Garbage

Every thing taken to Holden Village must be taken out again in some manner. Each wrapper, wine bottle, pop can, battery or shoe must be taken back out again. Nothing can stay here in the mountains; we can not pollute.

So we have "Garbology", which is garbage sorting system that sends each scrap to it's proper place. Some things are recycled - like cans, glass and paper. Some items are burned - like brown paper and natural fabrics. All food items are composted and reused in future gardens. Landfill is the last choice because it means that it is packed up and shipped out to be dumped in a "real world" garbage dump.

Once or twice each month each of us has the privilege of doing "garbo" as we call it. We meet as a team to crush boxes, sort the village trash and to chop compost. This job is done all year round, snow or not. The hike up to the compost pile can be brutal with 5 feet of snow on the ground. Fortunately the path is well tromped and we are always in a hurry to finish with this task.

The cycle of garbage here changes you for ever. You never again look at a tin can or a plastic wrapper in the same manner. You now know what happens to it, whether it is by your own hands or someone elses.

Holden's Library

The bookshelves are finally here and we are moving books from the old and temporary library (3 years temporary) to the new library below. We don't have enough shelves yet so a few of the wall shelves are being moved over as well. Weeding out the theological section is a job that Paul Hinderlie is tackling. Holden's library is slowly moving out of the 60's and 70's to a new millennium resource.

The new library will have a separate section for "Ginny's Corner", the children's area. A mountain scene will be built to separate it off from the adult area and the children will enter via a cave in the front. There will also be an adult door for those accompanying the kid. All in all the work is going well. I thought that work in my old library was slow at times, but "Holden Time" is an alternative time zone. I love it though. So many fun people and activities.

This Weekend's Hike

Both Art and I had today off so we thought we would take a hike up the Railroad Creek valley to Hart Lake. The hike is 4.5 miles one way and not too hard. In the summer, the lake is stocked with fish and Art wanted to try his hand at catching tomorrows breakfast fish. This picture is looking back down the valley towards Holden.

This is Hart Lake from above. It is a clear and deep lake fed by glacial water.

Here is the retired Art Neslund doing what he loves the most. He caught 3 small ones that he tossed back in. The day was warm and sunny. We saw two other hikers at the lake but other than that the day was just the two of us. We got back just in time for Saturday night's pizza dinner.

Our Home - Chalet 14

Life in the Wilderness

Life in an isolated area can be difficult at times. The power goes off frequently and we have a flashlight on every table and we don't leave the laptop on in case of a sudden power surge. When the power goes out at night, the darkness is both awesome and over whelming. The stars are bright but there is no other light to mark a path or guide one on your way home. When we first got here we had to find nightlights for the bathroom and bedroom. Things are so dark that a trip to the bathroom at night can do you in.

Since we have been here 2 people have been hurt. My friend Lydia, after way too long in a hot tub, fainted and did a face plant into a bunch of rocks. She was touch and go for a day or so. She had a concussion for sure and so we took two hour shifts with her to make sure she was alright. I slept in her room the second night just to keep tabs on her. If her injuries were more serious she would have been on a helicopter ride out of here. Her face looks bad but she will heal.

Also today, I had gone down to the lake for a dip in Lake Chelan when a call came in on the radio. The high school was out on a hike and one of the boarding students fell and twisted her ankle. The teacher had to carry her out to the bus and we drove her back to the village for first aid treatment.

In many ways this is my dream situation. I plan to be trained as a wilderness first responder and I want to learn all I can about emergency first aid. In some other life I must have been an EMT.

Come and Visit - Half Price Now

Autumn in the mountains is so beautiful. Holden has told us that during these non-peak seasons our friends can visit for half price. We will only be here this one fall season and it is truly the best time to see Holden and the Cascade Mountains. No flies or mosquitoes and the snow has not yet covered the trails. email registration at regestration@holdenvillage.org. Tell them you are friends of Art and Joan Neslund. We would love to see you.

Railroad Creek Trail - 13 miles to the lake

Sunday, I went with several lady friends, and we took a long hike from Holden Village, down the mountain to Lake Chelan. 13 miles total, which took us about 6 hours.

We hiked through the area of last year's fire, which is already growing back nicely.

Just as I thought my legs could go no further, we saw the lake. We finished the hike by jumping into the cold water and eating sandwiches on the boat dock. Chuck Carpenter drove us back to the village in the bus. It was a wonderful day.

Art's First Day as a Bus Driver

Today was Art's first day as a Holden bus driver. He was excited and nervous at the same time. He was trained last week but today is his first solo day up and down. Our friends Joe and Jan Riggs from Ellensburg will be coming up today, so they will experience his new skills first hand. As the bus first pulls into the village, the bus driver (they have a captive audience) gives a talk about safety, bears and other critters, fire alarms and other Holden basics. Each driver can give this speech a bit of their own personal flair. He is hoping to develop a fun and yet informative style.

The First Day of School

The first day of school at Holden Village is very unorthodox. The entire village comes out in costume and tries to stop the school bus from taking the children away. You need to understand that the school is just a block away down the hill but on this one day a bus picks them up at their door. The bus driver (Nancy) has a cigarette and beer cans that fall out of the bus every time the door opens. At each stop a new scenario happens. At one door the mother screamed and cried as her babies were leaving home. She kept running out with tissues and band aids so her precious children would be safe while they were away from her. At another door the High School teacher (Dave) was shrieked at by his new wife as he bumbled out the door forgetting his shoes, lunch, pipe and other things. Finally, after about an hour the bus heads up to the third level of the mine for a once a year trip and then back to the school for a “first day of school” picture. This year there was one new shy kindergartener, Olaf. He was a bit unsure of this hoopla over his very first day of school.