Week Thirteen has somehow been both incredibly busy, and super relaxing at the same time. This has definitely been the peak of our season, yet – it is the first time I’ve felt like I was caught up with everything and able to focus my energy on the now. A friend of mine had got in Sunday, so the week was a nice balance of hard work and good company whom I hadn’t seen in too long!

Monday was a pretty exciting day at work – we had such a big kayaking tour that I was brought on to drive an extra vehicle to and from the Chilkoot Lake. We made a stop at the hammer museum, where we got a quick and nifty tour of the quirky museum – I actually learned a lot and heard some pretty good jokes! During the drive from Chilkoot Lake, we saw a big brown bear on the side of the road munching on some plants before growing shy and hightailing it back into the safety of the woods. I hadn’t seen one in so long, it was nice to see them out and about again! Later after work, my friend and I drove over to the Chilkat side of the peninsula where I showed him my old cabin in Mud Bay. We also stopped at the meditation room down the road which overlooks the ocean, and had a really deep and incredible meditation.

Tuesday I had the day off, and my friend and I spent it hiking up Mt. Ripinsky. I’ve always wanted to do the hike since I first got here, and so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to do so! First let me say I’ve never summitted a mountain in my life – and the experience of reaching over 2,500 feet to the summit and looking at such beauty below me was breath taking and irreplaceable. I was so ecstatic I made it that I was moved to do a quick yoga practice on top of the mountain. Somehow, I managed to hike (mostly running!) up Ripinsky, and do yoga at the summit just fine, but on the way back down managed to twist my ankle up a bit. It has slowed me down the rest of the week – which is not necessarily always a bad thing!

Thursday was the last day my friend was visiting, so we had breakfast at Bear-rritos, (finally, I’ve always wanted to try it!) and I dropped him off at the airport before heading in to work. The rest of the week was pretty busy at work, with a couple cruise ships late in the week. The fair also started this weekend, so the town itself was pretty busy! I’ve personally taken the weekend to unwind, relax, and re-gather myself and my thoughts, and gave myself time to nurture my ankle.

 

Here’s our view from the summit of Ripinsky!

© Brooke Foorman 2013

© Brooke Foorman 2013