Janelle's ALASKA adventures

Last day in Juneau, Alaska :(

janellegarman — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:37:54 +0000

Wow! What a summer! My plane leaves this evening at 6:41. I am really going to miss it here. Last night Rachel and I went to Wild Spice, a Mongolian grill. You go through a buffet filling a bowl of raw veggies, noodles, and meat. Then you hand it to the chef and they cook it on a hibachi type grill. It was soooo good! We wish we would have checked out the restaurant sooner! Rachel is working today so we had to say goodbye last night. We are really going to miss each other. We had a lot of fun this summer. So many amazing memories were created. I’m never going to forget this experience.

Anyways, so now the challenge of packing up all my stuff is facing me. Hopefully I’ll have room for my smoked salmon!!! Smoked salmon is quite the delicacy up here. Everyone loves it. So I bought some fish from a commercial fisherman at work, and took it to the meat shop to have it smoked. It’s pretty tasty! I’m definitely going to miss the fresh crab, salmon, and halibut. Ah it’s so good! Well when I told Jon that I probably wouldn’t see so and so or such and such every again, he said we’d come back to visit someday. I sure hope so. I can’t imagine never come back here. It is truly an awesome place. You should visit Alaska someday if you ever get the chance. I’m sure you’ll love it.

Thanks to everyone who’s left comments and showed an interest in my blog. It’s been really fun to update and I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. The Lord has been very good to me this summer, as He always is. I’m sorry if I didn’t respond to some of your comments. I got every one of them, and they always made me smile to know that people cared. I wish you all a great rest of your summer and God bless in whatever adventures you take on!

Things are winding down

janellegarman — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:25:48 +0000

So, this past week I worked Monday through Thursday. I worked my last days as a CCU CNA/unit clerk. I am really going to miss the nurses I worked with on that floor. We had a lot of fun together and they were really helpful. They would always show me interesting things so I could learn more. It is kind of hard to leave because now I feel like I understand what my job is, and I know where everything is. I also worked an intern day on the OB floor this week and saw another baby being born! So that was neat. Wednesday night Rachel and I went to Kristin and Dave’s for milkshakes with some other people. Then they took me out for dinner at the Thai restaurant on Thursday. It was really good. I’ve never had Thai food before! I had off on Friday and just got some errands done. Friday night I went to “the gathering” the college group I’ve been going to that Dave and Kristin lead. After that we were going to have a bonfire at Auke Rec, but it was raining so we built a fire in our fireplace and roasted marshmallows! It was fun Dave and Kristin came over and hung out for awhile. Saturday Rachel and I went to the gym and then Rachel’s friend Kate started moving in to the apartment. She’s taking my place when I leave. She’s really nice, I wish I could stay to get to know her better. Well I have to get going, church starts soon. I work tomorrow, Monday, as an intern in the OR. Then I leave Tuesday night to fly home. My bags are already packed!

Mt. McGinnis!!!

janellegarman — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:46:40 +0000

We did it! We hiked Mt. McGinnis! Wendy, Rachel, and I started at 9 am Saturday morning. It was nice weather for Juneau, which means it wasn’t raining. (Even though it was cloudy.) To get to the trail you have to hike the West Glacier trail and then take a turn off for McGinnis. On the way up there are gorgeous views of the glacier. It was so cool to see the glacier from higher up because you can see just how big it is! It goes so much farther back than you can see when you are right at it. We even saw helicopters landing on the glacier! It was a pretty hard hike, so we took our time. On the way up we saw mountain goats in the distance and lots of lupine. It was beautiful. There were a lot of false summits, and a lot of snow to hike through. I’M HIKING IN SNOW IN AUGUST!!! It was so fun. We finally got to the top and it was cloudy, so we didn’t have much of a view, but we had a great view going up, so it was ok. We saw some more mountain goats from the top which was cool. We ate some lunch and then decided to head down. It took us 4 hours to get up the mountain. We found a steep snowy section that looked like it would be a lot of fun to slide down, so we did! Thankfully I had a rain jacket and rain pants on so I stayed pretty dry. Going down was a bit rough on the knees, but we made it down in about 2 hours. It was an awesome hike. It was so beautiful. It’s days like that when I realize how much I’m going to miss all these mountains. There is only one more mountain I really want to climb before I leave, called Thunder mountain. We’ll see if I can fit it in next week. I come home a week from Tuesday! I’m so excited. I’m so glad the Lord allowed me to do this this summer. It has been an incredible experience.

