Hello visitor! I have moved back to my home on Blogspot, and I won't be posting on this site anymore. I would love if you joined me and Ellie over there. http://marjorieclark.blogspot.com/ See you soon! Continue reading

I have some catching up to do! On June 22, Ellie and I checked Perseverance Lake off the hiking list. This one's about five miles round trip, which is pretty much Ellie's limit. She was totally done at the end of this one. This trail begins near Ward Lake and has tons of berries along the way. Unfortunately, when we went through, it was still early for picking. The trailhead said it was bear country, to I made sure to leash up Ellie and I let my new bear bell jingle us all the way there. The lake at the... Continue reading

Since I started working in an office and had a few minutes of spare time to peruse the interwebs, I’ve taken on the habit of emailing myself links to information that I have to read later. The problem is they pile up quickly. And it starts early in the morning. Twitter is an ever running machine, constantly bringing me new articles on a variety of subjects from scads of writers. The supply will never run dry. From the moment I hop on the internet at 7 a.m. to the moment I get off around 9 p.m., if I'm being good... Continue reading

It’s been six weeks since I moved to this Southeast Alaskan rainforest. This small town is nestled on the edge of an island consumed mostly by the rock and forest of the Tongass National Forest. I have had opportunity to wander into its borders by way of paths and trails, rarely stepping off for fear of sinking knee deep into the surrounding muck. The scenery brings countless varieties of moss, ground cover and giant first and second-growth trees. Shaded by hemlock and cedar, the bushes grow offering up their edible berries and neon colors. The light here is magical. I... Continue reading

Standing next to my car and having a raven drop dead out of the sky next to me was certainly a weird way to start my day. Last week we had a power outage that lasted a few hours in the late morning. There was a problem at the hydroelectric dam and the whole island was out of power for about 3 hours or so. The running joke is, when the power goes out, the public utilities blames it on an eagle. Apparently, while the birds are beautiful, they are extremely dumb. At least, that’s what I’ve been told. I’ve... Continue reading

A moment from some morning April 2013: "I catch the 7 o'clock bus where everyone is feeling a bit lethargic and keeping to themseleves and their earphone and books. Me included. I notice a few rows in front of me a man with curly white hear, a beret balanced on his head. He is holding a Kindle mere inches from his nose and his head bobs left to right like a typewriter. The font on the device is set very large, I can almost read it from where I sit 10 feet behind him. I could see what he was... Continue reading

The past handful of days have been absolutely beautiful. I know I've said that before, but this last weekend brought sunshine and absolutely clear blue skies. Sunday was warmer than 80 degrees and it was just the thing I needed to feel like my spunky self. I knew ahead of time that Saturday was going to be gorgeous so I planned to hike early before meeting up with Danelle and the search and rescue dogs. I decided to tackle the Rainbird trail with Ellie. We picked it up at the trailhead behind the University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan campus. The... Continue reading

Saturday mid-morning I met up with Danelle from Rain City K9 for some search and rescue dog practice. I had volunteered to "get lost" for the dogs. She mentioned that the dogs don't get a lot of opportunity to pratice in the heat so it was a good day to be out in the woods for a few hours. When we got started I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I got "lost" four times and each time I found the dogs to be just hilarious. In theory, it is a game of fetch, but the dog has found something... Continue reading

This quick note was created April 27 as I sorted and packed and prepared to move. I came across it "by chance" today. I remember the emotion vividly. Though it has since passed and there is no sadness, the memory of the sadness is close to the surface again. ~~~ "It seems to be one of those days where the smallest moment reduces me to a puddle of tears. A sweet message, a statement of courage, a kind act, a romantic gesture all have the power to send my facade of strength crumbling to swim in my moat of emotion.... Continue reading

During my lunch break Friday I went over to the Discovery Center and picked up the Ketchikan Area Trails Guide. To my surpise, and delight, it was free, not printed with an ink jet printer and spiral bound. Score! It has listed 24 hikes plus a handful of remote trails. Each trail is complete with directions to the trailhead, a description of the hike and a map. I will happily attempt to hike them all during my stay here. So this weekend, armed with my handy new trail guide, animal and plant guides and bear info, Ellie and I headed... Continue reading

While perusing my notes I found a few bits I had written down while riding the buses around Salt Lake City. It all seems a long time ago now, even though it was barely a month ago. I have a habit of taking time to write things down when I experience someting that feels vivid. Whatever comes to mind ends up on the paper and I try not to edit very much as it mutes the experience, though I have now edited for continuity of tense. While this is old, I felt it was still worth sharing, since the memory... Continue reading

I've been working my way through the complete collection of Ernest Hemingway and came across this bit in the preface of the first section. It's been on my mind off and on for the last few weeks and last night it really hit home with me. I suppose it helps explain what in the crazy-world I am doing up here. "In going where you have to go, and doing what you have to do, and seeing what you have to see, you dull and blunt the instrument you write with. But I would rather have it bent and dull and... Continue reading

