Poem: Winter Animals and Food in Bush Alaska

 

With freezeup upon us we watch winter brew.

The leaves are all falling, the temperature too.

Leaves from stout birches and thin saskatoons

Are yellow by day and the light of the moon.

We harvest our veggies – some lots and some few

So the gardens can rest here on in until June.

 

A hundred potatoes will feed us for weeks

In recipes varied from Chinese to Greek,

Gratins and pancakes and mashes galore

Baking and frying and salads and more

These spuds are so versatile, tasty, and filling

For several dinners they warrant first billing.

 

The firewood cut every day for an hour

Will warm us and bathe us in weather most dour

Snow storms and dark days and temperatures chill

‘Til solstice arrives to ramp up springy power

When much welcomed sunlight appears on the hill.

 

Cranes have gone south and the geese leave as well

Careening, cavorting and turning, pell-mell.

They honk and cajole their companions to hurry

In flocks large and small before the first flurry

Of snow on the meadows and ice on the lakes

Incrementally formed, bit by bit, flake by flake.

 

When the afternoon light casts its shadows on snow,

We trace tracks of hares to see where they will go.

Under spruce trees and birch roots these critters have lined

Many nests soft and warm where they’re safe, if confined

Until hunger compels them to go fast, never slow

Seeking berries and grasses while arctic winds blow.

 

The wolverine tracks are especially distressing.

Their viciousness known, when their hunger is pressing.

We follow the tracks, going forth and regressing.

We intimate weight by the print depth impressing.

Will they linger long term?  We don’t know – only guessing.

 

We lock up the chickens and let out the dog.

Bud trots along lake shore, woods, meadow and bog.

He sniffs along game trails and leaves his own scent

Where the bent grass suggests that the wolverine went.

 

In a fight we know well that our Buddy would lose.

A wolverine kills as it bites, gnaws, and chews.

Our dog marks the land with his scent and his pee

Will the creature consider the option to flee?

For a dinner that’ elsewhere, like hare vindaloo?

 

The moose tracks are heavy and deep where they lead

From thickets to bushes to branches that feed

These ungainly creatures that weigh half a ton.

I cannot imagine the time that they need

To eat enough forage until they are done.

 

For eight months of winter they struggle to find

High calorie munchies on which they can dine.

The effort’s enormous; the stresses are great.

By springtime the bulls lose a third of their weight.

 

Meanwhile the cows suffer winters far worse.

They are pregnant all season which seems so perverse

To lumber about seeking food is enough.

To do so with calves is especially tough.

The good news is that there‘s no worry of bears

That hibernate, snoring, no doubt, in their lairs.

In spring, end of May, cows deliver a pair

Of long legged calves in our woods where they dare

To hunker down safely to sleep and to nurse

‘Til all three are ready.  And then they disperse.

Poem: Float Plane Commute from Bush Alaska

 

On a lake by Big Su,

Lives a gentleman who

Moved from a high-rise in Texas.

Now this is a choice that many would rue,

Indeed, they’d consider it reckless.

 

But he loves the setting – the greens and the blues –

The weather that always directs us

For flying or staying

or working or playing

or planting or haying

And other things, too.

 

In summer, he flies

In his Piper through skies

That are bounded by mountains so vast

That they dwarf meager hills

Where he first learned the skills

Of a pilot, in Texas, long past.

 

To pre-flight his plane

On a day without rain,

He walks to the dock ‘cross the grass.

He pumps out the floats

 and then loads up the totes

After checking his oil and gas.

 

When packed up and ready,

The wind holding steady

The dog and I come to say bye.

I loosen the tow ropes and hold the plane fast

While Bryan assesses the sky.

 

With a shout of “all clear”

His voice full of cheer,

He is happy to lift off and fly.

After checking conditions,

He presses ignition

To taxi toward Willow on-high.

 

At first, he goes slow so the oil will heat

He toggles the pedals and shifts in his seat.

He watches the oil temp rise as it should,

Considering options of wind shear that could

Derail well laid plans while he lays out Plan B.

 

He reaches the end of the lake; turns to lea.

Then raises his rudders and looks to the trees.

He assesses humidity, temperature, thrust.

He determines that take off is ready and just.