After hiking, Rachel and I met some friends at a restaurant. We had some gourmet pizza and then went to a Mexican restaurant for dessert. Kristin came over after that and she was helping me with some preliminary wedding plans So that was fun. I’m going to miss her, we’ve had a lot of fun together this summer. I’ve met a lot of people I’m going to miss. But that’s the way it goes. You can’t be in two places at once!!

Finally some time off

janellegarman — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:18:43 +0000

Well the summer is winding down. That means a few things. First of all that my time here is almost over. Second that seeing my family and friends is coming soon. And third that I have to go back to school soon. So my time here being almost over is pretty bittersweet. When I think about leaving this beautiful landscape and “culture” I really do think I will miss it. But when I think about staying I realize how much I miss home. So I guess I’ll just have to come back to Juneau to visit sometime. I’m really excited to go back home to family and friends. It has been so fun meeting new people, but nothing compares to family. I can’t wait to see everyone! And the third point, well I’m in complete denial and I’m not going to expand on it anymore. I don’t even know the day I go back to school. I’m sure my walking calendar (Janelle Nolt), will inform me of when I need to move back in. She probably knows how many days until our first pysch test. Just kidding, Janelle, you know I love you!

So Today, I was on the Mental Health Unit. I got to do some arts and crafts with the patients. It was fun. Then, I tried to go running again for the first time, but with no success. I have to preserve my bones for more important things like hiking Mt. McGinnis and for wakeboarding at Raystown. Wendy, Rachel and I are planning to hike McGinnis (the highest peak in Juneau), on Saturday. We are all really excited. Hopefully we’ll be able to make it up without crampons and ice axes. There are a few times this summer I wished I had them! I made some blueberry scones today with fresh wild Alaskan blueberries that Rachel and I picked on a hike we did the other day. I also made Rhubarb jam with some fresh Alaskan Rhubarb! I love the feeling of living off the land a little bit. Its been fun to bake and cook a lot this summer. Rachel and I made pizza on the grill the other night! It was so easy! I would highly recommend trying it sometime. Well I’m just rambling. Hope you all are avoiding the heat. Apparently it’s been fall here for quite some time now.

Back to Work

janellegarman — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:12:10 +0000

Well, Jon left on Tuesday at 6 AM, and had a safe trip back to WV. I started working on Wednesday. I had a few slower days at the beginning of the week, sitting in a 1 to 1 and then on OB. Friday I started in CCU and got sent to Med surg which ended up being a crazy day and I had to stay an hour later just to get everything done. But all was made up for on Saturday when I did an intern shift in the ER. The morning was slow, and we only had some minor clinical type patients. However around 2:30 PM, a trauma was reported over the radio of an excavator that had overturned and landed in a pond, a man and his 15 y.o. daughter were trapped beneath the excavator with their heads barely above water. The EMT’s had to hold the girl’s head up so she wouldn’t drown. They had hypothermia and each of them had head lacerations. Everyone’s adrenaline started pumping once we heard the report and we readied the trauma rooms for their arrival. We did all sorts of tests and xrays. It was very busy and very nerve racking. The girl’s head laceration looked pretty bad. Not to gross anyone out, but she had skull fractures and we could see the bone. Anyways, long story short it was a very intense situation and I learned a lot. I spent some time comforting the mom/wife, as you can imagine this was very difficult for her. I helped the surgeon as she stapled the man’s wound on his head and the other doctor sutured the girl’s head just to stop the bleeding and stabilize her until they could fly her to seattle. She seemed to be going into shock and she started to get more confused as the time passed. We did everything we could and then sent them with the airlift crew to Seattle. It was a scene I will always remember, not a good one, but a good learning experience. The rush of adrenaline that comes with handling these emergency traumas is incredible, and something you don’t understand until you are in the thick of it. It was really encouraging to see how the family responded despite the circumstances. They appeared to be Christians and had called their pastor to come in. I encouraged the patients that a lot of people were praying for them. It was nice to know they had God to rely on. Thankfully Rachel worked that day so we were able to rehash the events after work which was good for me since I had never experienced anything like that before. Especially with one of the patients being an adolescent. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day.

