Choking on a Moth

A few weeks ago I relayed my dad’s story about cruising down the river and accidentally inhaling a moth. Well, my mom found that story pretty entertaining, too, and decided to tell it her own way.

She’s brand new to the program Audacity® and that was her first story she ever made.  Some of those pictures came from her own stockpile, and one included me!

I hope everyone is enjoying weird high temperatures around Alaska!

What Famous People Said…

I’m a sucker for celebrity quotes. And gossip, but that’s a different story.

Outdoor Life, a hunting and fishing magazine, has compiled some celebrity outdoor quotes online. A lot of them are old celebrities (Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt, etc.) and a lot of them are about guns rather than the outdoors, but a celebrity quote is a celebrity quote and if it puts off homework for a few extra minutes, then I’m all in!

Some of my favorites were from writer Dave Barry, “The only kind of seafood I trust is the fish stick, a totally featureless fish that doesn’t have eyeballs or fins.” and Benjamin Franklin’s “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.”

Beyond the Book

Today I learned something new. If you are an enthusiastic climber, you’ve probably heard of Steve House. If you are not big on climbing, and haven’t heard of Steve House, you may want to check this guy out.

At 39, this guy is known as the world’s best alpinist climber. That’s quite a feat. He has no idea how many mountains he’s climbed, but he does know he’s been up Denali 14 times; he’s climbed Nanga Parbat, with the tallest mountain face in the world; he’s won the Golden Ice Axe award; he’s learned with the best of the best and he’s climbed heights in incredibly short periods of time.

Steve House in Fairbanks presenting his Slideshow

In Fairbanks House held a book signing and slideshow Friday night. His book is called Beyond the Mountain and covers periods of his life when he was just learning to climb, times when he thought he might die, times when he injured himself badly and some of the best times of his life.

He’s not from Alaska (he’s from Oregon) and most of his climbs are not in Alaska, but he has spent a lot of time and had life-changing experiences here.

In 2000, Steve House, Scott Backes and Mark Twight took on the South Face of Denali (or the Slovak Route), and they took it on with such confidence that the plan was to summit in just 48 hours. They ended up ascending in 60 hours, but for guys who were 29, 43 and 39 at the time (respectively), that is no disappointment. There had been two ascents of the Slovak before them, one done in 11 days and the other done in a week. The three men formed such a partnership in 2000, that after the climb when Backes and Twight decided to retire from climbing, House actually decided to go solo for a while.

His book covers a great deal more of his life and experiences and would be a perfect read for those winter days when it’s just too cold to get out.

I bought the book for my mom (Mikey Lean) and made a huge mistake. I didn’t get his autograph. My mom has climbed Denali before and is an avid reader of climbing stories, so when I told her about the book, the first thing she asked was, “Did you get his autograph?!” I felt like an idiot. I had just assumed the autograph was in the book already and left without looking harder for the author himself. She might never forgive me for that, but I know she’ll enjoy the book.

Don’t be Scared of the Rabid Wolf

Earlier this month, Roderick Phillip, 35, of Kongiganak, Alaska was attacked by a rabid wolf. It was around 2 a.m. when Phillip left his campsite and hunting buddies to go look for a moose by the river. Luckily he wasn’t out of hearing range. Phillip spotted a lurking figure in the dark. He cried “Wolf!” (no, really) and the wolf charged him down. It only got a nickel-sized nibble (according to this blog) before Phillip was able to pin the wolf down and his brother came to his rescue.

Later, they found out the wolf was rabid. Rod Phillip is doing fine and taking rabies vaccination shots.

Rabies is spread through saliva. One can be infected by being bit or licked by an infected animal on the skin, eyes, lips, cuts or scratches. Rabies is most often found in arctic and red foxes in Alaska, but can infect any type of mammal. It’s been found in dogs, wolves, caribou and polar bears, too, according to ADF&G.

Beware of animals that have lost their natural fear of humans and are exhibiting odd behaviors like “foaming at the mouth” and biting objects they normally wouldn’t eat.

On the bright side, if a person happens to be bitten by a rabid animal, there is plenty of time to get to a hospital or clinic. The incubation period (time when symptoms show up) for the virus is 3-8 weeks. There have only been a few cases of human attacks in the past century.

