I made it! Again! But no cute pic of me with a certificate this time....

After a long and harrowing week of being tossed around by my employer I'm right back where I started. On the Kilkenny, out of Homer, starting fishing on the 6th. Whew!
The test went well, so now I just have to prove my skills as a Shellfish Observer to Alaska Department of Fish & Game so that I can get fully certified. They require a couple trips before granting full certification (which also comes with a nifty patch) which means that technically I'm still a trainee. I'm hoping I'll get enough experience over the summer to earn this so that I don't have to do the training course again.
I'm trying to decide how best to spend my remaining time in Anchorage over the coming week. It's cooled down, but still beautiful hiking weather. The problem is just getting around...rental cars in tourist season are hard to come by and really pricey. July 4th is supposed to be really fun in Homer, so hopefully I can find accomodations down there for a few days before my trip.
Life is good, I'm having a great time networking with other observers and friends I've made in Anchorage.
This job is so cool. Here's what "training" consists of:

Hiking in Girdwood, AK

Saturday, a few fellow observers and I headed out for the town of Girdwood, which is about 30 miles south of Anchorage to do some hiking. Girdwood is known for being an interesting mix between ski snobbery and funky old hippies...this is where the world-class ski resort Alyeska is located. Look, there's actually pictures of me! As you can see, it's gorgeous. I didn't take pictures of all the greenery, but it was like being in Jurassic park. In fact, we gathered the tender shoots of ferns (called "fiddleheads") with grandiose plans to fry them up for dinner. Instead, we opted for pizza and beer at the local pub : )

Fellow hikers and observers Laura, Andy, and Natura

Me and Laura get in the hand-tram

Away we go!

Back we come!

Today was the first day of training and while the material was interesting as usual, I'm a bit nervous about what I've gotten myself into this time. I saw actual pictures of the boat I'll be on. IT'S MINIATURE. The bunks are around the table! There's only one room that quadruples as a stateroom, galley, kitchen, and washroom (no toilet, just sink)! No faucets, just HAND PUMPS. Aaah! I've emailed another observer to ask her more about her experience on the Kilkenny because she really had positive things to say. I hope I can have as good of an attitude as last time.

I also went and saw a very moving documentary this evening called "At the Death House Door". http://www.ifc.com/atthedeathhousedoor. I found out about it at the Quaker meeting on Sunday-it was hosted by the group Alaskans Against the Death Penalty. I'd recommend it to anyone but it's definately not a "feel-gooder".

Back in the land of the midnight sun

After a short 6 week respite in sunny Southern California, I'm back up in Anchorage to train for another stint as an observer. Leaving home was harder this time, but now that I'm here I'm getting pretty excited. There's a great group of prior observers in the apartment and I'm having a lot of fun catching up on everyone's war stories. It's also cool to see the Anchorage that was hiding under the thick layer of snow and ice that I remember from February. The weather is beautiful, and I went on a hike at 10 pm yesterday which was fabulous! So far my sleeping hasn't been affected by the light, but it's certainly harder to make myself go to bed with so much fun stuff to do and broad daylight to enjoy it in.

Most of you know that this time I'll be working in the scallop fishery, which is managed by Alaska Department of Fish and Game. I start training on Monday here in Anchorage, and will probably leave for Homer, AK around the 30th so I can catch the start of the season on July 1st. That's if I pass my certification class of course : ). I'll be working on a smallish wooden boat called the Kilkenny, and it sounds like I'll have at least one day a week on land. From what I hear scallop observing is a lot harder than groundfish for a few different reasons. The scallops are collected by dredging the bottom, and a lot of teeny tiny invertebrates come up with the catch. It's my job to sort and ID these little guys, which can be pretty time consuming. But I'm very excited since all of my prior research and schooling has been with marine invertebrates. I personally think they are much cuter than fish or whales, both of which get way too much credit.
The other reason it's supposed to be harder is the physical aspect of the job. The sampling protocol is a bit more vigorous, and baskets are heavier. I'm looking forward to being superbuff by the time my contract is up.

