Nene Wolfe recently finished an eight-week 3,200-mile cross-country bicycle tour from San Diego to Saint Augustine, Florida. Wolfe heard about the trip through friend Sid Moffat, who worked as a guide for WomenTours. Twenty-four women participated. “It was amazing,” said Wolfe. “It was completely catered, sag wagons, hotels at night, and a cook that cooked the dinners in the evening.” Wolfe hadn’t ridden on a road bike until last summer, but had to get accustomed to long days in the saddle, ranging from 34 to 119 miles. “Eventually, 60-mile days became short days. Eventually,” she said. It wasn’t all pedaling. The group stopped at McDonald Observatory in Ft. Davis, Texas, went bowling, axe-throwing, and ate lots of ice cream. They contended with sand storms that held them up for a day with no visibility and 60-mile-per-hour winds, but only rode through a half day of rain, despite widespread flooding throughout Texas. After arriving in Florida, Wolfe met up with Chip and Heather Lende, who were there visiting family after Chip completed the Boston Marathon.
Four Haines School students completed a bicycle trip from Haines Junction to Haines, pedaling the 150-mile trek over four days. The idea formed among a cadre of pedal-happy students and staff. “There are a number of staff members who love riding bikes and we thought ‘shoot, that’d be a fun thing for kids to do and for us to spend more time riding,’” said coach Alex Van Wyhe. The club formed after spring break after Van Wyhe gauged interest from students and staff. Gym teacher Andus Hale and science teacher Zack Tourville rode with students three times a week plus longer rides on weekends, but the rides didn’t compare to the distances during their end-of-year ride. “For all of them, the first full day and the second full day were the longest they’ve ever ridden their bikes,” said Van Wyhe. The crew got help with spare parts and maintenance from Dustin and Katey Craney at Sockeye Cycle. Four students (Maddox Rogers, Maddie Hart, Camelia Bell and Colin Aldassy) completed the full distance, pitching tents at night and even cooking food for the chaperones by the end. “We didn’t even lift a finger,” said Van Wyhe. Overall, he said it was a great experience that he hopes to continue next year, if students are still interested. “The fact that they did the whole thing with a smile on their faces is pretty darn impressive.
A group of 12 third- through fifth-graders recently raised $375 for the Haines Animal Rescue Kennel as part of their Girls on the Run community impact project. The girls have been participating in the 21-week program that culminates in a 5-kilometer run and a project. Coach Kari Aynn Johnson said every year the girls select a group they want to help out, and HARK has always been near the top of the list since Johnson started coaching three years ago. Girls brought in brownies, thin mints, banana bread, lemonade and cheesecake cookies and set up outside of Olerud’s market. “It went really well, there were lots of treats, lots of people. We were only there for 45 minutes,” said Johnson. The fifth-graders graduating the program this year were Lila Tarlton, Brinley Ganey, Kaycie Ferrin and Yarona Jacobson, Alissa Henry and Dana Mills volunteered for the program
Four Haines youth recently finished the Yukon Invitational Championships, where they posted some impressive results led by 8-year-old Zephyr Cox, who won all five of the events in which he swam. “Most of them were pretty young. We’re not really hyper focused on times, we’re focused on having fun,” said Haines Dolphins coach Sydney Wray. “They were really happy to play foosball in between.” Still, the small team did well. Azeo Walsh, 6, finished second in the 25-meter free. Hazel Wray, 9, finished third in the 100-meter breaststroke, and Sita Price, 12, finished third in both the 100- and 50-meter breaststroke. The Dolphins wrapped up their season with a pizza party and awards and will take a rest with the pool closure for the month of June.
Harry Subertas recently won a 250-mile ultra marathon in Arizona, finishing in just under 60 hours. “I hit the 48-hour mark at 200 miles, and I knew 50 miles in 12 hours — it’s hard but it’s doable,” said Subertas. The 33-year-old who is spending his year in Reno but has property in Haines, has been working as a truck driver and considers ultra running a passion and a hobby. He still managed to beat a professional ultra runner Jeff Browning, passing him in the final downhill section of the race. “I was waiting for my muscles to cramp up or something to happen that would go wrong, but nothing went wrong. I was just shocked,” said Subertas, who is originally from Lithuania and came to Haines as a guide. Subertas said 10 days after his success, he’s back on his normal training regimen in preparation for three more 200-mile races this summer. His next competition will be in Lake Tahoe on June 14.
Roger Schnabel said rumors that he is going to fill in a wetland on the side of Haines Highway around Mile 5 are unfounded. Commenters on local Facebook groups wrote recently that Schnabel had applied for a permit with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to fill the wetlands, where trumpeter swans are regularly seen nesting. Schnabel said that’s not the case. He said he reached out to Fish and Game to let them know he would be working on the site, which has an uplands staging area for gravel that he said has been used since the 1970s for the breakwater and other projects in the community. Schnabel said he is in talks to sell the property, but declined to say to whom.
Mallory Benda, Gabe Hallmark and Leo Gilman are settling in at the American Bald Eagle Foundation as summer interns. The crew arrived to give some relief to foundation staff, including assistant director Maia Edwards, who found herself dealing with an unexpected surge of cruise ships over the past two weeks. “It’s been a huge help to have them. The big cruise ship days have been really chaotic,” said Edwards. The crew has been doing “everything” from docenting, feeding the birds, and taking admissions payment. Gilman, who is studying at Edwards’ alma mater Cornell, is even helping train the rescued bald eagle Bella to eat food while being held. Stewart Corona is doing a short stint volunteering at the foundation, helping out for two weeks as part of a high school senior service project. Corona is staying with residents Kate and Stan Boor, who worked with Corona’s dad, Craig, and Grechen Corona in the 1990s in Haines as guides.