BOW Weekend! (sorry, no boys in this one)

I went with most of my book club ladies this weekend to a Becoming an Outdoor Woman (BOW) weekend. It was so much fun! We drove 2 hours north of Anchorage up the Glenn Highway to Chickaloon, AK. (I think they have it there because it's a bunch of crazy women in the snow and the name of the town fit) They hold it at an bible camp in an absolutely gorgeous location! You can take so many workshops, dealing with fishing, guns, skiing, dog mushing, or even field dressing. I took some tiny steps from my comfort zone, and did not butcher any dead animals :)

My first class on Friday was Dutch oven cooking. We actually got one for Christmas because I knew I would be taking this class. Here is my oven. I'm cooking a layered Reuben casserole.

Our "kitchen"

I'm getting my heat just right. Basically, you follow the chart they gave us. How big is your pot, and how high should the temp. be? You place hot coals above and below your oven (mostly above) to reach the right temperature, then check every 15 minutes. I already shed my coat for this one. It was about 20 outside, but we kept running in and out.

My finished product. All the instructors raved about how good it was the year before and how they couldn't wait (no pressure). I thought it was tasty, but not my favorite.

The Buffet! This was the most popular place in camp each night from 5:30 to 6:30! I told myself I would be restrained, and I was, but the dishes just keep coming in throughout class, and you just have to keep sampling. Needless to say, I didn't eat dinner that night.

Here are Nichole, me, and Jill before the dinner I didn't eat.

Saturday, my first class was Snow Shoeing. It was fun, challenging, but not hard. I think I could do it on a regular basis, because you can make it as hard as you want it to be. Not that the photo shows that. Our first big task was to walk across a big, deep field (not to far) and figure out for ourselves how to get up if we fell or got stuck. Maybe three people did, and by universal law, I was one of them. Always. So here I am, stuck. The funny thing was, the lady a foot to my left had absolutely no problem or deep snow. It figures. I did manage to unstick myself in three or four minutes.

Now, here is where we were practicing how to get up after they showed us the correct way, on your belly, which I didn't do before. Much easier and quicker. So, I actually did this one to myself, I didn't fall.

Me posing on the trail.

This was a frozen lake we were crossing with that fabulous mountain in the background. I didn't learn it's name, but I will look it up!

Here's a little man made beauty at camp. They keep hoses running to keep the pipes from freezing, and this is what they made.

Me and my Jill at lunch, the only meal with soda. Disclaimer-we lived in the no frills cabin. We seemed to be the only ones who refused to A)shower, and B)get up at 5am to plug in appliances in the bathroom, thus clogging up all of the sink space for handwashers and toothbrushers. Really people, be an outdoors woman already!!

The only pic I took in my Alaskan Seafood 101 class. Lots of hotplates indoors, but I got some great recipes and ideas. So, I didn't eat dinner again.

Enlarge this one, it's beautiful. The sun was setting and the side of the mountain is slightly pink.
Nichole and I stayed behind to watch a movie about bear safety after dinner. We learned that if a defensive bear continues to attack you, or begins to eat you, he is no longer defensive. Nice. Seriously, this is how it was phrased. Now, walk back to you cabin in the dark.

My last class, on Sunday, was Dog Mushing. I was way out of my comfort zone. For those that know me, I have control issues. I don't find "driving" a sled pulled by dogs a very controlled situation. Here are some of the pups before we harnessed them. Interesting fact tidbit, the image most people have of sled dogs, the huskies and malamutes, is not what they Mush with. They look like mutts.

This is Anjanette, one of the instructors. She and her husband own a lodge north of where we were (www.sheepmountain.com) and have kennels. Right now, her husband is running the Iditarod and is around 20th out of 74! Even more impressive after my 10 minutes of mushing!

This beauty is Gemini. I loved her! She has the two toned eyes.

Enlarge, but the picture doesn't do here justice. Her blue eye was so blue!

Ready to go, but terrified! One friend had no trouble, another fell four times. The first run out in our class, there was a sled pile up with 3 sleds, teams of dogs knocking over the humans!

Enlarge, that is me across the lake. I was having fun, but apprehensive the entire time. I found it much like learning to ride a horse, and the balance thing was kind of the same (but you don't have to worry about stepping on the brake with a horse) I did well, didn't fall, but wasn't rip roaring ready to go again.

Ah, the end of the I-didn't-rod! I could have gone out again, but some that fell wanted to try again, and I didn't mind ending on an up note.

Our group at lunch, un-showered, before we left. Starting bottom, L to R. Nichole, Michelle (the one who got us to sign up) her friend Erika, Mary's friends Laurine and Wendy. Top-Mary, Me, and Jennifer (our cabin mate) Jill had to leave early, no Sunday babysitter. I has so much fun, and I'll totally do it again next year!