It has been two weeks since we left our cabin in Willow, and one week since we have been off the road and back in our cabin in Colorado. Our Northern winter sometimes seems like only a dream, and we have to keep reminding ourselves that we actually did it – we made our dream a reality! I think it will be interesting to chronicle how (or if) our lives have morphed after that experience and the adventures we had. And by NO means will our adventures stop at this point – now we can dream BIGGER! So, for our blog followers (which it turns out is a slightly larger audience than our moms), we will continue to update you on our progress and activities.
The first hurdle is re-entry into the lives we put on hold here in Colorado. Just the physical aspects of returning have been more of a challenge than we thought. It is considerably warmer and drier (even dry by Colorado standards) than where we were 2 weeks ago. The dogs now run on dirt and dried grasses, no snow is left in our dog yard for them to roll in. They have resumed their hole-digging activities and are working hard to shed out their extremely wooly undercoats. Additionally, we have gained nearly 6800 feet in elevation from our Willow cabin. And yes, after a winter at 200 feet, 7000 feet is quite noticeable!
Life in Colorado seems very busy, noisy, and rushed. I don’t know how we did it before! Almost immediately upon our arrival, our time was in demand from many different directions and we are having a bit of difficulty dealing with that. For so long it was just us and the dogs doing our thing. Dave and I were together 24/7 for 114 days, and now it seems we only have a few precious hours together each day. Dave returned to his office on Monday, and I will return to mine next week. It will be very hard to not be here with the dogs and each other.
The dogs are so happy to be done with that long drive and to have space to run around and play. Goose and Hen, the two new dogs, have been busy exploring their new yard, finding old bones to chew on or bury for later, and to test out all the dog houses to see which they like the best. There has been a bit of singing (apologies to our poor neighbors), particularly on days when it is cool and crisp. They are very tuned in to us and will follow me around the yard like ducklings as I scoop poop or fill in holes. They watch us intently any time we are out with them. It is a very interesting and rewarding bond with them – the sort of thing you don’t really get unless you have worked with a dog for a long time. They read our minds. They know our moods. They are furry pieces of our selves.
It has been great catching with neighbors and friends. I am surprised at how many people have actually been following our blog. Some we don’t even know! We really feel honored that folks have taken the time to follow along with us, and that so many have seemed to enjoy it. It has been fun to write – and we hope to keep it up!!!
Believe it or not, neither of us has had our fill of sledding this season. Fortunately, there is still good snow in the high country, so we have loaded up the dogs and headed out to enjoy it a couple of times already this week that we have been home. With a 2-hour drive each way to good snow (in the dreaded I70 ski traffic), we are keenly aware how lucky we were this winter to be able to sled right from our back yard any time we wanted to go! But it is fun to show our Colorado trails to Goose and Hen, and to let the dogs stretch out their legs and roll in the snow as we wind down the sledding season.
Some of the things we have taken away from our winter adventures are hard to articulate. Others are quite concrete. We love adventure. We like being around each other and with the dogs. We enjoy having a more simplistic life – I still feel we have WAY too much stuff, even after the Big Purge last fall. We appreciate the sky, the sun, the trees, the sounds, and the smells around us. Colorado air is lighter and sweeter-smelling than Alaska; possibly because the scents don’t blossom in the cold temperatures like they do here. There seem to be way more little birds making excited spring noises here that probably haven’t yet migrated north for the summer. And I simply can NOT get enough fresh veggies! YUM!
I hope the lessons from Alaska stay with us as we re-enter our lives and that we manage to keep out of the old habits and ruts we had established before our trip. I hope that we can find a way to return North next fall. Possibly for longer. I hope that the peace and contentment I have in my heart at this moment stays with me. I hope that I can ween myself back down to a “reasonable” level of coffee consumption….
~TCW