I plan on doing A LOT more hiking, so I'll make sure to take pictures of the amazing views. No other big plans as of yet...I'm thinking of heading up to Fairbanks next weekend to float the Chena river. Yah it gets hot enough to get in the water!

The Endeavor is en route to Dutch Harbor to start fishing for Greenland Turbot. I talked to my buddy Marq on Wednesday and man am I gonna miss those guys. I know I'll keep meeting wonderful people wherever I go, but I still have such a hard time saying goodbye and moving on. And thinking that a new observer will come along and steal their hearts and they'll forget all about me...OHHH snap, the truth comes out!

And VERY exciting news from Kenya today. The children competed in a music festival and won in 2 categories, "sacred" and "folk". This is an amazing achievement. They have now qualified to move on to the next level of competition to be held in Kericho. If this speaks to anyone's heart, Carol and IHF is trying to raise money to get them new costumes and also get a recording of them up on the web. I'll keep you posted, it's so worth it, these kids can sing! I'm getting goosebumps remembering their voices.

Love to all,
Angela

Sleepy in Seattle

I'm writing at the Saltwater bunkhouse in Seattle. I've got the apartment to myself which is nice...all the other observers in town are out painting the town red so to speak. We're in the University District of town, which is nice because there's a lot of cool stuff within walking or bus distance. I still haven't branched out to the outlying areas like I wanted to, but I did see Pike Place market and a bit of downtown. Otherwise, I've sorta stuck to the neighborhood on my runs and adventures.
The parks and greenery here are beautiful. Everything is in bloom, and there are tulips and gorgeous flowers everywhere. I spent some time at a place called the Arboretum a few days ago and had a lovely walk through 200 acres of trees, shrubs, and flowers. Last night and today I attended a seminar on creativity put on by the Guild for Jungian Psychology at the Quaker meeting house, which was very cool. I'm planning on returning to Meeting tomorrow there as well (I went to last week's service too).
I started my debriefing yesterday and it went MUCH better than my little head predicted. I have an understanding debriefer who's familiar with my particular boat and it's challenges. She's also working extra hard to get me out of here quickly which is really cool. Maybe government employees don't QUITE deserve their rep...hopefully I'll finish up by Tuesday so I can get home and meet up with my mom for our Unitarian Universalist Women's retreat this weekend in the Angeles National Forest.
My plans for another contract are to return to Anchorage in June to train for the scallop fishery. There's a spot on a really cool boat that fishes out of Homer, AK, and it sounds like a neat experience. Scallops are managed at a state level, so I would be dealing with Alaska Department of Fish and Game instead of the National Marine Fisheries Service. This in and of itself is appealing!

Beaurocratic woes and link to pics

4/11/08 Right now we’re en route to new fishing grounds Southeast of an area called Yakatat. Fishing has been really good in the Gulf, and we’re just a couple days away from starting our steam back to Seattle. I’m really happy I get to go with the boat and crew down to the shipyard. We might take the Inside Passage which is supposed to be really scenic and interesting. A stop on Kodiak island came and went; I think we were only there for 4 hours or so. Barely enough time for me to go by the bunkhouse, say hi to some old friends from my training class, and then go to the National Marine Fisheries Service field station for a mid-cruise debriefing. I was sorta bummed I didn’t get anymore time to explore or go on a run, but if I decide to come back there’s a pretty high probablility I’ll spend some time there if I do another contract. We picked up a new captain in Kodiak. We also changed out some crew in Dutch Harbor, so the vibe on this trip is a little different. Still great, but I guess some of the novelty is gone. Today the weather is kinda rough so that’s affecting my mood too…I just want to get some aerobic exercise so bad! I ran around the bow of the boat a week ago and up steps and tried to jumprope but it really wasn’t that great.

