Boy Scout Trails In The Sunshine

When we realized late this morning that the weather was clearing out, that it might actually be sunny today, and that the temperatures looked to be warmer than yesterday, we debated briefly about how we would spend our day.

First order of business was digging out some belongings that were still packed in boxes and sitting down underneath the house.  LC needed a rain jacket and jeans.  I needed jeans and to see if some of my stoneware crocks had made the trip from Tennessee to Alaska in one piece. 

We thankfully found all clothes that we needed.  And the crocks made it - at least the few that we opened this morning.  Very good deal, but it will take some doing to figure out where the heck to put these things in this small cabin-in-the-woods.

After some digging through.........stuff, we decided to head out to the Boy Scout trails rather than go back downtown to the Goldrush Days event.

The logging competitions were scheduled for today, which we were both interested in.  But in the end walking rather than sitting, being Out the Road vs being downtown, being by the water and at the beach all won out over town and crowds of people.  Truthfully there was really no competition.....

These pictures can describe why, better than I could ever try to describe in words

My Mountain Boy has only ever seen the Boy Scout beach from across the inlet at Eagle Beach.  So today we took our dog Jamie with us for a walk along the trail and out to this very very beautiful place.

Since she adopted me and my boys, Jamie has always lived at homes that had fenced yards, and car sickness prevented us from taking her on many trips. 

So LC and I walk her on a leash, and over the past few weeks (with doggie treats as bribes if she returns to us on command when we call her name) we are trying to train this adult dog. 

We are hoping that eventually we will be able to allow her off the leash so she can run and play - but return on command.  I truthfully do not know how that will work. 

When she is intensely focused on something, and when she wants to run and chase, she is in an unhearing and disobedient place.  But we will take our time, not rush this "competant voice command" issue, and hope that we can bring her to a place where she will learn to return to us when we expect her to.

But in the meantime she walks well on a leash, and is having a very wonderful time exploring all the sights and sounds of her new home.......

The first time I explored the Boy Scout Trails was a couple of days after I arrived in Juneau, when I went out there with my short-term room-mate. 

 It was early January, cloudy, windy, freezing cold, with ice on the trails and ominous looking mountains on all sides of me.

After only being in Alaska for a few days, still not being sure that this was the right move for me, already missing my Mountain Boy and my son and my house and my dog, I thought that it was a beautiful place.  I was curious, eager, but I was also overwhelmed. 

Overwhelmed by everything that was happening in my life.

We saw either otters or seals on that cold day - their little round black heads popping up out of the icy waters and then quickly disappearing again, only to reappear a few minutes later.

I had not been to the ocean since the late 1980's. 

I had never seen either seals or otters that were not in a zoo.....

Almost six months later I was at the same beach with my guy and my dog.  It was sunny and warm.  As before, there was an entire family (maybe 9 or 10) seals or otters swimming in the water. 

Instead of grey and angry water though, the channel was blue, calm and beautiful.  Instead of ominous mountains there were gorgeous snow capped mountains shining against the blue sky.

And the wild flowers.........so so so so many wildflowers.........and so so beautiful.  Everywhere I looked.  I truly love this place.

And so does my Mountain Boy. 

So far so good.......

Somebody said to me one day a few weeks ago that you could "drop your camera in Juneau and still take a good picture". 

When it comes to the Boy Scout Trails he was right - just point your camera in any direction.  You cannot take a bad picture at this place.

My local ignorance will show when it comes to describing this picture - I honestly do not know if this is Eagle or Herbert Glacier.  Both the Eagle and Herbert Rivers are close to this area so I can't even guess which one it is (although I could look it up if I really wanted to know, and I will look it up one day when it comes time for me to walk the trails leading up to both of these glaciers).

Regardless, this glacier is visible from the trails we were walking, and was just one more beautiful scene in an overwhelmingly large number of beautiful scenes that were within our grasp this afternoon.

As LC has said a number of times since he arrived in town "....and we LIVE here!!"

Welcome back Chilcat Mountain Range.  I saw you only partially and only briefly among the clouds, rain and fog this past week.  But truly I have missed you...........

Today was Jamie's first time ever being in the ocean. 

This land-locked Tennessee pooch was very scared at first and did not want to go into the water.  I had to drag Jamie to get her in, but eventually she relaxed somewhat and seemed to enjoy it.

It was very funny to watch her though - she stood right beside me and would not leave my side the entire time.  And she was scared of the small waves coming into shore. 

She stared at the waves, and whenever she saw one go into shore she would back up and away from it, moving deeper and deeper into the water.  

Jamie honestly had no idea what to make of the entire experience and was happy when we finally got out of the water.

A young mother, her beautiful daughter, and her friend, all enjoying a sunny and warm Sunday at the beach....

There are really no words to adequately describe this kind of beautiful.  The entire beach and trail area is breathtaking.  It is only a few miles from our house.  And we LIVE here!

Some of the pictures I posted in this blog post were taken by my Mountain Boy.  He is the true nature lover in this family.

He is the one who, a few years ago slowed me down enough to allow me to see and feel nature.  He sees the beauty in everything outdoors.  

The ying to my yang.  The soft to my hard.  The hard to my soft.   Somehow we balance.  Somehow it works.  Somehow......

Me taking a picture of him taking a picture.

And James having a great time wandering in and out of the grasses and flowers that are taller than she is.....This dumb mutt made me smile because she was having such a great and joyful adventure today.

LC snapped probably 10 pictures trying to capture two eagles that were happily circling together on the winds.  I told him "welcome to my world" because I have found it very difficult to get a decent picture of eagles in flight, and I have tried many many times. 

This was the best one of the group.  There were many eagles out today - most flying on the breeze, and a few resting in the sun on stumps by the water.

With all the blue sky and warmth that we enjoyed today, the mountain range behind us was still grey and ominous.  The sky changed rapidly as the rain clouds kept getting pushed downwards by the jagged mountains.

The mountains are beautiful.  So is the channel.  But there is one place just off the trail that is a meadow full of nothing but tall grass and abundant wild flowers. 

When you climb over the little rise and see this meadow (with the mountains in the background) it is unbelievably beautiful.  So wonderful to have this place that is so accessible to us.

LC taking a picture of me taking a picture.

The Goldrush Days is an annual event in Juneau, and I guess that we could have gone to see it.  But then we would have missed out on a day that we could never get back.

The Boy Scout Trails would have still been there for us to see one night after work, or maybe next weekend.

But the sky, the clouds, the flowers, the seals or otters, the playful dogs and small children and young parents and circling eagles.......it would never have been exactly the same as it was today.

I loved today............

Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes - every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man........

Orison Swett Marden