Weather watching

With not much to do here on 'The Rock', it has become important to keep an eye on the weather an get outside whenever possible.  The old-timers [some folks have been working here for 40 years] say that pleasant weather is infrequent and fleeting.  The flag pole outside my unit is a stand-in anemometer; though the Weather Underground works well too.

Within the next few weeks winter weather is expected to set in soon.  I've been told to expect frequent bouts of Condition 1 weather [wind > 70 knots and/or more than 5 inches of rain per hour].  Should be fun!

Behind the Iron Curtain

Though the Cold War is long over, it seems that we are stuck behind a veil of secrecy here at the 'Black Pearl of the Aleutians'.  There are signs everywhere about not saying anything over the phone or internet that would violate security protocols.  There are warning signs on doors and underground tunnels that aren't supposed to exist.

It's all quite fun ... for now.

Private air travel

Over the years I've got to have some pretty amazing commutes.  For ski patrol there was the pre-dawn CAT rides to the top of the mountain with a backpack full of dynamite.  The Forest Service delivered us to remote fires via helicopter.  With the Coast Guard, I got to drive a rescue boat out to our 'work' on the water.  Then I had the pleasure of 'commuting' by C-130 and Twin Otter in Antarctica.

But nothing is as good as commuting by G-3 to a remote military base in Alaska.  The coffee and snacks in the back were self-serve, but the views of the Alaska and Brooks Range outside Anchorage more than made up for it.

In the land of giants

Almost two years to the day and I'm leaving from the same airport, with the same luggage and the same clothes.  This time its bound for Northern latitudes.

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,” 

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 ...