 

His feet to the pedals, his hands on the yoke

He pulls on the throttle with light little strokes.

He taxis so smoothly that when he lifts off

A viewer can’t tell when he first gets aloft.

 

He reaches to pull up the lever for flaps

Adjusting the yoke to avoid his kneecaps

He rises up steeply,

Which pulls on his straps

As he turns to the east, toward the goal on his maps.       

 

He scans the horizon for all other fliers

While watching the landscape for wind, fog, and fires

Admiring mountains and rivers and woods.

Instruments fine, avionics look good.

 

At Trail Ridge and Yentna and Deshka, he calls

His location to pilots in planes big and small.

He vectors towards Willow - the lake, not the town.

It is 22 minutes until he’ll touch down.

 

He lands on the lake, takes a turn to the right.

He taxis toward Stanger’s, soon greeted by Phil

And all of his wonderful family, but still…

Where is sweet Kyra – ah, there by the grill

Awaiting a morsel, a tidbit, a spill.

 

“Join us for dinner!” They call in delight.
We have plenty of food here, would you like a bite?”

“I’d love to come join you,”

He says, to the cue.

“If you have the meat there, then I’ll bring the brew.”

 Bryan walks toward them with beer, not in cans,

But a growler of lager made by his two hands.

 

Joey finds glasses while Chrissy brings slaw.

Phil flips the meat, less a piece for a paw.

Libations pour quickly around the small table,

In friendship so warm, and enduring, and stable.

 

The laughter is lively; the stories are varied.

Through soft, evening hours the picnickers tarry.

In summer, no sunset impedes any flow,

The revelers linger, the sun still aglow

Honeybees sparkle and ducks grace the lake

While they finish their lager, and coleslaw, and steak.

 

“My, my, what a meal” observes Bryan, with smiles.

“I haven’t enjoyed such a feast in a while.”

“Don’t tell that to Laura; she’d chide me for sure.

She’d make me start cooking , I know; I adjure.

Her cooking is great; her cookies are bliss.

No critic am I – I just want to say this:

 

You’ve created a haven, and I’d be remiss

To neglect to say thank you for dinner and your,

Kindness and friendship.  I’ll soon reminisce.

 

In a week, I’ll return to Trail Lake for the winter.

I’ve finished wood splitting – no gash, cut, or splinter.

The logs are all stacked.

The lager is racked.

What supplies we may lack

We’ll discover and tinker.

 

I don’t mind seclusion ‘til May, I admit.

With, Laura, companionship’s still a good fit.

The quiet, the beauty, the solitude – nice.

We are surrounded by forest, and meadow, and ice.

We’re both well prepared with our cold weather kit.

 

We read and we play, and we cut down dead trees.

We turn from the wind in below zero breeze.

We bathe in our wood fired hot tub outdoors

Until the temp drops down to those we abhor.

 

But I’ll think of our joking and chatting today.

I’ll think of your jests and the things that you say.

I’ll reflect on your talents and all our horseplay.

I value your friendship and wish you all well

As we separate through the long winter ahead. 

I hope you do well both at home and away.

 

They hug and shake hands and depart to their beds.

In houses or campers or hangers, all said.

B walks to his camper, climbs into the loft

Eager to fall on the mattress so soft.

As he looks out the window, he sees on the lake

A family of ducks paddle by with a drake.

Further back, graceful swans  begin to glide by

‘Til they migrate in pairs with their honks amplified.

 

“What a magical place,” he thinks, as he rests.

I could live elsewhere, but Alaska is best.

 

Santa Claus – Red flag for Corporate Malfeasance? (Need I state: Satire)

 

Santa Claus – Red flag for Corporate Malfeasance

By Laura Emerson

 

 

I realize that I am a highly skeptical compliance officer, but surely others, too, think that Santa Claus is running rampant around the laws for corporate ethics.  Let’s consider, as a few examples, corporate registration and taxation, employment, and transportation.  Let’s name names of regulators who seem to be turning a blind eye to this dangerous man. 