4/12/2008 Today we pulled up our sister ship’s gear accidentally. They attached a pair of nunchucks theto the line. It was frickin hilarious...I thought they actually got dragged up from the bottom but apparently this is a common prank on longliners. It illicited stories of past items planted by the crew who set the gear so that the rollerman finds nice surprises when he's hauling it. Ha ha.

4/14/08 Steaming back to Seattle. I can’t believe that I did my last haul. I’m ready for land but already nostalgic for boat life already. Whatta journey.

4/19/08 Damn I knew this job was too good to be true. Things finally got unpleasant yesterday when I reported to the National Marine Fisheries Services for the first time. G-men! Hallways! Miscellaneous forms to file! Our government is crazy complicated and now I'm a pawn in the whole thing. Apparently things are backed up 2 WEEKS...I am debating how insubordinant I want to be since I already have a plane ticket home for next Saturday AND I JUST FOUND OUT I'M NOT GETTING PAID TO WAIT AROUND. Inconcievable!
My little head could barely handle the culture shock...imagine, early in the morning I'm on my boat, steaming into Puget Sound ahead of a lone killer whale. Me and Captain Jim are shooting the shit in the wheelhouse as the sun comes over the Seattle skyline. There are only 10 other people in my little self-contained universe. A few hours later, I'm desperately trying to navigate the maze of the NOAA complex, running from cubicle to cubicle in a massive government compound. When I finally find someone, I got all flummoxed and discombobulated trying to explain things about my data, like I had to learn to communicate in governmentese or something. It was uber-frustrating.
Today was a little better...I did some much-needed self care (a run, a meeting and a massage) so I feel slightly more positive. I'm still not really feeling Seattle though. Yeah, it's true, the weather is really sucky.
Pictures are up, follow this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/passionflower24/ClipperEndeavor

Land again!

March 18th, 2008 10:30 pm
Somewhere in the Bering Sea…

I’m writing this at the galley table on my vessel, the Clipper Endeavor.


I am having a fabulous time.

I never want to leave this boat.

Just kidding, it’s not ALL peaches and rose petals, but I really feel grateful and lucked out with an awesome crew and captain. I heard a bunch of horror stories when I got my assignment about prior observers’ experiences on this boat so I was really expecting the worst. But I came in with a positive attitude and tried to be as respectful as possible and gosh darnit it pays off to play Pollyanna sometimes!

The work was really hard and overwhelming at first. This paragraph from the Occupational Health Assessment that I had to have signed by a physician sums up the overall experience quite well:

“Observers gather biological data onboard commercial fishing vessels which operate in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. Routine medical care is non-existent; emergency medical care is only available in extreme situations and may be days away. Observers spend many hours at a time in cold or wet weather in heavy seas. Meals are unscheduled. Good vision and hearing are a must for the safety of an observer. They may work long, odd hours seven days a week, and rarely sleep uninterrupted for 8 hours. Sampling requires lifting heavy baskets of fish (80 to 100 pounds) several times a day, usually from awkward positions. Motion sickness can be a real problem as it can cause dehydration and require medications. Life onboard a fishing vessel involves exposure to constant shipboard noise (engines, machinery, and gears) and vibrations and can be quite lonely and stressful.”

Check, check, check and definitely check on the “awkward positions” caveat. Thankfully I slapped on the seasickness patch about an hour before we left Dutch Harbor on the 5th. I’m really glad we did because it was a rough 3 day steam out to the fishing grounds, and I spent most of it in bed anyways. I dry-heaved once but other than that, did remarkably well and now I’m super comfortable and used to my sea legs.

