Haines preschool aide and artist Karen Bryant shares stories of her summer work as a camp cook atop a Skagway glacier in a new book, “Dog Camp – a Short Account of Living and Cooking on an Alaska Glacier.”
Bryant created the homegrown project from start to finish, from text and original recipes to pen-and-ink drawings that highlight the spiral-bound publication produced at King’s Store.
The 72-page book chronicles a season atop the icefields near Denver Glacier where Bryant has worked six summers feeding dog-mushing guides and visitors to Alaska Icefield Expeditions, owned and operated by Dan and Chris Turner of Haines.
“And all those furry athletes have personalities – they have good days, bad days and their own social agendas,” Bryant writes.
Glacial cooking offers unique challenges but also unique rewards, Bryant recounts through tales interspersed with recipes.
“Helicopters landing and taking off directly behind the kitchen create winds that regularly blow out the stoves and noise that suspends conversation. Condensation drips from the roof. Water does not pour out of taps – hot or cold. Dishes are washed the old fashioned way, in dishpans – by hand. There is no plumbing,” Bryant writes. I cannot think of another kitchen I would rather cook in.”
Her book includes a variety of camp favorites, notably a wide selection of breads, plus entrees and side dishes from salads to desserts.
“It’s been in the back of my mind for a long time… considering how much I love cooking and what a strange place we live in,” Bryant said this week.