The Alaskan Adventures Begin!

This week I've had a lot of fun new experiences. The weather here in Seward is warming up and more snow is melting. I think we've even had a day or two that's reached 50 degrees! We are still in the cabin until Saturday and then Sunday, we can FINALLY move into our apartment whether it's finished or not! I've been settling into Seward more and more as the days go by. I feel more at home and feel like I'm getting to know the energy  and people of this place. Work is great, I still really like it, but just wish it would pick up a little bit. It's still slow, but locals say once memorial day comes it will be much busier. So until then it looks like I am still just working 3 days/week. I've been trying to be constructive with my time off, but also just enjoy being free and doing whatever I feel like. Mornings usually begin whenever I wake up without an alarm about 8 or 9 (I'm really enjoying this part!). I put on some coffee spend and hour or so reading, journaling, catching up on emails and meditating.

Me and My Coffee :)

Then I feel like it's time to get outside. I've found a trail that runs from the harbor to a place called Lowell Point (spelling??). It's right along the waterfront, surrounded by mountains, and more importantly not a likely place where I will get eaten by a bear or attacked by a moose. It's a gorgeous view the whole run. Usually I have a bald eagle or two soaring overhead and see an occasional otter playing in the bay or a sea lion out for a swim. I've mapped out a route of about 4 miles, but it goes by in a blink of an eye because I'm busy admiring the scenery and cool fresh bay air. Turns out part of this trail is the historic Iditarod Trail. It originally began in Seward (but now leaves from Anchorage) and travels almost 1000 miles to Nome, Alaska.  Here is a link if you're interested! (http://iditarod.com/about/history/). It's actually really cool to read about it! The trail became popular not only for the famous dog sled race, but for carrying mail and people from Seward to other places in Alaska. It would be so cool to see the dog race in action!  It's neat there's little spots along the trail where there is information on the history of the race, information on the wildlife around you, and other little gems like that! 

Trail Marker-I feel like I've got the speed of the sled dogs with me on my run! :)

View from the Trail, I think that is Mt. Alice....

It feels good to be getting outside and enjoying the great doors Alaska has to offer. On Monday, I went on my first hike here in Alaska with my new friend from work Maria. I was a little nervous because there is still snow and well, this is Alaska, you don't mess with it. Maria decided to take me up Mt. Alice which is on the opposite side of the bay from the town. It was amazing and challenging! First off the trail is still snow/ice covered so luckily Maria had cramp ons we wore. We hiked about 2 hours up to a base camp on the mountain, but decided to stop there because the snow was so wet and soft. When we stopped were about knee deep in snow and found a little piece of dry dirt to sit on. We stopped and had a picnic of hot tea and topramen. Normally I'm not a fan of top ramen, but when you've been hiking and are freezing, it never tasted so good! Hiking down was even more challenging, my feet were frozen (I kept asking Maria if I was going to get frost bite, she laughed at me). About half way down after slipping and sliding our way down, my feet got their feeling back, so I wasn't worried about amputation. But the views were amazing! Even when were hiking in the trees it was so beautiful. It feels like you're in a place that is so untouched, so pure, and so serene. It feels like these ancient mountains know so much more than us. When I was hiking on them, I could feel their ancient age, their wisdom, and their history. I almost felt like they were going to come alive like the trees in the lord of the rings and start sharing their knowledge in ancient tongue. It felt like for the few short hours I was hiking I was allowed to share in their wisdom and beauty. Being on the mountain was humbling and an amazing experience. It quiets your mind and allows your to soak in the indescribable beauty of the surroundings. 

View of Resurrection Bay From Mt. Alice

View once we got above the tree line!

I've also started to turn the cabin into a hot yoga room! I signed up for HitPlayYoga. An online site for full length yoga pod casts.  It's been really awesome to get back to the things I love most after settling in for a bit. Yoga is just what my body  needed after all that traveling & trying to settling in. My body and mind are saying "THANK YOU!!".

My home yoga studio :)

So that's this week so far! But I think the best is yet to come! Tomorrow, I'm going WHALE WATCHING!!! David can get me on his tours for really cheap when he has a day off. So tomorrow we're heading out in to the ocean to see some wild life! He says so far since he's been working the tours, he's seen gray whales, killer whales, proposes, pelicans, and beautiful amazing scenery! I really can't wait til tomorrow, I'm really excited! So I'll probably post again with pictures and stories from out tour! Until then! 

Hugs & Love! 

Jillian