Saije is on the Cheerleading squad!

When Andy had first got the Art job in Yakutat, we began to check into what the district had to offer and cheerleading was one. When we arrived in yakutat, Saije was talking to one of the cheerleaders that graduated last year and she had mentioned that she was going to be the assistant coach and encouraged Saije to join the squad. After a few weeks of school they had enough girls recruited to have a squad. Saije is a flyer. Neisha has given her some tips and Saije has begun practicing. She will cheer at all the home games and go to region and state to support the team! She has taken on quite a few jobs here in Yakutat and has also become quite an advocate for her education. It is also time to send in letters of application for The Honor Society.
Like I said, she has been very busy. We will keep you up dated. Love to you all, Cherie

Some Pictures of Yakutat

View of St. Elias, the boat harbor, & out toward the Dangerous River,

Saije Runs for School VP!

Ya, Saije is back in the runnings for Student Vice President. She is 16 and a Junior at Yakutat High School in Yakutat, Ak. She enjoys playing drums, dancing, painting and hanging out with her friends and family. She has held many class positions and feels confident about herself as Vice President of the student body. She gave her speach on Friday and the total votes are as follows:
Her Apponant-16
Saije Marie Bowler-35!
Woohoo! Go Saije!

Moose hunting in Yakutat

The season opened Wed. Oct. 8th. We have been road hunting for the last few days. We are still not familiar wtih our surroundings. There are alot of roads to drive down and 4 wheeler trails. On Sunday we were invited by one of the teachers to drive out on the 4 wheelers to the Middle Dangerous River Cabin. We headed out at 7:00am. We had a horrible storm the last 2 days and it cleared up about 2:00am. So we met at her house and took off. We arrived and the rain was unstopable. We got off the wheelers, I climbed a tree and they did a sweep, but no animals. After a while we headed up the trail. The water was so deep from all the rain that we floated most of the way. It was insane to float on a 4wheeler, those machines are amazing. We road to the end of the trail and checked out the cabin and found the journal and read about a guy that was there opening day and got a decent bull. Lars was out by the river taking cover by the shed and found a moose head. (the guy in the journals) So Lars cut off the horns and brought them back for decoration. "I use antlers in all of my d-e-c-o-r-a-t-i-n-g!" He is going to hang them on the porch. We hunted a prime meadow to find out once again, no moose. The sun came out and we waited patiently and soaked in the sun. At 2:30pm we headed home and recieved alot of thumbs up on our antlers strapped to the 4 wheeler. (smile) The fish and game hastled us at first, they thought we really got a moose. I wish! I am so glad that one of the locals takes us out to learn the area. Well, we are going to keep trying. Way to go Nick on your Elk! There are no Elk in these parts, but there is Black Tail Deer and we got invited to float the river to get a deer. Well keep you up to date!

Esker Stream, Day 4

I finally got to sleep in! We hung around and read for a while and packed up. There was a cabin log that asks all visitors to sign, date and the reason for visiting. I added our names and read the whole book. When I came upon the Date Sept. 27 to 30, 2208! Hunter's were there 2 days before we were. No wonder why we didn't see anything!!! They took home a moose and 2 bears! Well so much for bringing home a Moose! We left the cozy little cabin to drop off our gear on the beach. When we began our hike it started to rain and rain and rain. I took cover in the deep grass beneath a small willow (not much cover) and Lars tried to fish. The wind picked up so he took cover beside me and before long he knew that I was going to kill him if he didn't take me back to the cabin. So, we left our gear on the beach and headed back to the cabin until we heard the plane coming. Our ride back to Yakutat was crazy! The pilot Hans said, that they had been waiting for clearance for take off to come retrieve us, but the weather was bad. At the last min. there was a break in the weather. (we would have been stuck there for a week!) Our hunt was not successful but our date was long overdue, I am glad that we came even though there were no moose. Maybe next time and preferably in September!

