifted Monday evening. It was very eerie driving back in. We were some of the first back and it was so empty. Lots of fire vehicles around. It had just started to rain and the smoke still covered a large area. We left the chickens with family when Sammy, the dogs and I came back. Just in case.

Tuesday it really started to rain and by Wednesday, it began to pour. It felt great! The chickens came home and the garden exploded over night. We will most likely still get smoke, but hopefully, the firebreak constructed around this edge of the fire will hold. This weekend is giving it a test. It is 85 degrees out and getting very dry again.

Life is beginning to return to normal. We are harvesting the fireweed and the first rhubarb. I'll be making the first batch of Fireweed Jelly this week. I am freezing and using this batch of rhubarb. Thanks to my friend Dominique, I have enough for several crisps and breads as well as a Blueberry Rhubarb Jam and my favorite, Touch of Spring Rhubarb, Strawberry, Pinapple Conserve.

Time to enjoy the bounties of summer.

 

Evacuation Complete

At about 1:30 pm this afternoon, the community of Two Rivers received the evacuation order. The Stuart Creek 2 Forest Fire that has been lurking in our area made a run towards the town. I believe three cabins have been claimed so far.

My son, sister-in-law and I headed out with all our belongings, two dogs and 4 chickens. My husband is a wildland firefighter and is working on the fire with many of our friends and neighbors, also firefighters.

We will see how it goes for the next few hours and days.

 

Wildfires in Alaska

Fires in Alaska are integral parts of growth and vegetation. It is natures way of maintaining a balance. That being said, they also create havoc in the lands and communities that they effect. This is true where ever wildfires occur. In Alaska, where life is already challenging, it can get very interesting. Our road system, or lack of one, isolates effected areas and makes deploying firefighters and support vehicles very difficult. Often, the single road to communities become impassable for a time, limiting evacuation and minimizing available aid. Helicopters and airplanes are used to position most fire crews into the areas they are needed.

Helicopter with Bucket

During the summer, Interior Alaska can get very warm and it is always dry. This summer, we have been experiencing a heat wave and have had very little rain. It is not surprising that the wildfires have flared in mass. In the passes two weeks, our small community of Two Rivers has been threatened twice. The first fire, the Kanuti Fire, eat at an area between two sections of homes. With the speedy response of State Forestry and the Alaska Fire Service, the fire was put out with minimal losses. Helicopters, Air Retardant Tankers and specially designed Fire Airplanes called "scoopers" pounded the fire from the air. The helicopters pulling buckets of water from a nearby lake were making 5 minute turn arounds and the scoopers picking up water from a larger lake a bit further away were making about 10 minute turn arounds. They were joined by ground forces as Initial Attack Engines, Hotshot Crews and Smoke Jumpers arrived on the scene. The fire was stopped at an estimated 120 acres.

 

Scooper Amphibious Fire Airplane

Alaska Smoke Jumper

Yesterday, the wind, heat and humidity created the perfect fire environment and the Stuart River 2 Fire exploded. This morning they were estimating a 45,000 acre fire area with a leading edge about 6 miles from Two Rivers. Hot ash and burning debris was falling in the Two Rivers community. Winds shifted and the fire moved further to the East, currently away from the community, but it has been reported to have jumped the Chena River. An Evacuation Warning has been issued for the Two Rivers area, though no Evacuation Orders have been given.

The midday skies have been darkened with intense smoke from this fire.

This morning, there were 90 firefighters battling the blaze with helicopter and scooper support. A Type 2 Management Team is currently in charge of the fire, but a Type 1 (a bigger, usually more experienced) team is on route to the area as are more hotshot crews and other resourses.

We are preparing for the fire. We have a pile of important items and documents to bring if we need to leave. Food for the dogs ans chickens and crates to move them. A stockpile of water, 30 gallons of potable and 110 gallons of garden. We have outfitted our F350 with a water tank and pump. My husband is a Wildland Firefighter as are many of our neighbors. Two Rivers is Interior Alaska's Dog Mushing "capital". Many mushers have evacuated their dogs from the area.

Ray working on Pump Truck

Now it's a waiting game. What will tomorrow bring?