One week out

We've been here at the ranch for a little over one week, and things are beginning to settle into a routine of sorts.  Mary Ann (the caretaker of the ranch) just left two days ago, so Luke and I are making it work with the six dogs now.  We are both a bit surprised at how much of our responsibilities entail the care of these six dogs.  It feels like we are caring for six two year olds.  Today as we attempted to leave the ranch to go to town to do some emailing, four of the dogs chased us down the road, and Luke, forever a softie, let them all in.  We sleep in a little room that is separate from the main house of the ranch, and now that Mary Ann is gone we were instructed to leave a low window open in the night so the dogs could go out as they needed.  We tried that the first night, and the dogs barked incessantly outside throughout the night until Luke finally shut the window and closed them in.  When I went in the main house in the morning to make a fire, I was greeted by piles of poop and vomit!  It was a bit of a frustrating first morning on our own.  Last night we tried for round two, and once again, at about three in the morning, incessant barking ensued.  We just dealt with it, opting for lack of sleep over poop and vomit again!  We're really hoping the pooches are just adjusting to life without mama.

Having natural light entirely dictate your activities has its enchantments.  Now at around six o'clock we must begin lighting candles, get our headlamps within reach, and make sure that a fire is burning in the wood stove in order to do the cooking for the evening.  The days have been surprisingly warm, but as soon as the sun drops behind the mountains, which happens around 5, the temperature plummets.   This morning we awoke to a thick frost on the ground.

Life is peaceful here, and so simple.  It's a throw back to another time period without any of the amenities that we take for granted every day.  I've thought a lot about this since we got here, how we run the water while doing the dishes, the energy we use to run the refrigerator in the dead of winter when we could keep so many things outside.  Here there is a refrigerator that sits outside unplugged.  It's cold enough that there is no need for power.  I don't know that I would want to live a life like this indefinitely, but it feels good to gain some perspective on the things that we consume and use up without too much thought.  Although as I type this post and my fingers are numb with the cold, I wouldn't mind some heat!

Jon, who is a  guide here, has offered to take us out into glacier territory when they return from the north in a month or so.  Our days are tied to the ranch now, so we are both excited about the opportunity to be able to get out and experience some of the wildness of this territory.  It's amazing that there are still parts of the world that are as untouched by civilization as this place is here.  The only reason we even have access to the internet is because Jon has it for his guiding business.  He is the only person in the town who has it, and there is no phone reception here!  You need to drive an hour to use the phone, and after that it's another seven hours until the next town.  The "highway" is a dirt road filled with potholes that are so bad people here need to change their shocks twice a year!

My fingers are frozen and Luke is awaiting the computer, so it's hasta luego for now.