ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: Alaska Style

VIDEO: Hey Everyone!  We’re in sunny beautiful Juneau, Alaska, in front of the Mendenhall Glacier. And what better day, what better place to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with ice water from the Mendenhall Lake. But first I’m going to call out Carmen, Gretchen, and Sharon to join me in this challenge for ALS.

Okay, 3-2-1… GO!

P.S. A big thanks to Eyewitness News meteorologist/East Coaster Drew Anderson and Ricky Lam for loaning us their bucket. So glad to see other folks out there near the face of the glacier, braving the ice cold water!

P.P.S. And another big thank you to Debbie for loaning us the standup paddleboards - without which Sharon and I wouldn't have had our big and icy adventure!

Charlie’s Angels Go Paddleboarding

Living in Juneau brings lots of daily adventure, especially if you live in close proximity to Sandy Beach.  The area is not only picturesque, but loaded with history.

Rain or shine, there is always something to do at Douglas Island’s Sandy Beach.  It's a great location for dog walking, family barbeques, and even serves as an easy jumping off point for paddleboarding.

Earlier this summer, I joined my friends, Debbie and Heather, on a little excursion to paddleboard along the Sandy Beach shoreline and around the old and historic Pump House.  It was sunny and warm (by Alaska standards), but we still wore wetsuits and little booties – and had an absolute blast!

I highly recommend the paddleboarding experience to visitors and locals alike.  Want to check it out for yourself?  Blue Nose Surf specializes in outfitting folks for paddleboarding and surfing in southeast Alaska.  Better yet, they’re located on Douglas Island – so you’ll be just a hop, skip, and jump from Sandy Beach.

Heather, Debbie, and I enjoying the deck on a sunny Juneau evening.

Getting outfitted in our wetsuits.  Mount Roberts and the Gastineau Channel in the background.

Click thumbnails below to expand photos.

Solo paddling in the sun.

Fabulous Heather.


Becoming an Outdoors-Woman

It all began with learning how to hang a bear bag high up in the trees.   Then came a yummy, yet valuable, lesson on mixing butter into a cup of hot chocolate to add crucial calories for survival. 

Next thing I know, I’m camping in the wilds of Alaska.  For the first time in my life.  In bear country.

Last weekend, I became a woman of the wilderness when I participated in a three day program called Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW).  At an "off the grid" location 40 miles north of Juneau, I developed new skills and tested my limits.  Sans my iPhone's compass, I was surrounded by fresh air, campfires, and supportive new friends. 

The weekend was an incredible experience that left me bright-eyed, refreshed, and ready to learn more.  Thanks to this program and my new friends, my apprehensions are in check, and my self-esteem has blossomed.  Thank you, BOW!

The Wildest Visitor

What is considered "once-in-a-lifetime" for most has become a common sight for many in Juneau, Alaska.  A pod of killer whales (orcas) visited the Gastineau Channel in Juneau last Friday afternoon (March 21, 2014).  They traveled north past the Juneau-Douglas Bridge, and about 45 minutes later, returned south since the waterway three miles north is too shallow.  What a wild way to spend the lunch break!

An orca surfaces underneath the Juneau-Douglas Bridge.  Notice the onlookers standing on the shores of Douglas Island.