 

First of all, Mr. Clause is such a shameless self-promoter that he makes Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump look modest.  Meanwhile, he cleverly files no corporate records.  Doesn’t this raise red flags for anyone?  He is NOT listed with the IRS or SEC as running a registered American corporation or 501C3, under his name or other well- known aliases, such as Kris Kringle and Father Christmas.  Perhaps he has masterminded a shell game scam, in which he shifts assets among several companies, either off-shore or under other leadership.   

 

Obviously, he is getting money from somewhere to buy his inventory, distribute his products, hire workers, and pay his publicity agents, even if he doesn’t abide by Sarbanes-Oxley regulations.  Two possibilities occur to me:  a mafia-like kickback or a multi-level marketing scheme.  Since parents buy toys at stores to give to their children under Santa’s name, leaving him tribute for his surreptitious retrieval at night, this sounds like the first option. Under the multi-level marketing possibility, it appears that the distributors (we’ll call them parents) are buying inventory from their merchants (we’ll call them stores) which in turn purchase items in bulk from the man at the top of the pyramid:  Santa Claus himself.  He makes Mary Kay and Amway look like amateurs.

 

Where is the FAA when you need it?  Our airspace is no longer the wild blue yonder for any yahoo in a sleigh.  Where does Santa register his flight plans?  Are his licenses, mechanic records, and medical exams current? Is he instrument rated? The guy is old and wears glasses.  Should he still be allowed to fly at night?

 

What about those poor reindeer.  PETA:  where are you?  The Iditarod provides a successful model of weight limits and enforced rest stops for animals pulling a sleigh.  Are the Eastern Orthodox the only people who care about these animals since they patiently wait until January 6 to receive gifts? 

 

How about the employment regulations he is his surely flouting.  We are complicit in his deception if we swallow the patently false “elf” worker scenario, since elves are not covered by employment laws.  The term logically suggests under-age or height challenged workers.   Are they lured to a remote slave camp location near North Pole by promises of toys and sugar plums?  Look at those cheery recruitment posters.  Sheesh!  Who believes those!  Given our pervasive satellite monitoring, surely someone could zoom in on the coordinates of his secret manufacturing complex.

 

On a side note, I think that high profile influencers have an obligation to uphold certain standards to the public that supports them.  This is particularly true for those who cater to children.  Given America’s concern for childhood obesity, it in shockingly bad taste that the poster boy for young people

is so flagrantly fat.  If he doesn’t want to install a treadmill at his factory, he could learn a lesson from chunky politicians – nix the color contrasting belt and pose for photos behind a desk or podium. 

 

America:  Together we can take a stand for corporate ethics.  Let’s teach this high profile denizen of fourth quarter profits that no one can fly above the law, even at Christmas time.

 

Happy Holidays, Readers! 

Part 2: Ham Radio for Emergencies: our equipment and experience

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

For my husband’s volunteer work with Civil Air Patrol, joint service MARS (military association radio system) and SHARES (a program of homeland security), we have quite a bit of copper wiring strung high in the birch and spruce trees of our property, as well as a large log periodic antenna attached about 70 feet up the metal power tower he built at the highest part of our land to hold the wind turbine, solar panels, and satellite dish.

Our location has several advantages for HF radio use.  Obviously, we have no HOA out here in the boonies to put the kibosh on such installations!  We also have little radio frequency interference that plagues urban and suburban transmissions and reception.  Finally, Alaskans are so far from locations in the Lower 48 states, that we can hear many transmissions from the other volunteer locations that closer radio stations cannot.  This may sound counterintuitive.  The gist is that radio waves bounce off the ionosphere, and if two nodes are close, the transmission can “bounce” over those nearby, but will reach remote stations, like ours. This means that Alaska hams confer a benefit to others far away.  For example, if a station wishes to report a wildfire, flood, avalanche, or lost hiker in a location without cell service, the closest other amateur radio operator stations might not receive the message, but a more remote station, like ours, could relay it to those near the epicenter of the problem who can respond.  Then, we can relay a message to the radio operator on site.

As a result of these benefits, several of these national volunteer organizations have been interested to help Alaskans install exceptional communications infrastructure.

