Summer Solstice

Here some photos from our summer solstice celebrations!!

Jake had to work until midnight, I took this photo at abou 11:40 PM! The sun is still up!

Shortly after midnight as I was walking up the hill to meet some friends I spotted this gorgeous moon coming up from behind the mountains.

Mandy, Kalisha and Laura drove down from Fairbanks to spend solstice on the tundra with us! We drove to Healy, AK and took the Stampede trail road out until just before it stops being a road and becomes a trail. We found a spot near 8 Mile Lake and had a campfire all night long!

This picture was taken by Jake, its Laura, Me and Mandy, hanging out around the fire watching the sun starting to rise at around 2:30 AM!!

We made some hotdogs and Haggard, the big dog on the right of Jake) would not leave Jake alone! That dog stared at that hotdog until it was gone!

At around 5 AM Mandy gives her dog, Solo, a little love. (She's a musher, they do these things)

After a few hours of sleep its time to get up and greet the day!! 11AM comes real quick when you dont sleep till 9!

Sleepy Jake with 8 mile lake, blue skies and tundra behind him!

A day of hiking and exploring near the Savage River

So this day was really awesome, but a little traumatizing for me!! Here's some pictures from the day and then i'll tell the story!!

Jake on the shuttle bus to Savage River, 15 miles inside the national park.

So, if you didnt know it already, Jake is actually a mountain goat(see proof).

Here we were hiking along, trying to get to the top of a nearby ridge and following a footpath up the side of Mount Margaret, When this "path" turns into a goat trail up a cliff.

So what does Jake do? He runs right up it of course because that's what mountain goats do!

No problem.

And then there's me.

Right about now, i'm realizing that i am indeed afraid of heights!!

Each rock i step on falls from under my feet, Princess-Bride-style, to its doom, down a huge ravine!

Here I am, all alone with Jake 30 feet above me and a river and some other tiny looking things WAY down below me. I tell Jake i'm scared, and what does he do? Teasing me, he runs down the other way and takes a picture!
So here I am, mad and afraid!

- So, A little later -

Me enjoying a delicious sammich after a big climb!

Next to a frozen river... still frozen in June!

Jake checking out the scenery!

They DO exist!

This is a mother grizzly and her three year old cub. The ranger we spoke with told us that she had chased off this cub's brother only a few days ago and was currently trying to send this one out on his own too. Mama's boy! We were elated to see these two bears! Enjoy!