Jackets and Shoes for Alaska

[GlacierLady]

@GlacierLady: Wow, 5 hours to ride for 2!!!!! I can't possibly imagine doing that. We have nice places to ride here though, so it's quite nice. (I'm from New York--about 1/2 hour north of the Manhattan)

 

 

So, what you're trying to say is that we just need comfortable shoes. How wet will my sneakers get? Do I really need a second pair to bring with me?? I can already see it: I'll probably bring 3 different pair of dress shoes (1 pair for the formal nights and 2 for the other nights), 2 pair of sneakers, & flip flops for the pool. That is 6 pair!!!!! I usually only bring 3/4--I'd be NUTS. Even if I get rid of one of the nice shoes, that's STILL too many for me. Help!

I have to get my riding fix in and that's the best place I've found. They let me go out on my own or bring my friends along with. I used to show/train and ride everyday before I moved up here. They are just too expensive here. (I still can't believe I left my horse I had almost my whole life, but she was getting old and is now gone :( )I can get alot of riding in for what just board alone would cost and there isn't any places for boarding in my area.

 

Yes, comfort is #1...How wet your sneakers get depends on how much water you walk through...roflmao :) I have 1 pair I wear all the time, even if it's raining. I just avoid the big lakes...heehee I can see a pair for formal night but why 2 more for other nights plus 2 pair of sneakers? I would be wearing the flip flops the whole time on the ship!

 

sk84fungirl...The boat should have heat inside.

 

We got a couple inches of snow this morning. :)

[tapia]

I have to get my riding fix in and that's the best place I've found. They let me go out on my own or bring my friends along with. I used to show/train and ride everyday before I moved up here. They are just too expensive here. (I still can't believe I left my horse I had almost my whole life, but she was getting old and is now gone :( )I can get alot of riding in for what just board alone would cost and there isn't any places for boarding in my area.

 

Yes, comfort is #1...How wet your sneakers get depends on how much water you walk through...roflmao :) I have 1 pair I wear all the time, even if it's raining. I just avoid the big lakes...heehee I can see a pair for formal night but why 2 more for other nights plus 2 pair of sneakers? I would be wearing the flip flops the whole time on the ship!

 

sk84fungirl...The boat should have heat inside.

 

We got a couple inches of snow this morning. :)

 

@GlacierLady: Thank you so very much for the information. I got in contact with Steve and it sounds great. I'm really excited about the idea of going there! I'm so sorry about your horse!

 

Will my sneakers get wet just walking around? I mean, it must downpour to do that--right? So, I can just wear 1 pair of sneakers & keep that for the phone trip......... Then I'd need a pair for the formal night--I don't think I could match the formal night pair to everything else, so I need one more nice night + 1 pair of flip-flops. That gives me 4 pair of shoes! (Unless you think I need a spare set of sneakers (just in case).......

 

You're too much! There's no way I could walk around with flip flops the whole time! Even though I'm used to snow in NY, we don't measure it in feet!!!! On the other hand, my dad went to school in Wisconsin & he'll probably wear flip flops everywhere!

[Scrumpy]

I've been looking at these Rubber Moc Bean Boots and I wonder if anyone knows how they fit. I can't imagine ordering a size 6, which is what they recommend if you wear a 7 1/2... I'm tossing up getting them because I can always use more outdoor shoes here at home; we have a rack full of shoes by the back door and they all get worn.

 

Also, if you were going dog sledding, what kind of shoes would you wear? I have no idea about dog sleds. So, if you are standing on a platform, you'd need something with good traction, right? Anybody have a clue if regular slip-on shoes like the Merrells would be okay? (I feel like a complete idiot asking this question, btw).

 

Thanks!

Scrumpy

 

 

[Scrumpy]

I have to get my riding fix in and that's the best place I've found. They let me go out on my own or bring my friends along with. I used to show/train and ride everyday before I moved up here. They are just too expensive here. (I still can't believe I left my horse I had almost my whole life, but she was getting old and is now gone :( )I can get alot of riding in for what just board alone would cost and there isn't any places for boarding in my area....We got a couple inches of snow this morning. :)

 

GL, sorry about your horse. It's hard to lose them. I know people from Alaska who had horses. They finally moved back down here; some areas sound like they take a lot of hard work and it's expensive. Glad you at least still get to go ride. (Makes me think a vacation in Anchorage is pretty good idea; DH wants to do the marathon there someday).

 

I'm sure in a few days I will be hoping for snow. It's 70 today. Feels much warmer and is going to be pushing 80 tomorrow. I think we have one more snowstorm left here, though. Maybe even two :)

Scrumpy

[Boulder]

Manchester, England here - yep cold and wet as ever!

 

Thanks to everyone on this thread. I've just spent the last hour reading all the messages and they really made me laugh.

