Midway Weather

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Paradise found?


I've been scouring the internet for recommendations on what to pack for Shemya.  There is a general consensus to bring lots of liquor, since none is available on 'the rock' - not that I'm that interested.

A large government contracting website I found discussed the difficulty they encountered at the location.

 Eareckson Air Station is, “one of the most inhospitable places on the face of the earth,” Samson laments. A normal day is 35 degrees F, and whether it is raining or snowing, it’s always blowing horizontally. “It’s usually foggy and cold and very wet,” 

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Mailing Address



For the next few months I'll be stationed at 'The Black Pearl' of the Aleutians - Shemya Island.  The last inhabited island in the Aleutian chain before Russia.  It's actually closer to Tokyo than Anchorage.  Should you take pity and wish to send a care package, please address to:

NAME
c/o CFSI
PO Box 6901
Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK 99506

Entropy

Last weekend the siblings got back together for the annual 'Bro Retreat'. For the last few years we've been getting together the weekend after Labor Day to reconnect. This year we choose the Champion Mine, a long forgotten mining mining camp in Eastern California. Over the years volunteers have maintained the sleeping cabins, kitchen and museum in top condition. We made the easy 1 mile hike into the collection of cabins and [luckily] found ourselves alone in the hanging valley above Bishop, with nothing but the sweeping views of the Sierras to entertain us. As we explored the various buildings, mine shafts and equipment I got a healthy dose of time passing. Shafts had slowly caved in, buildings had been nudged off their foundations by repeated scree slides. Initially it was disheartening to see the destruction of so many historic relics; until I realized that it is actually just the entropy of nature returning the mountains to their natural state. And so too has entropy applied its pressure here at home. After a period of time working a regular job - its time to get packing again. Antarctica was the first big adventure after a many year hiatus for professional development. Recently an opportunity came up to get involved with an organization that specializes in providing remote medical care and I jumped. Adventure ahoy ...