Another year is coming to an end

Another year is gone! They weren’t kidding when they said time flies as one gets older. Not that I write that many checks, but I’ll have to remember to use the correct year on the ones I do write! Here’s wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

I’m glad to see the year 2018 pass into history. We lost two of our beloved pets this past summer and experienced the November 30 earthquake. We lost a lot of stuff, but as my wife has commented several times while cleaning up, “It’s like a load has fallen off our shoulders by getting rid of a bunch of stuff. It’s truly an invigorating and freeing experience to see this stuff gone!”

I’ve finally gotten into my gun storage area to assess potential damage. For the most part, my personal guns survived. They all have acquired some additional stock dents and nicks, but nothing I can’t patch up or refinish. However, I did suffer some damage to the blued finish on several rifles and shotguns.

I had a catch bowl with some dehumidifier left over from this past summer sitting in each of the three safes. The crystals trap water and create a liquid high in calcium chloride, which is corrosive to metal. I had emptied two of the bowls and they were dry. I forgot about the third. As the house shook, the liquid in the bowl splashed out onto several of the rifles and shotguns sitting below the bowl’s location. I followed the cleanup instructions and wiped down the metal and wood. Every place where there was a drop of liquid, the bluing is gone. Luckily, I got to everything before any metal corrosion had started.

The dehumidifying agent works very well to reduce moisture in the safes and I plan to continue using it next summer. However, when I set up the bowls next time, they will all be sitting in an open plastic container taller than the drying unit to contain any splashing or possible spills in the future. We live, and we learn!

Now, for some more serious stuff. If you have been following the news these past few weeks, you are aware of the two people who drowned in Big Lake, apparently as a result of their snowmachines breaking through some thin and rotten ice. As I heard the news, the lady’s body was found first, then the two snowmachines, and finally the man’s body was recovered.

I don’t know any specifics of this tragedy, but the situation once again points out the need for serious safety considerations when out enjoying our Alaskan winter. With this winter progressing the way it has temperature-wise, I’m not surprised about the rotten ice. Folks unfamiliar with Big Lake and its various springs and inflow areas, can easily end up riding on thin ice if they aren’t watchful of where they are.

There have also been several cautions on television about riding in the backcountry with potentially high avalanche conditions being present. If you ride in these areas, I would advise some avalanche training courses and carrying the necessary equipment to deal with finding your friends if they are caught in an avalanche. Remember, the life you save may be your own!

Several years ago, the various area snowmachine dealers would put on an annual seminar about properly operating a snowmachine, the equipment recommended to carry, knowing how to read a GPS or map and compass, having a set of snowmachine trail maps with you, and several other safety and survival suggestions. While I’m not as experienced as some riders, I do have a few miles on my snowmachine odometer. I attended every seminar I could.

Over the years, attendance at these sessions dropped off. If memory serves me, the last one I attended had only one other person and myself present. With the lack of public interest, the dealers quit going to all the work and effort of providing this service. It might be time to resurrect this program, either under borough sponsorship or the state Department of Public Safety – whatever it takes to get people to attend and learn what they’re getting into on a snowmachine.

I once encountered a young couple riding doubled up on a rented machine and traveling on the Big Lake trail system. They were cold and hungry and had no gear. They weren’t properly dressed for the conditions. I could only wonder as I got them turned around and headed back to Big Lake.