Esker Stream, Day 3

The alarm went off at 6:30 am and we both went back to sleep. At 7:30 am we got up and ate the same ol' oatmeal and coffee, geared up and headed out. It was a beautiful day. We headed up the trail which came to a quick dead end as it came to a deep stream that couldn't be crossed only floated. We tried another trail that took off out past the outhouse. It was prime moose country. (we guessed, we have never hunted for moose before. If I were a moose I would hang out there) So we hiked around and found alot of moose sign, but no moose. Made our way back to the cabin around 2:30 pm. We ate lunch and I took a nap. Lars went down to the stream that was slowly becoming clearer and caught a few more Coho. We walked the south beach for an evening hunt or you could call it a romantic stroll on the beach at gun point. (just kidding) We came back and packed up our things . Hans was going to pick us up at 2:30pm on Sunday. The tide has been going out around 10:30 am so we will pack out and do a morning hunt before the plan lands. This has been a great experience, I love seeing different country. We are definately going to come again next year.

Esker Stream, Day 2

It poured long and hard all night. Like an alarm clock, 6:30 am the rain stopped. We heated up some water, had oatmeal and coffee and began our trek to locate a Moose. As we made our way down the trail the rain picked back up. It's a good thing that we brought our waders, that was the only thing we wore. We headed south along the beach to the next drainage & then headed west. We came across alot of moose and bear sign, but no animals. We walked a 2 mile radius back to the beach. On our way back to the creek, I layed on a beached Iceberg and iced my soar back. I picked up one that fit in my backpack to use later on. 12:30 pm We ate some lunch, grabbed the poles and headed down to fish. The water was pretty muddy, but the fish were there. Andy caught a Coho that we couldn't eat. Went back to the cabin, geared up and headed north along the beach. We zigzagged west along Cabin Creek and came up empty handed. As we were hicking I thought we were hearing distant gun shots, but found out that it was ice breaking off the glacier up against St. Elias in Disenchantment Bay. On our way back we saw an iceberg that looked like the Lockness Monster. We followed tracks along the beach of a small bear. But lost the trail as it went back into the forest. My feet were officially killing me! Lars rescued me by letting me rest and carring my gun. (walking in waders for 2 days is not recommended) We arrived back at the cabin at 5:00pm. I heated up some stew & dried off by the fire. Lars took off and checked out a trail that headed west from the cabin for our hunt in the morning. When he came back we ate and I iced my back and hit the sack.

Moose hunting on Esker Creek- Day 1

Day 1 - Oct.2, 2008 6:00pm: We headed to the airport and checked in with our pilot Hans (yes CJ, Hans) at Yakutat Costal Airlines. We loaded our 2 backpacks ( I am begining to like the backpack idea) 3 guns, 1 fishing pole and provisons. We headed North toward Esker Creek in to Disenchantment Bay which is up against the magestic St. Elias. We flew over many small islands, Khantaak & Johnstone passage and a huge stretch of water. Hans circled around the area to give us a look at where we were hunting and the where abouts of the cabin. No wildlife in sight. We landed 13 min. later on the beach. A smoothe ride and landing. We got our gear and Hans took off. We trudged up the beach and came across some huge wolf tracks. (great,! not just bears but wolf too) We came to the creek Lars went first, Andy turned around expecting me to be right behind, but I was froze stiff! All I could do was think about the wolf, the bear, and now the swift water that was up to his backpack. He tells me to come on and relized that I am not going anywhere. He unloads his gear and wades back to get me and relieve me of some gear. (ya, I was freakin out) We hiked up a small hill which felt like Mt. St. Helens with my pack on. The grass was up around my waist. Anything could be laying down in it waiting to eat me. So, I have my gun loaded and on safety when Andy steps on a twig and I go into kill mode thinking something is attacking us. Andy turns to find me with this crazy look in my eye and a loaded gun in my hand. All he could do is calmly ask, Is the safety on? Then we crossed a smaller creek & went up a trail while I was yelling hello bears, we are here! I thought Andy was going to shoot me. We came into a clearing and found our cabin. I was so happy to have arrived alive. I thought for sure that we were bear treats. We never saw any wildlife. Whew! We opened up the cabin door to find it quite nice. 2 bunkbeds, a propane furnace, & a kitchen table with propane stoves. Sweet! I was ready to stay there and let Lars do the hunting! We unpacked, got the furnace going and heated up some water for cup-o-noodles. There were many provisions already there, so our uneeded provision will be staying here also. I didn't relize how cold it was until I found me scooting my chair closer to the fire. At 9:00pm we hit the sack!