Fishing has been slow, but this fishery is notorious for that so it’s nothing out of the ordinary. It’s sort of cool for me to see all the bycatch; we’re fishing quite deep (on average ½ mile down) so there’s some pretty weird fish coming up. I also got my first glimpse of killer whales about a week ago, which is bittersweet because they totally decimate our catch. Fishermen hate them. For the most part, my day consists of getting up, putting on dayglo rain gear that smell like fish guts, and tallying the animals on the line for set periods. Then I collect certain subsets of particular species and weigh them. Sometimes I get to measure them and cut their heads open too, which is freaky because sablefish keep moving after you chop their heads off. Then I’m in there rooting around in their brain cavity for these little bones called otoliths and I’m touching nerves and their eyes are jerking around and their fins are moving. Eek. I’m pretty desensitized to the death and destruction by now, and am happy to report that I’m completely over my dead fish phobia. Although I don’t think I’d be happy to find a saran-wrapped giant grenadier in my sleeping bag (which our cook Mark claims would be the TRUE test to see if I’m really over it).

It’s not unbearably cold or miserable, but I do get frozen when I have to sit and count and not move around. I guess I missed the icing over of the boat by a few weeks; the temperature is really quite bearable especially when I’m moving around and hucking big fish overboard. Be careful what you ask for from the universe- my only request for a boat was for some sort of exercise machine…I think I mentioned a Stairmaster specifically. Well, I got the only boat out there that you have to climb up stairs to dump stuff over the side. And so I do that 85 gazillion times a day. : )

03/24/08

I feel like such a weenie making this sound hard…what I do is a piece of cake compared to the crew…oh man I have never seen men work so hard. It’s simply amazing. And they tell me this is nothing; that during the Pacific Cod season it’s 5 times as many fish and they’re moving 3 times faster on ½ as much sleep. I really can’t believe the human body is capable of the stuff that these guys do physically. Well, and mentally too. They’re all such great guys, so sweet and helpful and cheerful. Sure, the fact that I’m the only living, breathing female in sight for hundreds of miles helps but they’re truly good people and I feel extremely blessed and well taken care of.

Yesterday was Easter. It was a really good day fishing, the best yet by far. However there was a report of 4 deaths on a ship that had gone down the night before. I still don’t know the details but the Alaska Ranger was a trawler processor for the Fishing Company of Alaska, and everyone made it off except the Captain, the Engineer, the 1st Mate, and a crewmember. It was a pretty sobering to think about and really shook me up for a bit.

Today was gorgeous and I had several “whoa” moments on deck. The sun was setting and pouring through the clouds like on a Jesus poster and there was an island in the background and the sea was perfectly calm and the seabirds were squawking and it was just really peaceful and beautiful. We finished up fishing in the Aleutian Islands so now we’re onto the Gulf of Alaska. I’m really happy that I get to stay on this boat for another trip.

3/29/08 I’m at a stopover in Dutch Harbor for the night before we go on the Gulf of Alaska trip tomorrow, so I can post…life is good, will report more in a month : )

Alaska from the air

We got the most awesome opportunity to go up in a single engine Cessna last Sunday. A girl I live with knows a pilot who works for an arial photography company, and he was cool enough to take 3 of us girls up in his plane. We flew to Talkeetna for pizza, and then came back:

Chugach Mountains outside of Anchorage

Katie and Danielle

Our pilot Nick

View from Danielle's window

Denali (Mt. McKinley)

Welcome to beautiful Talkeetna, AK!

The main drag in Talkeetna

My bird's eye view of the cockpit

Downtown anchorage from above

Anchorage & the bay

Nick did a couple of nosedives so we could feel 0 g's...all the crap and crud floated out of the crevices in the plane and floated around. It was pretty wild. He also gave us a chance to fly the plane. It was amazing.

I got my assignment today. Next Wednesday I'll head out to Dutch Harbor, AK to board the Clipper Endeavor. It's 124 feet and has about 10 crew members. We'll be longlining for sablefish (also known as black cod) out in the far west Bering Sea. It will be a pretty long cruise; up to 50 days but every 2 weeks we'll head back into port to offload.

Hey I'm on Facebook now, which is much easier to use as far as posting pictures, so if anyone else is look me up!

Peace out,
A