I am at the end of my stay in Alaska, and I am so sad to be leaving the most incredible place I have ever visited, but also excited to be going on to see my friend in Tacoma, and enjoy the rest of my trip. On Shelter Island I really enjoyed having no phone, no internet, no contact, not having to worry about telling people where I was and what I was doing, I was quite content to be isolated and immersed in the immediate - a refreshing change from the last episode of my life where every day I seemed chained to the email. However today, I am back online and very excited to be here - I had so many lovely emails, and I realised how much I wanted to speak to everyone at home. So I shall try to sum up my stay on Shelter Island and share with you what it was like. I am sorry that I can only do it with bad words and poor photographs. Please forgive the long message!
There was a solstice party on the island at the weekend which everyone came to, a big bonfire on the beach, live music, and loads of people came from town on kayaks and boats, and tons of food cooked over the fire and dubious home-made wine etc... Solstice is a big thing here, which is understandable when it is light all night and dark all winter long. Living so close to the sea, high tide was only about seven metres away, makes you very aware of the tides, not having a job to get to or anything to do apart from the here and now made me slow down, even using a wood burning stove to cook on, or only having an abundance of electricity when the generator is on, or on a sunny day, made me rethink a little and find a different rhythm of life, which felt very refreshing.
The island is surely the most amazing place I have ever been. The house was right on the beach, and behind the house stretched the most lush and green forest. That was it! I saw whales every day, even up close when I was kayaking. There were seals, sea-lions, killer whales (only saw those today) and the most amazing creatures on the beach at low tide. Star fish, barnacles the size of my thumb, red jelly things with 18 tentacles, anemones the size of cushions. The salmon just leapt out of the water, like skimming stones, flashing sliver. Bobbing around on the sea were hundreds and hundreds of tiny fluffy birds that apparently dive up to 21 metres! There were deer that made it on to the beach a few times for the salt - I couldn't believe how well camouflaged they were against the rocks.
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| One picture of many of Eagles, I didn't even try to photograph the Whales! |
In the woods there were birds all over the place, eagles everywhere, (I was lucky there was a nest, right above the house.) Bright blue stella jays which were very pretty and apparently tameable, and woodpeckers which were actually something else. I found a Beaver dam and miles of paths and gnawed trees, there were also otter tracks; everywhere seemed to be teeming with life. Hidden in the forest, which was like a prehistoric forest it was so overgrown and untouched by man that it felt enchanted, there were meadows where the ground is too damp to support the thick forest and so there are fewer trees, and they are ancient, gnarled, stunted and short and gleam silver in the sunlight. Between the trees are large lakes filled with bright yellow water lilies.
The view, was sea, and forest and snow capped mountains; unbelievably stunningly beautiful.
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| Ancient trees in the meadow |
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| The Lake in the Meadow |
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| A Beaverised Tree |
The garden around the house was flourishing too, flowers everywhere and more salad than I could eat. There were hummingbirds too which make a funny noise when they fly.
I don't think I would like to live there though. The sea was too cold and too full of creatures to want to swim, the forest too impenetrable to hike, the visible snow capped mountains a long way off, covered with bears and avalanches and surrounded by impenetrable forest! In winter you really could barely leave the house, it is either stumble across a rocky beach in either direction or take a machete into the woods. The island seemed so friendly, I met several of the neighbours, many of whom just wandered over, but in winter nearly everyone leaves and there are just three families who stay. I think I would go a bit crazy. I would love to learn how to sail though!
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| Just before realising I was lost in the woods. |
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| View of a glacier through the trees, proving that I was actually on the wrong side of the island halfway up the wrong hill and I was lost. Thank goodness for my trusty compass! |
The family I stayed with were really very nice and kind and friendly and did everything they could to make me feel at home, the food was excellent, and I am sure I ate more than I worked. The work mainly involved trying to finish a building project which has been ongoing for a while, so I did a fair bit of painting, but I also got to learn some carpentry, something I have wanted to do for ages. I learned some good practice techniques and some new things, and built my confidence a little. It was interesting talking to and getting to see everyone's houses, most of which were home-made. There were also some rather interesting (extremely worrying) but pessimistic conversations about how the entire world is doomed because the population is expanding so rapidly.
The other notable delight of my stay was the hot tub. What a pleasure it is to soak in a huge hot bath listening to the whales and staring out over the sea in the fresh air. How luxurious it is not to have to decide which part of you will stick out of the water and get cold, because it's big enough for all of you and deep enough to sit on the bottom with just your face poking out of the surface! Yet, how disgusting to sit in your own muck, to only wash every three days as it is such a faff getting the stove going for the bath (it takes almost all afternoon to heat); and to re-use the water for three baths, for three different people each bath, and the water is all rain water and isn't remotely clean anyway! So I have very mixed feelings!
Juneau itself, which I saw briefly, was so geared towards cruise ships and tourism it was bizarre. They get about 5 or 6 ships in a day and they were HUGE! The whole of down town is taken up with tourist tat which closes down every winter so it feels like a ghost town. Most of the shops have bears outside them, and are full of t.shirts, postcards, jewelry, knives, and furs. There were even lollypop people to help the tourists cross the almost empty narrow road with good visibility.
Anyway, off to Seattle tomorrow morning to see Marcy. I will be in touch soon.
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| View from the house |
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| View of the house |
