Winter is over...kinda

On January 1st we arrived back in Ketchikan from our Christmas adventure. For most of January, February, and March I worked back in the schools as a substitute! I was happy to go back to the flexibility of a sub, but m schedule filled up very quickly. 

Most of our winter was extremely mild. We had a few days with a couple inches of snow in January, but overall it has been sunny and beautiful. Of course, thats when March decided to laugh at us and give us feet of snow. 

A View of Harriet Hunt Lake completely frozen over this January

January, was a busy month. I worked and got things back in order at home after being gone for 3 weeks in December. And then I was back east for the end of the month. In February, I didn't do much other than work. We kept Ace, Tristan's brother's dog for a couple of weeks. We went on a few beautiful walks and spent our evenings watching some more great nature documentaries. 

Ace and Siren sharing the couch...even if only for a second

Beautiful views of the clouds on a beautiful February day!

Tidepool date night views

Then came March. The plan...work a few days, have spring break full of hiking and camping, go back to work for a few last weeks at the schools. Well...things sort of followed the plan, except for the close to 4 feet of snow we received. Now keep in mind, we measure our rain in feet/ year (13ft/yr), we are not really known for our snow, especially in March. But the first week of March we had 2 days of over a foot of snow, and the second week it just kept coming. As a result, we got an extended spring break...we got almost 2 weeks. Of course, not for the days with over a foot of snow, with the days that had a couple of inches. The days they called for feet, we got inches, and the days they called for an inch, we got 18...But thats how it goes.

With all the snow there were lots of opportunities for new things. Walking second graders through the snow for swim lessons, building snowmen with 5th graders, and snowball fights with preschool in a blizzard were all things I took on at school. These things were actually a lot of fun. In Ketchikan, its not often that we get this much snow...so the kids are just as excited as I was. The school makes part of the field a snow zone at recess for snowball fights. I also got a couple of snow days...which in Alaska are always a rare thing. And that my friends is how a beach bum learned how to live life in the snow.  

Walking to swim lessons in the snow

Building snowmen at recess

The first weekend with the snow Tristan took me to try out snowshoes. The closest thing I could compare this to is walking with swim flippers on your feet but turning them backwards. It was an adventure for sure. But made the almost 3 feet of snow super easy to walk in. We ventured back through a muskeg with Siren. Poor Siren, she was literally swimming in the snow, but at least she was worn out by the time we got home.    

Getting both of them to look at the camera was a major accomplishment 

I finally got the hang of it!!

Snowshoe adventures

After the first round of snow, it was sunny and beautiful for a couple of days. So we thought we would take advantage of the pretty weather before the rain came and head to the beach for a camping adventure. We hiked through the 2 feet of snow that was still on the ground, and made our way all the way. We set our tent up and gathered some firewood. We even set the hammock up and had a great view of the sunset. The fire was great and we had soup we had made for dinner. 

View from the Hammock 

Then we headed for bed...and it was cold. The temperature dropped into the teens and windchill into single digits, much colder than it was supposed to be.  Siren wasn't happy, she was cold and wanted to be at home. We didn't sleep that much, but the view when we woke up was amazing! At some point over the night a new advisory had been issued, so it was snowing when we packed up camp and headed back to the truck. The sea lions came out to wave goodbye. 

It may have been freezing...but you can't beat waking up to this view

The rest of spring break I spent at home because it continued to snow everyday. We got way more snow than planned for, and I believe we have set a record for snow in March. In fact it is March 23rd, and we woke up to a fresh inch of snow this morning. It has been beautiful, but I am very much ready for it to be over now. I'm happy to be back at work, but ready for the summer season to begin. 

The first day of spring brought with it sunshine! It also brought Orcas...which made me happy to know I will be back on a boat in just a few weeks. So spring is finally here, but the snow still remains. The good news is that the days are getting longer and Summer is just around the corner, and the salmon will be happy because of all of the water. 

Tidepooling finds 

Last year we hiked up mountains in March...I think we will be waiting a few months with all of the snow on top.

And the quote of the post is one I have come to truly understand here in Alaska...

What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness...John Steinbeck