Almost every day, my husband checks into a national net populated by over 100 Civil Air Patrol communicators.  Weekly, he checks in with smaller numbers of MARS and SHARES radio volunteers. In the past, his equipment was all analog voice technology, but many organizations are migrating to digital data systems.  This innovation is analogous to sending a text instead of making a cell phone call and, similarly, requires less power and is less prone to transcription errors.  A further advantage is that messages can be sent and received asynchronously and stored until pick up.  The two parties do not have to be on the air at the same time. I might leave a message that my cabin is burning or that I am OK after an earthquake, even if the other party is not available to hear that message at 3 am, but will check their “ïn-box”  when they wake up.

What does an amateur radio club do?

Through the national ARRL organization, radio club members volunteer at local events and search and rescue missions, as well as at expositions for emergency preparedness.  In our vicinity, volunteers man observation posts along parade routes and races for joggers, bikers, skiers, snowmachiners, and dog mushers, especially at points that lack good cell reception.

To practice appropriate radio communications protocols, local clubs schedule regular radio meetings called “nets.” This is a time for people to call into a particular frequency from their radio and location, which could be home, car, or office.  On our local net, the person who volunteers as net controller first asks if there is any emergency message for anyone to share.  Then, he/she announces a backup frequency for anyone who cannot hear or be heard well followed by announcing the theme of that call.  The net control then reads each call sign, followed by a pause to see if the licensee is in attendance.  We respond with two brief comments:  a) if we have any messages to pass along to the group and b) if we “are a theme.”

Examples of themes are whether we are located at a Red Cross or other emergency shelter, are using emergency power, are using a mobile unit (such as in a car), or are logging in through the digital packet data network.   Such themes alert participants to options available during emergencies.

Despite, or perhaps because of our remote location, we are quite active in the group.  My husband often serves as the backup net controller on a different frequency, because he can hear participants on our side of various mountains that the main net controller may not hear.  He then relays those call signs to the net controller.

Note:  One lesson for people new to ham radio is that this form of communication is not an appropriate medium for chit-chat between two friends.  Everyone who has logged in can hear what anyone else is saying, and the expectation is that the radio medium is used for brief, focused, and important transmissions.  If two people desire a private conversation, they can move to a different frequency (or perhaps use a phone).

Why join an amateur radio club?

For us, it was very important to join a local radio club for several reasons.

1. a) Learn, develop, and maintain appropriate communication skills and protocols for radio communications when/where cell phone reception is not available.
2. b) Meet a network of local people interested in emergency communications (even though we live a 20- minute flight to the closest of them). Our local net has about 150 names on the registry.   Several have become close friends and mentors on many aspects of rural life, including animal husbandry, carpentry, cooking, hunting, fishing, weather spotting, and, of course radio troubleshooting.
3. c) Because of his level of activity, my husband has received valuable gifts and bequests of radio equipment over the years, including an expensive ICOM radio, a 1,000-watt linear amplifier, and a mobile HF/VHF radio.
4. d) Emergency contacts. Many amateur radio volunteers are well connected and active in synergistic emergency services, such as search and rescue operations, volunteer fire departments, county or municipal emergency services, Civil Air Patrol, Red Cross, CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and other entities. Through these contacts, we have learned about the preparedness of our local and regional communities.  Also, if we have a question, someone in our network knows whom to call.
5. e) Emergency check-ups. With this emergency orientation, our local radio net friends check on each other after earthquakes and during wildfires, and communicate during nets about upcoming weather or sunspots, that can interfere with radio transmissions.
6. f) SWAP and SHOP

Every Saturday morning, the local amateur radio clubs host a “swap and shop” where members request, trade or gift gear.  For example, my husband recently received two 6 volt deep cycle, lead acid batteries (like those in a golf cart) that he will use as backup power for some of his radios.

Other Resources for Skills Development

ReadyOp

A new innovation (about ten years ago) widely used by first responders and other emergency personnel is called ReadyOp.  This is a subscription-based service.  Utilizing smartphones, it connects parties both through the Internet and radio repeater networks.   There are many situations in which the interoperability of both modes is very useful today.  For example, an ambulance might leave a hospital area with cell service and head out to a rural home without it.  Or, first responders descend on a community devastated by a tornado, hurricane, or flood, where cell infrastructure has been destroyed.  Those on-site can utilize radio to call their home base in another region, which relies on a healthy cell network.  A third use can be times when a government entity shuts down cell service in a particular location.  This has occurred several times in recent years, for example, when police detected on social media that hundreds of teens planned a destructive gathering in specified location, they cut the cell signal to/from that area.