Don’t let rabies keep you indoors! If you are scared, just know what to look for and how to get help if it occurs. Five or so attacks in the state in the past century shouldn’t be enough to scare anyone, though.

Equinox Marathon

runners heading down the "alder chute"

Sept. 19 was cold. Though there were three days left until the actual equinox, one could tell that snow was right around the corner. After standing outside for 20 minutes cheering on runners, fans recognized the familiar finger stiffness that disables them from texting on a phone or changing the settings of a camera. It was worth the cold, though, to see hundreds of driven people push their limits on a 26.2-mile course.

My favorite part of being a spectator was standing at the beginning of the “alder chute,” a long downhill that most runners seemed to dread. A lot of the runners didn’t know what they were in for when they came into sight of the chute. There were many expressions of surprise and profanity that made me laugh while I stood taking pictures. I felt sorry for runners that I knew would have trouble with their knees going down. It was interesting to see the galloping techniques of some and the fluid run of others.

I know that to run 26 miles (31.2 for those ultramarathon runners) takes a lot of training, and I’m nowhere near being in shape right now, but I think it would be awesome to accomplish that someday. And I think it has just been added to my list of goals.

Working on the River

During summers, I work as a fisheries technician for Norton Sound Fisheries Research and Development, and my dad (Charlie Lean) is my boss. He’s been a fisheries biologist in Nome for about 25 years, but is always learning new things when working in the field.

Like earlier this week for instance, when he took a few fish techs out in the field to collect coho otoliths. As they were boating back down the shallow river, taking tight turns to avoid banks and rocks, my dad inhaled a moth.

He informed me that while he has inhaled a fair share of gnats and mosquitos, he has never before experienced a moth shooting down his windpipe. His crew was surprised when he cut the engine to double over coughing and gagging.

His lesson learned: especially when taking tight turns with a boat on a river, people ought to remember to keep their mouths shut or they could be unpleasantly surprised.

Photo by Mikey Lean: Charlie Lean out hunting geese

Antsy at UAF? Outdoor Adventures may have your answer.

At UAF located in a corner of the William R. Wood Campus Center, Outdoor Adventures is a university-operated program that employs faculty and students alike. Max Bartlett is a student assistant and a guide for many Outdoor Adventure trips. On Sept. 2, Bartlett guided a group of seven on a day trip to Angel Rocks, just about 50 miles out of Fairbanks.

“Instant gratification,” is how he describes a good day trip. “Day trips are for those who want it quick and want to see beautiful views.”

The Angel Rocks Hike and Soak is a great starter for students new to the area. The guide took the small group up to the large granite formations for some common advanced rock climbing. The Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation describes sheer rock faces and beautiful views of surrounding valleys. It isn’t typically for rock climbing beginners, Bartlett said.

After the 3.5-mile hike and climb, the group headed to Chena Hot Springs for a leisurely soak. Usually the guide doesn’t even join the group in the hot springs because the drive back to Fairbanks takes about an hour, and after a nice hot soak, one is prone to sleepiness.

Bartlett seems to enjoy his student job, and his program’s aim for a “shared experience.” Outdoor Adventures expect their pupils to partake in every bit of the experience as possible – even if it involves cooking or setting up camp. “If you’ve never done it before, we’ll teach you everything,” he said.

No matter what the weather, Bartlett said trips will go on. If the snow starts to fall, hikes are still possible and water trips will go on until rivers are frozen over. All one needs is an extra layer of clothing “Any trip we do – totally adaptable,” he said.

Coming up soon on the Outdoor Adventure’s calendar is the Equinox Full Moon Hike on the 18^th, a Chena Canoe the 19^th and the Wickersham Dome Dinner Hike the 19^th. If you’re UAF affiliated and already feeling cooped up in school, you now know where to find Outdoor Adventures and explore the possibilities.

Introductory Post

My name is Reba Lean, and I’m a journalism student at UAF. This blog is for my New Media Toolkit class, but it should be a fun blog for me to keep because I really like learning and writing about the outdoors. I hope to find some interesting outdoor stories from Alaska that are both adventurous and inspiring, but I’m mostly hoping to pick up some new media experience with this blog.