 

As a first time cruiser I had no idea what to pack for the trip (still confused if I'm truthful!) We sail from Vancouver on June 7th having spent the previous 9 days in the Rockies. Following the cruise we've got 4 days in Vancouver, 3 days in Seattle and a week in San Francisco - try packing for all that in two suitcases! (yes I know I'm lucky).

 

Only 9 pairs of shoes? conservative in my case.

Trousers? To jean or nor to jean, that's the question.

Yellow is not my colour, so forget the Mickey Mouse poncho bought at Disneyworld Florida during their wettest ever June.

Threw out the earmuffs after everyone at football took the mickey out of me.

 

The nearer it gets, the more indecisive I become.

DH can't understand what all the fuss is about. He'll pack in an hour and be fine.

 

I feel yet another shopping trip coming on - wish me luck

[emarismom]

Boulder,

 

I'm the one with nine pair of shoes, and boy am I glad to see there are others who see things the way I do :D

 

June is always wet in Florida, I doubt it was the wettest one. These days wet is great as long as there are no hurricanes:eek: . I really don't think I could handle another year like the past two. My current issue (besides the shoes and packing for Alaska) is whether to put up the hurricane shutters before we leave on the trip. Season starts June 1, we leave June 9:confused: , ten days away from home. I'll be watching the African coast very carefully.

 

I say you go for the Mickey poncho, I'm probably bringing mine:D

[Set2travel]

Hello Gang! I have not had two seconds to post...a good thing when the ability to travel relies directly to your ability to stay busy and make money!

Glacierlady...so sorry to hear about your horse. I love all of my animals and I mourn when one passes. I am glad you got a fix!

What do you mean you got snow? Yukon said that spring had sprung in Carcross...he even posted some nice pictures. Hopefully spring is headed your way.

Boulder...Hello! Congrats on your first cruise. You will have a wonderful time. I too am another shoe freak...I visited your beautiful country last year for 2 weeks and had a suitcase dedicated to shoes. That was a HUGE mistake...I had to lugg my suitcases in and out and in and out oh geez I did a horrible job of planning. If there was ever a time I should have packed light that was it! I vote you have a couple of wash times and pack lighter than you normally would for a 3 week vacation.

Emarismom...Will the hurricane shutters really help with the severe weather? You should have seen our yard Saturday morning. We lost quite a few trees and fortunatley none landed on the house. I was actually afraid in our basement...and I'm no chicken! We had considered buying a place at the beach with our friends. They bought at Carillon Beach and 2004 they were blasted with that hurricane that hit at the end of Sept and then again in Aug of 2005. I am glad we did not purchase on the coast anywhere. I love the beach but they stress over the weather now.

[Set2travel]

I am going to goole the Rubber Moc Bean Boot!:D

[Scrumpy]

Manchester, England here - yep cold and wet as ever!

 

Thanks to everyone on this thread. I've just spent the last hour reading all the messages and they really made me laugh.

 

As a first time cruiser I had no idea what to pack for the trip (still confused if I'm truthful!) We sail from Vancouver on June 7th having spent the previous 9 days in the Rockies. Following the cruise we've got 4 days in Vancouver, 3 days in Seattle and a week in San Francisco - try packing for all that in two suitcases! (yes I know I'm lucky).

 

Only 9 pairs of shoes? conservative in my case.

Trousers? To jean or nor to jean, that's the question.

Yellow is not my colour, so forget the Mickey Mouse poncho bought at Disneyworld Florida during their wettest ever June.

Threw out the earmuffs after everyone at football took the mickey out of me.

 

The nearer it gets, the more indecisive I become.

DH can't understand what all the fuss is about. He'll pack in an hour and be fine.

 

I feel yet another shopping trip coming on - wish me luck

 

You'll do fine with the packing - IMO, nights are chilly and sometimes downright cold in all those places, so you probably will use the extra cold weather clothes. Long trips are so nice; I want another one... Now! I do the same kind of packing when we've gone from the beach to the still-snowy mountains. All one thing is easier, but the variety on extended trip makes it worth the increased hassle (and baggage). :)

 

Jealous of you being over there in spite of the wetness (actually, we could use some wetness here - I am jealous full stop). Some of the happiest times of my life were in the UK - lived in Oxford and Kidlington. It's been too long... I bet the daffodils are blooming now, aren't they?

Scrumpy

[emarismom]

Scrumpy, I'm with you, I'd rather be in the UK then here, especially since I've never been there. I'm off from work for the week and I'm at home:( , I really could use a vacation. Haven't done any really vacation since last July, (I did go to Disney twice, but that DOES NOT count as a vacation).

I can't wait until June!!!

Set2Travel, I'm going to remember you as I pack, and I'm also going to chant "I WILL NOT OVERPACK, I DON"T NEED SO MANY PAIRS OF SHOES", maybe that will stop me from actually doing it:rolleyes:

As for the hurricane shutters, whether they will really work, I can't answer that. It really depends on the storm. Personally, they have never made a difference to me. I have never heard debris flying and hitting my shutters. I have put them up for every hurricane since I bought this house. I have had other kinds of damage, the sound of roof tiles ripping off the roof is pretty scary. But in all honesty, Miami has not had a catagory two or above storm since Andrew in 1992. During that one, like Katrina, storm shutters were no protection against the weather. The stress of living on the coast has increased dramatically in the last few years. I just think it is better safe than sorry. Add to that the insurance isues of not being prepared if something happens, and it looks like the shutters may go up. It's better safe? than sorry.

