Springtime here, and still -40 at night. Daytime it has been up into the high minus 20’s. The weather is clear and sunny, though, and the sun certainly makes things at least seem warmer. Just stood out in -40 for a nearly two hours helping to fuel, and glad I brought up my pac mits this time, as the hands and the face are the two things that get cold first. Feet will too if you don’t have bunny boots.
After a winter here, I have the wardrobe down now for keeping warm. I layer long johns, fleece pants, t-shirt, turtlneck, fleece jacket that zips up like a turtleneck, then put my uninsulated coveralls on, then my arctic jacket. I have a hat face mask that was open from the top of the eye brows to my nose. I sewed up the hat at the bridge of my nose to make into a gangster mask, and that makes the hat alot warmer. Then I put ski goggles on and my hard hat with hearing protection muffs down over my ears, and my pac mittens and bunny boots with one pair of heavy socks. So far, that is doing the trick to keep me warm.
We’re on the east side of the Colville River now, near were the fault line ends on the west side and the river drops into the delta flats. We’re up to about 12 hours of daylight now, and still gaining daylight in a hurry.
Still very little sign of life around. I’ve seen one raven in camp at times. I did see a red fox and some ptarmagin on the drive in from the ice strip we flew into at Sag River on Tuesday.
The two week work hitches seem to be going by faster and faster, but the single week home also goes by faster and faster. Juneau is still getting snow, and so tough on my wife trying just to get in and out of the garage and up and down the driveway and steps without me there to shovel. I fill up our wood bin, which is a fish tote on its side, everytime I leave, but with the long winter, the wood doesn’t last the whole two weeks now, so that’s another chore she has to do to carry the wood in from the woodpile.
Lots of excitement in Juneau. One legislator went to work for the Obama administration. His senate seat is open, and my wife, among 13 others, has put her application in for his seat. If she can get to the interview stage with the governor, I don’t see how she wouldn’t get the seat, even though she is seen by many as a long shot. We shall see.
On the fish front, as usual, we have run out or soon will of most everything, which makes us happy but not our customers who would like more but will have to wait till summer.