Anchorage and the Ultimate Rebellion

After our Chilkoot Trail experience we were ready to head back to civilization, Anchorage. Besides visiting the city we also arrived in perfect time to play in Jamboree, Alaska's big summer tournament. Not really having a plan, we started emailing frisbee friends and the TD of the tournament to try and arrange a place to stay for the weekend and find a team to play with. A forwarded email from Beau and a few hours later we had a team to play with and a floor to sleep on with David Popiel once again proving how incredible the ultimate community is. David and I actually played against each other in college as well as club and is a player I have respected both for his skill and spirit on the field. It was awesome getting to know him and his wife, Jess.

We'll come back to the tournament later. Our first night in Anchorage we stayed in the Arctic Adventure Hostel, which was a great stay because it had a huge kitchen, wifi, and they provided a full breakfast in the morning for a good price. Thursday morning after a workout and breakfast, we went to the Alaska Native Heritage Center to learn about the indigenous people, the First Nation. The center was great and had walk-in replica houses that are built by the different tribes as well as song and dance performances and even an Alaska native sports exhibition.

After a hearty breakfast at Snow City Cafe we went to Kincaid Park to play disc golf and moose watching. I borrowed David's bike and while riding their along the Coastal Trail saw three moose! Unfortunately, the girls weren't with me so they are still searching for the ubiquitous and yet allusive beast. When David and Jess returned home from work they took us to a quiet beach on the Cook Inlet and we played Stick Rock while the sun attempted to set.

















At the Alaska Native Heritage Center, these bow head whale jawbones are used by the tribes in the most northern part of the state as land markers because it is so flat there.
















Cara, enjoying a Vanity Fair with David and Jess's cats, Stanley and Arthur.















Bull moose near Kincaid Park. Although I was only about 15 yards from this guy he was quite content to keep eating and didn't mind me snapping a few photos.
















We amazingly didn't loose a single disc in the dense summer brush.




















Cara "Air Jordan" Crouch finishing hole #18 in style.
















View of Anchorage from our private beach.















David and Jess playing Stick Rock. This was definitely a home run! We decided we should take our Stick Rock card photos.




















David "Slugger" Popiel, #44
Founder of Stick Rock and the most feared power hitter in the league.












Jess "Fleet Foot" Popiel #11
Jess is known for her speed and leads the league in stolen bases. Unfortunately, she's on the DL due to a sore foot from a half-marathon ran the previous week.




















Michael "Buntington" Natenberg #18
Never scared to lay down a devastating bunt with a two-strike count.






















Cara "Cannon Arm" Crouch, #5
Stealing second? Not with Cannon Arm behind the plate. Her savvy pitching signals and ability to crouch behind the plate for hours makes her the most feared catcher in the league.




















Ashley "the Kid" Black, #22
Known for her chocking up batting style, she can always be depended on for a base hit. Don't let the smile fool you, she will send that rock screaming back at you with an up the middle single.

















The Jamboree Party theme was tacky, and Cara and Ashley did an amazing job of finding these clothes on short notice. We partied like champions in these threads.














Alaskan Jamboree Champions of 2011!

After our 15-13 win the finals against the Alaskan, Hawaiian, and Californian combo team. After giving up an early break, we trailed the whole game by one or two before scoring the last 4 to clench the win.

Massive thanks to David and Jess for opening their apartment to us, Chris, John, Drew, and the rest of Ultimate Rebellion for accepting us on their team and being such awesome people and players. Winning the tournament was just icing on the cake of getting to meet and hang out with such a great ultimate community.

-T

The Chilkoot Trail - 33 miles of history and awesomeness

From Skagway/Dyea, this trail leads over the Chilkoot Pass and into the interior of the Yukon territory where the gold rush occurred in 1898. It's a unique back country hike because along the way the trail has historical displays to tell you about the different camps and crossings which were established when it was in use. It's kind of like a history lesson while you are being careful not to run into the path of a bear. We learned that stampeders would have to haul up over 2,000 lbs. of goods in order to be aloud into Canada. It was humbling caring our ergonomic 40 lb. packs. Some stampeders would make over five trips in one day over the pass caring supplies to be cached. The trail was only used for two years until the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad was built.

