Kirk Barnum, Iditarod Racer

Check out Chris webpage @ the link below to see his final project, which is a multi-media project on our boss, Kirk Barnum & his trail to the 2008 Iditarod.

http://www.christopherwilliamsphotography.com/Multimedia.html

SnowBowl

I'm a skier and have been wanting to ski the western powder I have been hearing so much about since the first snowfall in October. However, because of classes and a heavy work and social schedule I haven't had the opportunity yet to experience it. That was until today.
After packing up my car (the semester's over!!!), turning in my room key, I headed up to the rattlesnake to meet up w/ Christopher. We trekked the 12 miles up some crazy roads I can't believe anyone w/out a 4-wheel drive would take (Montana doesn't really believe in guardrails I've come to find). The slopes here are daunting. The elevation at the base is 5,000 ft. The elevation once you get off the 2nd lift is 7,600 ft. I was literally skiing in the clouds. The air was to thick up there I kept taking off my goggles because I thought they were fogging up on me. Nope! The trails were horribly marked and on our first run down we ended up on the "baby moguls" black diamond trail. Some of the greens here (for those of you that aren't skiers, green circles are the easiest, blue squares are the middle, and black diamonds are as bad as they come) would make some of the diamonds back home cry. Most of them however I would of rated at least a blue in the east. Powder was a whole different experience & actually didn't hurt to fall in.
I wish I could of had a camera w/ me though to show everyone the INCREDIBLY view of the valley from that high up (but mind you I could only see them once I dropped below the clouds, I can't imagine what it would of looked like from the top on a clear day!)!

Pow Wow

Tonight I went to an American Indian pow wow. There were over 15 nations represented by the dances, poetry, & music (drum and flute). Below is a video that will only appear black. That is because I left the lens cap on (yes, on purpose!) So push play. close your eyes, and just listen to the drums, which are thought to be the heartbeat of Mother Earth coming to the dancers.

The dress of the dancer is very symbolic and means different things to dancers of different cultures. The dress usually takes years to make. It usually stands for family, tribe, or something that came to the dancer in a dream. The dresses are never referred to as costumes. The one pictured below is made of eagle feathers, which were reserved only for warriors.

Happy Birthday

This past weekend, while Kirk was at a mandatory rookie musher's meeting in Anchorage, I held down the fort up at Seeley Lake. One of the dogs, Feather, an Alaskan Husky (different from a Siberian Husky) was pregnant and due any day. At about 6 in the am on Saturday morning it was time for the puppies to come into the world. Six little balls of fur emerged, 4 boys, 2 girls. The pic above is w/ one of the little guys just hours after birth. Mother and the puppies are doing fine.