Last week I awoke the socond time to what I would call pouring rain. It was coming down enough for me to take my umbrella on Ellie's walk, not like at 5 a.m. when it was only drizzling and didn't warrant the protection of my hood. Since the same thing happened yesterday, an an office mate confirmed that it does actually rain like this all the time, I'm gonna go ahead and call this part of the new routine. Time will tell. Aside from be inconvenient and chilly, it's pretty cozy and makes me drink lots of tea. It also... Continue reading

Idaho was a bit lonely. Montana was lovely. Washington was surprising. Mt. Rainier in the background. Coming through the pass into Seattle was breathtaking. Even though my window was disgusting. An urban train in Bellingham was exactly what I needed to pass the time peacefully before loading the ferry. Behold the ferry! Goodbye to Bellingham from the water. Sunset the first night. My home base for the next two days. First glimpse of Ketchikan. Getting off the boat! Related articles moving to Alaska the last day Destination: Bellingham arriving in Spokane Continue reading

I found myself writing periodically through the day when I got bored so this entry is more like a running commentary than a recap of the day... --- Day 5 has been both long and passed quickly. Sleep did not come easily, nor was it restful. I think it is greatly unfair that those who snore loudly and keep other up have the most restful sleep. Totally not fair. I was able to get an hour nap in the late morning while our travel took the boat out of the channel and into open water giving me the greatest chance... Continue reading

Day four complete and it included a lot of waiting. I woke up at a decent hour, adjusting nicely to the time change. We stayed in the hotel until almost check out and then found a really nice park to hang out in until the time for check in rolled around. We checked in at the port and then got in line to load. And then waited THREE hours in the sunshine to get on the boat. Yes I got a little sunburned on my left side. Loading on the ferry was a little weird. I drove onto the main... Continue reading

Third leg down! The big ferry ride is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. A bit nervous about how it will all work out, but only because I've never done it before. But I am looking forward to the adventure. Ellie was a trooper again today. I made it a point to travel earlier in the day instead of later so the sun wouldn't be in her eyes and it worked out pretty well. She really is a great traveling companion. Spokane was a really beautiful place. The big river was so nice and the cool morning air smelled... Continue reading

Second leg of this journey is done. Lots of driving today but it went quickly and without incident. Ellie is a pretty good companion in the car. Though I did feel really bad when the sun started to get low in the sky and she didn't have any shade. She usually escapes to the backseat when that happens but there is no backseat available this time. She's a trooper. With a little adjusting she was able to see out the windows which made a big difference in her settling down near the end of the day. I was surprised at... Continue reading

I'm on the road to Alaska. Sort of, I'm pit-stopped in Idaho for another night then I'll make the big drive to Washington tomorrow and board the ferry for Alaska Friday afternoon. It's weird to think this is happening. I've been planning and thinking about this whole thing for months and here it's actually happening. It's kind of strange for me. I'm breaking the almost 13-hour drive into two days, stopping in Spokane tomorrow. I haven't taken a long drive through Washington before and I'm excited for the scenery. Ellie has enjoyed the visit at my sister's. The kids are... Continue reading

I love hearing other people's stories. I love finding out about them, why they do the things they do, what they live for, what they want from their life. One of my biggest fears is someone hearing my story and then deciding it's not really a story at all. They have found out nothing interesting about me, I have no reasons for doing anything, no interesting stories to tell, no pictures to share. I worry that all I have done with my life is survive it, that I didn't live it or experience anything. I don't want to grow old... Continue reading

"I shouldn't have been surprised that all I could see of the of the airplane window above the northwest was clouds. But they were beautiful clouds." "Snow capped mountains give way to dark bottomless valleys shadowed from the sun by endless clouds and all I can see are tiny lakes reflecting back at me." "Suddenly the cabin air smelled of coffee and gin and tonic and I was reminded of everything I had come from and felt a little homesick for the familiar. I was headed into the unknown, magnified by the book telling me tales of the Utah desert... Continue reading

Here's the biggest goal for this week. Behold, the reading list: I'm hoping to at least make a dent in it. Also, this little dog is getting gray in the face. I'm not ready for her to be old yet. Continue reading

It's official, the semester is half over. Orginally I had planned on going to Death Valley for the week. I craved a place where my cell phone wouldn't work and I wouldn't be able to check my email every 15 minutes. (in reality, it's probably every 5 minutes) But funds have been tight this month and driving 10 hours each way for just a couple days of quiet really kind of lost its appeal. So in Salt Lake City I shall stay. And then I won't have to leave Ellie behind either. And it's not like I don't have plenty... Continue reading

I remember from my childhood my mom having a camel colored wool coat. It was long, to her knees, but not a trench coat. A swing coat maybe with a lapel collar and maybe four big buttons down the front. At least, that's how I remember it. I remember it because she only wore it on special occasions. It was her fancy coat. I only recall seeing it a few times, on Christmas Sundays I think. but I do remember thinking it was fancy and lovely when I did see it. I always though she looked so classy when she... Continue reading