Over the River and through the brush...

So what does it mean when the living conditions here are nicer than in Fairbanks?
Naomi is a brave young teacher fresh out of teacher school who, for some strange reason, finished her student teaching in an inner-city school near Chicago and decided to go (or got tricked) into teaching in bush Alaska. If that culture shock weren't enough for this young Midwesterner her stint as a high school English teacher was cut short when the 2nd grade teacher left for medical reasons and Naomi had to bite the bullet and take over. What a trooper!

She lives where many of the teachers do; in the old elementary school on the hill by the remains of the old village. The classrooms have been remodeled into one and two bedroom apartments that look out over the Kobuk River at the foothills of the Brooks Range. Her bathroom is also way bigger than mine. After a hearty Easter brunch courtesy of the Eakins family, Mollia and I decided to trek over the river and into the brush on a quest for semi-wildlife. I'm specific here because there was a polar bear in town not too long ago. There are actually photos in the classroom we're staying in that remind me everyday that there could be a massive well-camouflaged mammal stalking me every time I step outside the school. It's quite comforting actually.

We passed by Anuk Lake (Inupiaq for 'poo pond': the lake in town where the village's sewage used to be dumped)- children were sledding down onto the frozen pit of poo. Nice place for a picnic eh? Anyways.......So off we went into the wild white yonder without telling anyone where we were headed, without a gun, without a GPS, without a map, without food stuffs, without matches...hmmm how many survival rules have we broken already? As we crossed the river leaving town towards the fish camps we were passed by young boys out for ptarmigan.
Consisting of smokehouses and drying racks, fish camps line the river bank across the way from the village. Elders told us last night they used to be on the same side as the town until the kids started messing with the gear- sounds like these kids need to be put to work.
A lonely basketball net looks a bit out of place on the banks of the river.
Mollia took the time to break in her new carharts in a roll down the riverbank, while I promised not to photograph her-psych!
Evinrudes pop their heads from the drifts along the river just waiting for break-up.

Strolling back through town we pass the only church in town-Friends Church-quite a crowd from the looks of the parking lot!