August 21: After a week of district trainings and workshops we couldn't believe that we'd be starting a new school year in three days. The kids were coming! We took advantage of our last "free" weekend to explore the mouth of the Kenai River. The Kenai River is heavily populated in the summer time with people (and bear) fishing for salmon. The mouth of the Kenai River is an estuary, spilling into the Cook Inlet next to the beach in Kenai. From the beach you can visibly see three active volcanoes: Redoubt, Spur, and Illiamna. Redoubt just errupted last May. The area, or I should say, all of Alaska, is covered in the wildflower known as fireweed, a stunning pink flower that has recently gone to seed. During our visit to the beach we also spotted and spied on a bird of prey, which we believe to be a Golden Eagle. Although there really wasn't much spying, the raptor was looking directly at us from its perch.
August 23: Our first true Alaskan hike! After buying a supply of bear spray, we decided to start simple, a hike through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Beautiful trails, beautiful scenery, but a different experience compared to Minnesota. Growing up in Minnesota you are taught to be quiet so that you can see and hear wildlife. In Alaska, you are taught to be as noisy as you can. Unlike Minnesota, there is some wildlife that you don't want to see up close and personal. With the brown bear population being fairly high on the Kenai Peninsula, hikers are told to talk, sing, and wear bear bells on trail. Giving brown bears as much warning as possible that you may be heading in their direction is a good thing. Many hikers carry bear spray while others choose to carry a pistol. It's not uncommon to see people packing the heat on a Sunday morning hike. Neither of us have ever talked so much on a hike, something our vocal chords were not use to. No bear sightings, but we were definitely on the look out.
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