Come to Calico

Have you ever wanted to drive your own dog team?
Come to Calico.

Have you ever wondered what the mighty Yukon River sounds like when the ice breaks in the springtime?
Come to Calico.

Have you ever wanted to build a log Cabin?
Come to Calico.

Have you ever wanted to float the Yukon River in a canoe?
Come to Calico.

Have you ever wanted to see the Northern Lights?
Come to Calico.

Have you ever wanted to work at a checkpoint for the Yukon Quest dog sled race?
Come to Calico.

Have you ever wanted to experience life in the wilderness and all it has to offer?

Come to Calico for your custom wilderness adventure vacation. Winter or summer, alone or with friends or family. Stay in your own log cabin with a view of the Yukon River. Eat fresh just picked vegetables, dine on salmon from river to table and wild game.

Your time with us can be spent just about anyway you would like from learning wilderness skills, felling large trees for cabin logs, dog mushing, skijoring, winter camping, knife making, canoeing, rock collecting and polishing, salmon fishing from a fish wheel, canoeing, hiking, gardening, or just sitting quietly on your porch and make a walking stick from diamond willow or learn how to carve a bowl from wood, it is up to you.

The list of things to do is long. If you like dogs there are 22 ready to be your friend and hiking companion.

If you think this is the get away from the everyday for you. Come to Calico.

Overdue Entry

It has been brought to my attention by my dear friend Konny from Germany that I am long overdue for another entry in my blog.

Konny is traveling in New Zealand and had just left Christchurch a few days before the devastating earthquake this past week. I am grateful she was not hurt so this entry is dedicated to her and the friends I have made on the Yukon River.

The first encounter with Konny was on the River cruise boat the Yukon Queen when Andy was a Captain, a brief one but returned in the winter to do a dog mushing trip with Andy. Konny arrived on a plane from Fairbanks with another gal Manuela from Switzerland who was here for the same reason, I said hello and goodbye as I left on the plane they flew in on.

Konny and Manuela mushed to Dawson and back to Eagle a windy and snowy trip. Konny and Manuela became great friends during that time and continued their friendship since. It was not until the following summer that I really got to know Konny and Manuela when the pair came to stay with us for 6 weeks to learn about the subsistance lifestyle.

Konny is a very warm, kind, giving person a methodical and spiritual thinker,she appears timid at times but has tons of guts for adventure travel and trying new things. During their stay we all became good friends, we laughed and cried, got mad and frustrated we did it all from Dawson to Eagle to Calico but most of all we had a blast of fun especially girls night in Dawson for Konny's birthday, still makes me smile. I will say no more on that subject!

The summer of 2009 after the flood in May, Konny was once again traveling Alaska in a camper, she took time out from her route to come to Eagle to help out. I will never forget the day she arrived with my Christmas turkey and fresh treats and I am sure she will never forget the miles of electrical wire salvage we separated, measured and recoiled one hot, hot day on Berry St. in Eagle. Our arms were screaming that evening but we had a good day, I always have a good day with my friend Konny.

Here are some of Konny's words she wrote for our web site:

“Mushing in Alaska was a dream. The only problem was, I didn’t want to do it the way travel agencies in Germany offer it. Then I met Andy and Kate during a summer trip to Alaska. And here it was: The chance to do it in a very private way, just one or two people and 20 dogs, definitely being in charge of every job that has to be done to travel and to survive! It was a life-changing experience, nothing is the same since that trip – in a very good way! And because I liked it so much, me and the Swiss girl I met to do the mushing adventure returned next summer to share peak season of harvesting and getting ready for winter. We lived and learned a lot of Subsistence Lifestyle we worked and laughed and talked with our heartful caring hosts Kate and Andy, and hiked and canoed and made bowls and, and, and….to cut the long story short, they made us feel home and part of the land and taught us love and respect for all of Mother Nature For anybody who loves Nature and wants to connect to Her Callico is the place to go and to stay! You come as strangers, you leave as friends!”

Night Sky and Northern Lights

Awesome is a word we use loosely these days, breathtaking would better describe the crystal clear nights sky of Calico.

Alaska's magic truly makes you feel what you see.