Sunday Rachel, Wendy, and I made a big breakfast of eggs, pancakes, muffins, and coffee. It was just like the good old days when Rachel, Kara, and I would make Sunday morning breakfasts each week at college! It was fun to relive an old memory. Then I went to church with Wendy at Calvary Chapel. The sermon was about serving others and it was very convicting. So much to learn about being selfless, something I definitely have work to do on. After church, Wendy and I went to some people’s house from the church for dinner. The husband and son are commercial fishermen and they had fresh King Salmon for us! It was delicious! We had an excellent meal and a great time of fellowship. And they made a fresh rhubarb pie for us! Their house is right on the channel overlooking the water. It was a really nice afternoon. It was a true authentic Alaskan meal with lots of great conversation. It was interesting to learn how the commercial fishermen catch all their fish! It is A LOT of work!!! No wonder it is so expensive. But if you live here and know the right people you can be eating King Salmon on a Sunday afternoon for free! Tomorrow I head back to work again for another 4 days. It was so nice to have a day off. I only have 9 more days of work before I come home. I’m getting excited to come home, but I think I will be sad to leave. Especially because there are still mountains I want to climb before I come home!!! Well more later! Be sure to check out the chilkoot pictures if you haven’t already!

The Chilkoot Trail!

janellegarman — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:41:04 +0000

Well, yesterday Rachel, Jon and I got back from our excursion up north. We left Thursday at 1 A.M. on the ferry headed to Skagway. The ferry is so fun to ride! It’s a pretty big boat, not as big as the cruise ships, but much bigger than what I pictured when I thought of a “ferry.” On the ferry you can walk around freely, go outside, or even set up your tent! We just laid out our sleeping bags and got some shut eye before arriving in Skagway. We got to Skagway around 8 A.M. Skagway is a very quaint little town. When standing at one end of town, you can see the other end of town. It is very historic with lots of shops with the old fashioned fake store fronts. We walked around for awhile, got our trail permits, some trekking poles, and watched a video at the visitor center about the Gold Rush. The trail we hiked on was based on the historic trek that the Stampeders made north when Gold was discovered. They carried all their belongings on their backs without Gore-tex, rain gear, internal frame backpacks, synthetic materials, etc etc. So it was interesting to see what they went through in their search for gold during the late 1800s. It was a step back in time to do the trail, but we definitely have many more advantages! Anyways, we hopped a ride with Dyea Dave (aka Ruth), to Dyea where the trail head begins. With full packs we began our 33 mile trek. We hiked 12.5 miles that day through the typical Alaskan rainforest terrain consisting of the muskeg, dense forest, lots of mud, roots, etc. It was a lot of small uphills and downhills. We finally arrived at Sheep Camp, which is at the base of the famous Chilkoot pass which is the hardest part of the journey. At sheep camp about 14 or so other hikers where camping there. There was a warming cabin, bear lockers, and platforms for our tents. A State Park warden was there told us about the next day’s trail conditions, and also gave us a talk about the history of the trail. It was very interesting. We turned in early since we had to leave camp the next morning by 6 am to beat the snow melt. If the snow gets too soft when you cross it, it can be pretty dangerous. So we packed up and headed out at 6:30 the next morning. We began to gain elevation as we went and had to hike up several snow fields (my trekking poles came in handy!). The surrounding scenery was breath taking. We could see way down through the valley. We hiked over the scales and made it to the “Golden Staircase”, which is in fact no staircase at all, but rather large boulders that take you up over the pass. I have to admit it was quite frightening having a heavy pack on your back as you try to scramble over large boulders that were wet and slippery. It was raining by this time. I tried not to look down as we picked our way towards the top. There is a false summit that makes you think you made it, but you are only 1/3 of the way there! We finally got over the pass which meant we crossed into Canada. At the border, the warden brought us a thermos of hot water and told us to go warm up in the nearby shelter. It was cold, rainy, and very wet. But we were glad to have made it to the top! I don’t care what anyone says about Canadians, I was very thankful for such a nice warden! We stayed at the summit for a bit to warm up and then began trekking through miles of snow and ice. It was still very wet and cold, but we kept moving. The terrain soon changed from boulders to avalanche zones where we crossed through miles of snow/ice fields. Before we knew it we were hiking on snow that touched right down into a lake! It was incredible! We finally got through the snow and the terrain changed to a rocky trail that followed bodies of deep blue water. We arrived at Happy Camp at about 1:30 pm soaking wet and cold. We