august sheep hunt

ben and two of his friends, don and sean, went on a ten-day sheep hunt on the barnard glacier (yes, ON the glacier) near the town of mccarthy, nestled in the wrangell mountains.  

i was suppose to be on this hunt.  i really can't express the disappointment i had for days approaching and weeks after.  we had been planning this hunt for months - well, no, the better part of the year, really.  getting pregnant was something we were hoping for, but just kept saying, it can happen any time after the sheep hunt.  we all know God has different plans for us, and i was happy to be missing out on the hunt this year, if it meant bringing home a healthy babe in the not-so-distant future.  the mountains and the sheep aren't going anywhere...

as excited as i was about taking a sheep, i was even more excited to capture the beauty of that northern region of alaska.  i pleaded with benji:

 

puh-lease take pictures while you're out there - and not just the trophy pictures!  

my man more than succeeded at his task:  164 pictures in ten days.  atta boy.      

benji, spotting for sheep

the boys and sean's ram

 camp.  home.  

cooking some fresh protein to get through the last few miles until pick up.

my biggest worry about going out on a 7-10 day hunt was not so much as if i could do it, but could i go that long without a shower?  i think the longest has been a weekend camping or cabin trip.  but a week and a half?  ewww.  my husband doesn't worry about something as trivial as a shower because he's man enough to take a dip in glacier water.  i would rather be stinky than do such a silly, nonsensical task like bathing in a glacier.

after ten days, i'm sure this was a welcomed sight.