The early night was extremely calm, cold and clear, trees frozen limbs cracking in the distance the only sound. Gazing upward, the sky was holding the stars separate like oversized diamonds on charcoal velvet, tall slender spruce trees silhouette a deep cavernous black against the sky like an abstract painting.

I felt no chill in the air as I leaned against a post on the deck and heaved a contented sigh,my eyes welled up drinking in the wondrousness of it all.

A thin ribbon of green aurora appeared and grew stronger, dancing, I swear you could almost hear it laughing as it stole the canvas of the night.

Here Comes the Sun

The 20th of January every year is exciting because we get to see the sun again, marking the end of the lazy blue light of winter. It peeps over the mountain for less than a minute causing the light to refract through ice crystals making most amazing sun dogs over the river and shines brilliant through my kitchen window making my eyes squint as I stare into its face.

I feel extremely joyous at the sight but somewhere deep down inside a feeling of regret that the easy short days of winter are going to give way to the summer chores and the 24 hours of sunlight with the midnight sun.

The solar panels will be back on duty soon, it is coming fast right now we are gaining almost 7 minutes a day!

So now the time has come to start seeds for this years garden. We grow all our own vegetables and herbs for the year from Arugula to Zucchini. More to come in a future entry about our garden that we water with a pump and fire hose.

Wolf Encounters

Just when you think you are out of the woods,you're not!
I have had a few encounters with the wonderful wolves of Alaska most of them friendly.

My first one was when I was new to Alaska. It was early December the first time I was alone here at Calico for a week and feeling a little nervous. First two nights went great then on the third night it changed. Just settling into bed the dogs went wild! I sprang to the window but could see nothing the night was dark, no moon, I grabbed the large flashlight and shown it on the dog lot they were looking at the cabin. I got brave, went downstairs, pulled my coat over my nightgown and picked up the gun, flashlight still in hand.

The flashlight proved to be a mistake.

I timidly stepped outside onto the deck, pointed the light to the left, my heart stopped as a pair of green eyes peered at me, a black wolf stood right in front of me. Gun in one hand flashlight in the other made me wish I had worn a headlamp. I yelled at him, no response. I shone light in his eyes,still he showed no fear of me or the dogs. This is strange. We had a female in heat and one old dog at the time. I heard stories of wolves taking dogs of chains, pulling them right out of their collars. He had to go away! I pulled the gun up under my arm,eyes still locked on the wolf,kneeled down on the deck and slowly laid the light by my feet still shining on the black intruder,aimed over his head and shot. That made him move. I quickly got Tia who was in heat for the first time and dear old Spock into the cabin for the night and went to bed,sleep was not easy.

Next day I went out to track the wolf in the snow and felt better when it was only one,possibly a scout or a lone wolf. Only one to worry about.

Next night, same time, same event only I was ready, dogs in the cabin my gun and headlamp ready. Scared him off again. In the morning I called our friend David in Eagle on the VHF radio and asked him what I should do if I had to kill it, I had no Idea how to deal with a dead animal at that time. He gave me advice and I felt better but still did not want to shoot it, so for the next three nights I shot over his head.
At last Andy came home and wouldn't you know it, that night he did not show. I think Andy doubted me.

Next morning we were sitting in bed and having our morning tea and coffee watching the light of day appear when who should come strolling up the path to the cabin, my black wolf. Andy said, "Well that's enough Kate, he is surely stalking us" and had to go get him. I felt bad even knowing he was a threat to us and our dogs. We hate to have to kill a wolf.


Now back to the present.


Tuesday Jan. 18, 2:30 pm I went to bring in wood and saw what I thought was our dog Chisel behind the fish rack... the fish rack is full with 3000 chum salmon we hang in the fall to feed the dogs. Chum are the fall salmon,natives call them Dog salmon.
I whistled for him to come but what looked back at me was a female white wolf with a sore paw, she then limped down our trail to the river. I grabbed my coat to go see which way she went. I was running down the trail to the river, my eyes focused out over the ice when she popped out in front of me from my vegetable garden. I got a start to say the least. We just looked at each other for a moment. I yelled at her and off she went. She moved slowly up river on the dog mushing trail, stopping and looking back at me every now and then.