were planning to stay there that night, so we hung all our gear up in the warming hut to dry out, but there was no woodstove and open fires are banned. (It was not a happy camp!) The other hikers began arriving there 1 hour later and we knew it would be nothing but a stinky, wet, miserable bunch of people crammed into a tiny hut. So as they arrived we put on all our wet gear again, packed up our bags and hiked another 5 miles to Lindemann City where there was a cute log cabin with a wood stove in it. We met up with some really cool people we had met previously on the trail. There were far fewer people at this hut, and our clothes and sleeping bags actually dried out! It was well worth the long hike- 14 miles!!! So by this point, we knew we were ahead of schedule. It was Friday and we had already done 26 of the 33 miles. So we took our time on Saturday making muffins in orange peels and packing up. We then began our 7 mile trek to Lake Bennett, the end point. It was a nice hike, but we knew the area we were hiking in was heavy bear country. There was a bear warning out because a black bear in that area had been aggressively approaching hikers. But the Lord kept us safe as we prayed everytime we set out. The hike on Saturday was nice, our stuff was dry and we didn’t have too far to walk. We went through some more different terrain including many gorgeous views of lakes and mountains. We even hiked through beach-like sand for awhile! From snow to sand in a matter of a day!!! When we arrived at Lake Bennett, the sun was out and it was the most gorgeous view I’ve ever seen. We found some rocks that over looked snow capped mountains behind us, rocky rugged mountains to the left and right and a crystal clear Caribbean blue lake perfectly placed in the valley of the mountains. As we sat in awe of the view it began snowing on the top of the mountains we were looking at! Fresh snow in July!!!! It was incredible. We continued to hike down to the sand campsites with the same view. We again met up with some of the hikers we met along the trail. We had a backpackers potluck and shared our left overs with each other. It was a lot of fun. The next day, Sunday, we woke up to a beautiful day of sun and blue sky. We were so glad to be in this amazing place for more than just one morning. It was worth it to get to the end sooner. Sunday morning we tried to make pancakes that were a flop, but we still had fun. Then Rachel, Jon and I went back up to the vista and read some Psalms, sang some hymns, and prayed. After that all the hikers began to reach Bennett (the “finish line”.) We welcomed them back and then we all waited for the train to come pick us up. We rode the White Pass train back to Skagway. The Stampeders eventually built the train tracks to get to Lake Bennett quicker than hiking over the pass. The views from the train were spectacular as we passed mountains, valleys, rivers, and historic landmarks. We were allowed to go outside and look over the railings as the train was in motion! (My mom wouldn’t have liked seeing us do that! ) We finally arrived back in Skagway around 4:30 pm. We checked into the local hostel and met some more interesting people including some people from England and the Netherlands. It was really fun. The next morning we got up early to catch the ferry back to Juneau. On the ferry ride on the way home I asked the receptionist if I could go into the “Bridge” where they drive the boat from. She said they wouldn’t let me, but that I could write a note to the captain and he might give me a tour… and he did! It was really interesting seeing how they drive those big boats! It is still manually driven even though they have a lot of technology. We arrived in Juneau and hiked 1.5 miles back to my apartment! WHAT A JOURNEY! We had such a good time meeting new people, experiencing new terrain, hiking in Canada, and accomplishing a difficult 33 mile hike! I would highly recommend the trail to those who are up to a challenge. It is not for the faint of heart. But the trail is well regulated and maintained. The pictures are posted on the link to the right. They don’t even come close to doing a justice. I wish you could all see the beauty of God’s creation we experienced this weekend. We decided it definitely takes much more faith to believe in evolution than to believe in an all powerful God who created it all!

Jon left this morning at 6 am AK time to head home. He is currently in Cincinatti and should be arriving in Harrisburg this evening. We had a great time together. The two weeks flew by. We haven’t picked a date for the wedding yet as it depends on many factors. Hopefully it will be next summer. The only thing Jon left behind was a gorgeous rock that’s on my finger. I’m not too sorry that he left it We are very excited to be engaged and are praying that the Lord blesses our future together. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and congrats!

I start work again tomorrow. 13 more days of work before I come home Aug 13th. I’m excited to see you all again!

Hiking out of Alaska into Canada (the Yukon) on the Chilkoot Trail

janellegarman — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:51:45 +0000

After Shelter Island, we hiked Mt. Jumbo, biked to Herbert Glacier, ate lunch at Eagle Beach, went to the Shrine of St. Therese, and took the tram up Mt. Roberts.