Because of the ubiquity of cell phones and attractive and intuitive user interface, ReadyOp has rapidly gained nationwide usage.  This technology may strike young people as a more attractive reason to learn radio communication skills.

EchoLink

According to its website, “EchoLink software allows licensed Amateur Radio stations to communicate with one another over the Internet, using streaming-audio technology.  The program allows worldwide connections to be made between stations, or from computer to station, greatly enhancing Amateur Radio’s communications capabilities.  There are more than 350,000 validated users worldwide — in 159 of the world’s 193 nations — with about 6,000 online at any given time.”  This is a free and easy way to develop and practice communications skills with other hams around the US and world.

In summary, walkie-talkies are a convenient aspect of our daily life on five acres and in the surrounding four or so miles of line-of sight transmissions.  Joining local and national radio communications groups has allowed us to practice our emergency communications skills, find a kindred community of supportive individuals alert to broader emergency service skills, and learn about the emergency preparedness of our borough (county) in Alaska, and beyond.

“Out.”

Ham Radio for Emergencies: our equipment and experience

This Part 1 of an article intended for people who have not explored the value of radio communications because they are not sure why or how they should.  Maybe some old amateur radio equipment languishes, dusty and ignored, in a corner of the attic.

My husband and I utilize walkie-talkies as well as local, regional, and national radio communications every week at our remote home in Alaska.  We have gained friends, allies, mentors, equipment, lessons about weather spotting, check-ups after earthquakes and wildfires, resources and emergency contacts through local, regional, and national emergency response organizations.  Our ham radio experience has absolutely enhanced our confidence of continuing self-reliance in a grid-down situation, and informed us about the local and regional plans for emergencies – of whatever cause or form. Because of our location and the quality of our equipment, we are able to provide communications for emergency search and rescue operations occurring far away.

In this article, we outline how and why we use various radios for communication, their benefits, and how we gain and maintain our skills with them.

Getting Started

Anyone can listen to ham radio, but to transmit, one has to earn one of three levels of amateur radio licenses (from the FCC in the U.S.).   The easiest one, called Amateur Technician, is what I had earned.  I studied a free, online guide and then arranged to take an in-person, one-hour test for about $15.  My husband has passed two other, harder exams, so his highest qualification is referred to as an Amateur Extra rating.  Once we pass these exams, we are issued a call sign by the FCC that allows us to transmit on ham radio frequencies.  I have given my call sign to my children in another state far away.  During an emergency when cell phones do not work (perhaps an earthquake up here), they could contact an amateur radio enthusiast who could reach us through local frequencies that work.

Handy Talkies – local

When visiting friends in various cities, I have seen them text each other by cell phone with various messages, like “please pick up eggs on your way home”.  We utilize our handheld radios in similarly benign situations around our acreage, but also for more significant reasons.

Our pair of older, inexpensive Midland (LXT600PA) handheld radios stays plugged in by our kitchen table. They are powered by batteries but recharged by solar, wind, or generator.  With frequent transmissions, they last about 8 hours without recharging.  Occasionally, we leave them in a pocket and forget to plug them back in.  Unused, they last about 24 hours without recharging.

The rechargeable batteries last for about 3 years, so we bought back-up batteries, which lasted another 3 years.  After 6 years, the transmit button (PTT) started sticking, so we bought a new set.   Because of a “one is none and two is one” philosophy, we have a second pair of identical radios in our guest cabin, which get infrequent use. Thus, we have been able to trade out one when another dies, (like when I dropped one in the wood fired hot tub!)

As part of our daily routine, when either of us goes outside, we plop a radio in a pocket.  If I am in the cabin and my husband is in the woods or doing chores outside somewhere, I might ping him about a telephone call, or ask him, on his return, to bring something back from the food shed, power shed, or greenhouse.  We rarely go from one part of the property to another without taking something “there” or bringing something “here,” thus saving thousands of steps per day.