This lovely white wolf had her trail made around our property and like clockwork day and night she made her rounds. Her leg was hurt and hunting must have been hard for her so this was easy food. She seemed not to be afraid of me, I could walk up fairly close to her before she would move away. I wondered if she was thinking, 'just another bit closer my dear' like the witch in Hansel and Gretel.


We are used to packs of wolves going by on the river and once on the trail to Ford Lake about a half mile from our cabin I had a pack of wolves cross my path. No big deal, we do sort of live together and wolves normally stay as far away from people as possible. When one stays to long it can be a deadly problem, if we did not have dogs and puppies we might have tried to befriend and feed her but that is not the case. Wild is Wild.

Lynx

Andy home from his trapline today with a Lynx..he traps mostly Marten but today he got a Lynx. Pretty cats but full of fleas as we found out, here is that story.

One year in March he came with one just caught in the trap, he had to put it down. When he came home we took some photos with it. We had company at the time and although not eager to hold it, loved seeing it up close. He then went to his shop to skin it out before dinner. Shortly after my head felt itchy and Andy came rushing in," Kate it is full of fleas they are jumping all over it! " I tossed the rugs onto the deck ,we quickly stripped off our clothing outside in the cold air throwing them onto the deck, all the while laughing hard. Then we went to work getting fleas out of our hair...we were like primates all night, checking every little tickle. Later when we looked at the photos we took, you could see the fleas on my hair. Makes me itch just thinking about it.

Poor dogs, they were not allowed in the cabin for a long time after that, for their own good. We never saw a flea since that night and I will never get in jumping distance of one again. Lesson learned.

Can you find the flea on my hair in the photo? Let me know if you do and have a good laugh I know we did.

Menace in the Moonlight at Midnight

Menace in the Moonlight at Midnight

Jan 20th is the night I want to relay to you but the story really begins before then.

Late September on a Monday night, I remember that because Andy was supposed to be gone to a meeting out of town but the plane did not come to Eagle due to weather. Odd that unusual events most often occur when he is not home.

I was awakened from my sleep to the sound of our dogs barking, the odd thing was, there was something in the woods behind the generator shed barking back at them with a high pitched yap. Neither of us had ever heard it before. Andy got his gun and headed in the direction of strange barking but saw nothing. The next day I searched for the sound on the internet and discovered it was a Coyote. Not Good.

Many a night our sleep was broken, due to our visitor. We had to keep a close watch on the dogs and puppies. When coyotes and wolves start circling day after day or night after night, they are not just passing by, it means just one thing, trouble. They are testing their boundaries to see how close they can get without interference, they can grab a dog or pup and be gone in a matter of seconds. We adore all the wildlife here, after all, we do share the same backyard. We will only shoot if it is a threat..Just like they will only eat us if they are hungry.

A couple of months later we heard what sounded like two of them on our trail to Ford Lake,now we had double trouble. Coyotes are good at staying hidden. Then came the day when I saw one for the first time on the frozen river, right in our boat landing, a bit to close for comfort. Sightings on the river at the same time of day then became a regular event.

Midnight Jan. 20th... Outside the moon is full and bright as daylight, it is true you can read a book by it. All cosy in bed watching a movie when.. Dogs Panic Bark!!! We both jumped to the window to see which way they are looking. Dogs chains tight, all straining hard to see what was behind our pole shed, Andy rushed downstairs for his gun and I kept watch in the upstairs window. The dogs turned to face the cabin and I went to the other window so I could see what they saw. There it was right next to our cabin !!! I called to Andy giving him directions as it moved through the now empty summer dog lot....the dog houses are moved to a different spot for winter but he knew what I meant when I said it is next to Solo's house moving towards Iceberg's. Andy stepped out the backdoor into the moonlit night and that was the end of that menacing Coyote.

It was a hugh relief to us because our five puppies running free on the property are a just tasty snack for coyotes and wolves. This has been a cold winter and with it being a low rabbit year predators are more of a problem. We have never and never will take an animal just for the sport they are our friends and neighbors in the wild, not our enemies.