Be Vewy Vewy Quiet

Days Walking - 44

Sshhhhhhhhhhh
Don't tell anyone - -
But we are hiking the Dalton Highway and camping near it at night.

Eyes Narrowed, Brows Furrowed.

We're trying to be somewhat sneaky, in what for us passes as stealth mode. See, there are no camping grounds for quite some distance down the highway, and there's all these State and Federal regs about camping in this hood.

No one has come up to us and said "You can't camp here." but we're not taking any chances.

Unfortunately, we're all garbed in bright safety colors - because
being seen, found, and rescued might one day save our lives in an emergency. The next official, permissible camp site is at Galbraith Lake, about 115 miles away.

So we're trying to camp out of sight of the road at night, and keeping lights to a minimum (a few of us have those nifty red sneaky sneaky filters for their flashlights - I do not). Hopefully if we're not brazenly having a tailgate party, getting our hoot and bonfire on (as if we would or could) and instead are being polite careful little campers, no one will feel the need to harass us.

I am sore today. From hiking, of all things. So sore. My calves, my thighs, my lower back, my neck, everything is sore. I'm doped up on Aleve and Tylenol and still, so sore. I think taking those days of rest in Deadhorse really threw my body off. It was all into the groove before, and now it expects real toilets and beds and showers and it doesn't understand and it's whining. Crunch Crunch Ow Crunch Ow Ow Crunch Ow, Crunch, Ow. Yeah, it was a noisy day to be in my head.

New commenter Sharon, welcome!! Thanks for the informed answer about those well houses! Yay. It's hard sometimes to get good information when the locals choose to mislead you. Ugh I feel like a moron. You're a sweetie, thanks thanks!

Oh the Barrow Sex Igloo? Gabe and Adrian built it as practice while we were waiting for our supplies to arrive. It was a traditional style, with all the cut pieces. If I'd known you would want to use it, we wouldn't have knocked it over!! What is it with boys and carefully building something for hours and then kicking it over?

The Sex Igloo would be an interesting tourist attraction - they could pay spend the night in an igloo. Hmn, could be a money-making idea for when we reach a town... I think there is an ice hotel they build every winter somewhere in Europe.

Ack is a cool place. We should have Seward Day in the 'Lower 48' (as the Ackians call the rest of the U.S. - What, no love for Hawaii?) Or if not Seward Day, then we should have Louisiana Purchase Day, or We Killed the Inhabitants and Stole Their Land Day. Any reason for another day off from work is a good thing in my book, especially when you get paid for staying home.

I hope you're all paying rapt attention to all these gems of knowledge I'm delivering to your desktop daily. Some day, you'll be on Jeopardy...

You: "I'll take Ack for 400, Alex."

Alex: "This U.S. Holiday is celebrated every year, on the last Monday in March."

You: "What is 'Seward Day'?"

Alex: "Hells Yeah."

You: "I'll take Wu-Tang Clan for 1000."

Alex: "Daily Double!"

And you'll be thinking, 'Bless You, Litany. Now I can afford one of those top-secret hoverboards Mattel has been selling to the uber-rich since 'Back To The Future 2' came out!'

In other news, I have taken a Vow of Silence.

Yes, really.

I know you're all aghast, because reading my ramblings must give you quite the insight into my mind, and if so, you're thinking damn this girl probably never shuts up in person.

You're thinking Litany's probably one of those girls you want to bash in the head from behind, so she'll shut up - like the link in Kato's post the other day. I've often considered doing the whole silence thing, even if just for a week. But you can't really operate in the civilized world without speaking, especially when you're going to school, work, etc.

So yeah. I have not spoken a peep all day. I'm taking this quiet time to observe the world around me, the people around me. Internalizing, instead of expressing every silly thought that goes through my head.

Do not misunderstand me, I hold 'silly' in high regard. Taking oneself too seriously should be added to The List of Bad Things in all religious tomes. It should be noted that laughing out loud does not count as talking, and it's a good thing because my group is made up of some funny motherf*ckers.

Note to self - next vow could be to swear less. I will one day have a child gestating within me, and as host and eventual speech-teacher to this offspring, it would be nice if Mommy didn't go around spouting "MothaF*cka!" all the time. I'll have to start practicing early, because it'll probably take me 10 years to break myself of the bad mannered habit. But not now. For now, I will enjoy cussing, and perhaps get it out of my system while I'm in my 20's.

But as I was saying, I'm not talking. Here are some things I have noticed, being all silent and observant. (There should totally be a show where this deaf mute girl solves crimes, because she's oh so observant. Like Monk, but entertaining).

Things I Silently Observed:
-Church has this little frowny dimple that happens in her right cheek before she talks about her ex-bf. I don't think I've ever seen a frowny dimple before, this should be noted by a physician someplace and studied.

-Kwame pauses often as he talks, in a halting, Chandlerian, Shatnerian (yet somehow sexy) fashion that leaves you grinning and hanging on for his next word. It's a technique I tell you! He is a wicked man and I must resist his charms.

-I am really hungry for lovin and attention and I have to be careful or one of these boys will take advantage of me. It's a very good thing there is no liquor among the supplies, or I might get myself snookered, and allow someone to plow me like the North 40. I have lain fallow too long.

-Supposedly it is Spring. It's still -30 with the wind chill. Spring can bite me.

-The UV index is a very healthy Zero

...That's about it, I guess I'm not very observant. I'm planning to keep silent for as long as possible, so hopefully some germs of wisdom or enlightenment will occur to me.

Note: If you think no one will stop to give 8 people and their gear (including Kwame's sled, hello!) a ride, you're wrong. Two truckers stopped, bless you both but we're here to walk.

Litany Webb, signing off

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