Another unique thing about the trail is that it crosses into Canada after you climb the pass, which means you have to bring your passport in order to get back to Skagway. And finally, it is the first U.S. back country trek we've done where their were cabins to cook in at most campsites. these cabins were perfect for keeping the mosquitoes away (Sheep Camp), getting out of the cold rain (Happy Camp), or building a fire for the fun of it (Lindeman Lake). It reminded us a lot of the New Zealand trails.

Team MMR, cautiously fearless since 2007™
Ashley Black, on the left, is our best hiking buddy. She joined us on some of our favorite hikes in New Zealand and has a massive amount of camping experience and is super good at knots! She'll be traveling with us for the next month, and we are super pumped to have her along.

Snow! We hiked 13 miles our first day after getting a late start. Day two lead us up into the snow towards the pass.

This was a great section of trail through beaver ponds. The NPS did a great job setting up these boards to walk across. A lot of fun, but no beaver sightings.

Feeling a bit sluggish after hiking the first ten miles on Day 1, we decided the best way to motivate our bodies to keep moving was to take a generous pull of Yukon Jack liqueur. The last three miles were a breeze, it did the trick.

Cara and I loved our rented hiking gaiters (red "socks"). You couldn't stop your boots from getting wet, but the gaiters definitely helped keep your socks dry.

Ashley making her way on all fours up the pass. This is not a crazy angle, the pass was unusually steep this year because of a persistent northern wind throughout the winter which built up the snow. Whenever your boot slipped out of the hole you just kicked in, it got a bit stressful. Adrenaline was definitely pumping and it felt good to get up and over.

On the Canadian side, making our way through the snow to Happy Camp.

After hiking over the pass most stampeders loaded their supplies into boats to be transported across the connected lakes which eventually lead to the Yukon River. There are artifacts, like this ship hull, all along the trail.

At our last camp, Lindeman Lake. LumberJane chopped some wood for our cabin's stove.

The trail is a one-way hike ending at Bennett Lake and a great two hour train back to Skagway. The White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad, built in 1898.

Back in Skagway we enjoyed a few Alaskan Whites (our favorite beer so far), some pizza at the Red Onion, and a hot shower. Our adventure continues in Anchorage.

-T

The Alcan: “The Last Great Road Trip in North America”

At least that’s what all the brochures say. The Alcan, truncated version of Alaska-Canada Highway, was built during WWII because of the perceived threat of the Japanese who were busy taking over the Pacific and threatening the Alaskan coast. Built in record time (8 months!) the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began building it without permission from the Canadian government at first, who later graciously complied since it was already being built. Oh, Canada. It starts in Dawson Creek, BC and officially ends in Delta Junction, Alaska. In total the 1,512 miles wind through the expansive fields of northeastern British Columbia, the northern Canadian Rockies, the seemingly endless boreal forests of the Yukon, and finally…Alaska (not sure what that part looks like yet). We took 3 days to drive from Calgary, Alberta to Whitehorse, Yukon and here’s a list of what kept us busy.

Things that you can do on a 1500-mile road trip in the middle of nowhere:

· Take dorky pictures to prove that you took a 1500 mile road trip in the middle of nowhere

· Stop at Tim Horton’s whenever possible to see how many Timbits can possibly fit in your stomach before tossing your Timbits

· Talk to Canadians in Tim Hortons and be tickled by their accent

· Listen to books on tape (Tina Fey’s Bossypants and currently, Outlander), This American Life, Moth podcasts

· Stop and attempt to do a work out, but realize that your legs are catatonically stuck in the sitting position, making it impossible to even walk

· Study the Canadian money with a pang of envy, both for it’s value and its color spectrum

· Admire the governmental buildings from the comfort of the fountains out front. It was like their Barton Springs…people just hung out in the shallow water features in front of the Edmonton capitol building.

· Camp by pristine alpine lakes

· Try to avoid wrecking the Green Dragon on bison on the highway

· Watch the parade of animals outside your window (porcupine, black bear, caribou, bison, rock sheep, brown bear). It seriously felt like those rides at Universal Studios where you are in that little train and you just roll by the different animals. The wildlife here is mind blowing.

· Stop at the signpost forest and nail a Frisbee to a tree to leave your mark

· Pitch your tent in broad daylight at 11:30 p.m. and then wake up rearing to go at 4:00 a.m. because that damned sun is playing tricks on your mind.

· Boil yourselves like live lobsters in a natural hot springs that is definitely an unhealthy level of hot

· Try to avoid potholes

· Drive through hailstorms

· Struggle with mental math to convert kilometers to miles.