Another benign use of our handy talkies is for visitors in our guest cabin, which is 500 feet from our main cabin.  The most common use is for them to let us know when they are awake and heading downhill for breakfast and coffee!  They may also alert us to elements of nature they see, such as a marten chasing a hare, or a brown bear running after a moose. One friend whispered a late-night sighting of the aurora borealis – in case we were awake, too.

Twice, we even took the devices with us on cruise ships, to avoid their charges for roaming mobile networks when we just wanted to find each other.  This worked very well, but when we left the devices in our carry-on luggage at the airport, TSA confiscated them.

A more important use of these walkie-talkies at our rural home is for safety alerts.  We announce the sighting of a bear or moose and its location, or tell the other that we hear a float plane descending or snowmachines heading our way through the woods.  Living in a very quiet, remote location (only one other couple lives full-time within 10 miles in any direction), such mechanical noises are very distinctive.  In the winter, when the deciduous leaves have fallen, we can hear motors about 4 miles away, depending on wind direction.  We can tell when a snowmachine is curving back and forth along a nearby frozen creek or headed straight along a hard packed trail, or carving recreational circles in powder-soft snow on a nearby frozen lake.

Very High Frequency – Regional Communications

EFJohnson mobile_5300-ES

Our gear:  Portable/Handheld, Kenwood (TH-D72). 

Antenna:  we replaced the standard rubber ducky antenna with a Diamond Antenna (SRH320A) that vastly increased the range and transmission quality.

Base station, Yaesu (FT-8900R, at our main cabin). 

Antenna: This radio uses a standard 2 meter magnetic mounted antenna that rises above the metal roof of our cabin.

Whenever my husband travels to the road system by snowmachine, he always carries his handheld Kenwood with him, often inside his jacket to keep it warm.  (His cell phone works in towns and some rural locations where a cell signal can reach a repeater, but those are few and far between in Alaska).

By radio, we can hear each other for about the first five miles of the 3.5 hour trek from our home to the nearest road, but cannot hear each other beyond that distance, largely because he descends into river valleys.  However, by testing every few miles along the route, we found a high point where I can hear him clearly.  It is about 2/3 of the distance from our home, and 1/3 of the distance to the nearest put-in point to a road (and a lodge where he warms up).   So he always checks in with me there.

We note his departure time from home or the lodge.  Then, I keep the Yaesu base station on during his travels, and note a half hour range within which I anticipate he will call me from that good transmitting location if his travels are uneventful.   If I do not hear from him within 2 more hours, I can contact locals to track him from the town side or I can head out from this side on my snowmachine because I know his departure time and route.  Fortunately, we have never had to search for him.

Another use of this device is available through the Internet site www.APRS.fi.  If you register your ham radio call sign and carry a radio with you, a loved one can track your progress along a map display on the website.  We have done this both when my husband flies our Piper PA-20 float plane and drives the snowmachine.  More commonly, I imagine, people use this service to monitor loved ones, for example, if a relative drives cross-country or hikes into national parks where cell reception could be limited.

Every day but Sunday, my husband participates in scheduled “nets” which are times when a radio group knows to tune into a specific frequency to log in and pass useful messages.  We use our VHF (very high frequency) radio to connect with members of local and regional amateur radio groups and emergency responders including CERT.

High Frequency (HF) – Distant/International

Micom 3F

Our rigs:  ICOM 756ProIII and Micom2ES

Our HF (high frequency) transceivers enable national or long-distance communications through organizations for which my husband volunteers including the Civil Air Patrol, joint military service MARS, and DHS  SHARES.

High-frequency radios require much larger or longer antennae in order to transmit long distance. 

Our equipment:  

• Two 90 foot folded di-pole antennas are oriented east-west.  They can pick up stations several thousand miles away that are north and south of the antenna.
• The third antenna is a long wire powered by a SG-230 antenna tuner (NVIS) connected to a 167 foot long wire strung through the trees about 30 feet off the ground. It is used for  communications to other ham radio operators in-state.
• A large Log Periodic antenna is pointed Southeast, across the Lower 48 states. It is so sensitive that we can hear stations in Puerto Rico – about 5,000 miles away, and Maine – about 3,300 miles away, when other intermediate receivers cannot.

(This concludes Part 1).