Now we are leaving on the ferry to go to Skagway where we will hike the 33 mile Chilkoot trail. I don’t have much time because we need to leave, but everything is going well and Jon is truly loving it here. We have done so much! It’s been really fun. I’ll write all about our trip when we return!!! We get back on Monday.

St. Louisa Point, Shelter Island, and…… a RING!

janellegarman — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:37:55 +0000

WE’RE ENGAGED!!!!!! Jon poppped the question at St. Louisa point. He slid the ring on my finger when I was least expecting it and asked me to do him the honor of becoming his wife. And of course I said yes!!!! So we’ve been on cloud nine since We are hoping to get married next summer some time after I graduate. I posted some pictures of the ring, it is gorgeous!!!! I can’t stop looking at it! He has good taste

This weekend, we went out to Shelter Island with Keith, another intern at the hospital, and his family. We pulled crab pots, I caught a pink salmon that we grilled that night, we did a 5 hour kayak ride, stripped trees to build steps, and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery. It was a lot of fun. Today we are planning to bike out to Herbert Glacier. We have a lot of hiking to do before Thursday when we leave on the ferry to go to Skagway to do the Chilkoot trail with Rachel. It is 33 miles long. We take the ferry there, hike the trail, take the train back to Skagway and then come home on the ferry.

Mt. Juneau etc…

janellegarman — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:47:56 +0000

Well, Jon got here late Tuesday night at midnight. I worked Tuesday then went to pick him up. It was a joyful reunion. Wednesday we decided to hike a BIG mountain despite the rain, fog, and tiredness. We drove downtown and hiked Mt. Juneau! How appropriate for Jon’s first day here! It was a fairly hard hike with lot of uphill climbs and slippery ground. It rained for a good part of the hike and we got pretty wet. We also had to cross a snow field–(that we ended up sliding down on the way back.) But we made it to the summit. And as we were nearing the top, suddenly the silhouette of a man peered through a rocky crag and caught us by surprise. Here it was a crew member from one of the cruise ships in town. He was so happy to see us because he was hiking alone and didn’t think anyone else would be crazy enough to climb the mountain in such bad weather. His name was John, go figure! If it’s not another Janelle, it’s another Jon! He was from Oregon and he is a pianist for the cruise ships! He was a really cool guy. So we made it to the top and ate some lunch. Unfortunately the clouds blocked our view of the city below and the valley, but on the way down the clouds would occasionally have a break where we could see the landscape. It would have been beautiful if the sun was out! We had a good time anyways. So then, we spent some time downtown. There are a lot of neat little “touristy” shops that I always wanted to spend some time in, but never got the chance because the people that live here don’t do the “touristy” stuff. So that was fun. We got some gelato at a local coffee shop and walked around. We went to a restaurant that ended up having a terrible view and bad lighting so we left and chose a different restaurant. It was a good move. We sat outside (even though it was cold!!!). We had a great view of the mountains, float planes, and cruise ships. We ate a true alaskan seafood chowder with halibut and salmon in it. Then we had beer-battered alaskan salmon and chips. It was excellent. We came back to auke bay and hung out with Kristin and David for a little while. Jon is staying at their house. Today, Thursday, I had to work, so Jon and my roomate Wendy’s boyfriend went frisbee golfing. The course here is pretty intense with lots of brush and 200 ft. elevation changes between holes. Tomorrow we plan on doing some more sightseeing. We’ll keep you posted! New pictures will be updated soon!

A full week of working!

janellegarman — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:44:16 +0000

This week I worked shifts in CCU, OB, and medical! I saw a code (and they sent me to the triage desk in the ER where I had never worked before!) , experienced another patient death (unfortunately), saw a C-section, and saw a regular delivery! I didn’t have too much time to do anything other than work, but it was a good week. July 3rd, I worked 14 hours before going downtown with some friends to watch the fireworks. We watched them from the dock where the cruise ships normally park. It was pretty fun, but I’m not much for big crowds. The fireworks go off at 12 midnight on July 4th, so Alaska is the earliest state to do fireworks. They have to do them then, so that it is dark enough. They were pretty to watch over the water. But then I worked 12 hours on the fourth, so I was tired. Today I am catching up on all the things I couldn’t do during the week. Next week I work Sun-Tues. and Thurs. Jon comes next week to visit! I’m looking forward to doing a lot of hiking when he gets here! Hope you all are staying out of the heat! It rarely gets out of the 60s here!