I think I'm going to have to go shopping today, I'm in the mood for some retail therapy.

[6Arabianhorses]

I've been looking at these Rubber Moc Bean Boots and I wonder if anyone knows how they fit. I can't imagine ordering a size 6, which is what they recommend if you wear a 7 1/2... I'm tossing up getting them because I can always use more outdoor shoes here at home; we have a rack full of shoes by the back door and they all get worn.

 

When I got mine a couple of years ago.........they are wonderful for wet, cold, snow, rain, etc. and I wear mine all the time in the winter.........I just ordered my regular size, which is a 9. I have a narrow foot, but with socks they fit just fine, and I always wear socks with them. They are fantastic for the barn, barnyard, pasture, round pen, etc. They don't have the steel toes, of course, but my horses have learned to watch where they are going and not step on me. :p ..............now I've done it!! I'll probably get stepped on! :eek:

[GlacierLady]

Thanks guys, my horse was my best friend for many many years. Boxes of trophies and ribbons. I do miss her but will always still love riding. I feel confident putting any age or experince level on Steve's horses at Horse Trekkin.The moose do freak me out though. :) They are still bigger than me.

 

Hurricanes don't happen here.Those sound awefully scarey.We do get earthquakes that I think are really kewl. I just don't want to be hit by a tsunami. I'd be the 1st to see it rolling in where I live.

 

What do you wear when it rains there? Don't your feet get wet? ...haahaahaa All these silly questions and you deal with worse weather at home. Those rubber bean boots could be usefull. I might just check those out myself.

 

The snake skin in the yard..yuck...no ticks,snakes,cockroaches,fleas, even the skeeters don't like Seward..lol I do know 2 people that got bite by brown reclusive spiders last summer. Both survived but was not fun for either. They had to get specialists in Anch.

 

 

Scrumpy...It depends on what kind of dogsledding...I'm assuming a heli/glacier trip. I wear my tennis shoes. They have good traction. You'd be standing on what's called runners...a narrow strip of wood similar to skis. You also have a handlebar to hang on to. The dogs don't go real fast and all you would need to do is hang on. They have 2 sleds hooked up with a pro-handler on one. Both sleds have baskets that you can ride in, usually taking turns between standing and riding.

 

Yes, I woke up to a couple inches of snow this morning but it's all gone now. I was picking pussy willows 2 days ago. It was snowing most of the way home from Anch tonight and I got to yell BINGO. WOOHOOO

[6Arabianhorses]

Sorry to be OT, but DH just got a very intriguing recruitment offer to come and work in "coastal Alaska". The money is A LOT more than what he makes here, but I just don't know about moving the horses up there???? We have so many ties to this area (family, friends, etc.), that it would be a HUGE move. We may check into it though. Wonder what "coastal Alaska" means???? DH is a surgeon and it said there is a new hospital opening in October 2006 and they need a surgeon. Any clues Glacier Lady?

[emarismom]

Glacier Lady,

Congratulations on the BINGO, it's always fun to win. Hope it was a big one.

We don't have any earthquakes here. Tsunamis aren't too likely on the Atlantic coast, but nowadays it seems any thing is possible. The hurricanes are bad, but at least we have time to "prepare" for them. People can evacuate, shutter up, whatever is necessary. If a really big one came to South Florida though, there would be noway to get all the people out. Population is way to dense and highways can't handle normal traffic levels.:eek:

The snake skin was grass. Haven't seen any more signs of the little fellow. But I know he and his friends are out there somewhere. We do get all the rest of the varments you mentioned. YUK!! is right.

 

A friend of mine's daughter got bit by a brown recluse about a year and a half ago. She ended up having three surgeries to fix her up. She still

complains at times that her leg hurts. It could have been much worse.

Still snowing, I could never get used to that. It's 75 degrees here. I'm wearing shorts, a tank, and no shoes. (Now that's ironic, I need to pack so many pairs, and don't wear them at all at home:rolleyes: )

[6Arabianhorses]

BTW, just thought I'd re-inforce something that was mentioned earlier......EBAY is definitely a wonderful way to shop and save money. We live in such a rural area that I do the majority of my shopping either online or at our "mall".......WalMart! :D I have found some wonderful deals on Ebay..........I just bought a brand new with tags St. John Evening Collection cocktail dresss for $102. The original price from Saks was $800! I haven't looked for LL Bean boots, but I would guess you might be able to find them on Ebay too.

[GlacierLady]

Sorry to be OT, but DH just got a very intriguing recruitment offer to come and work in "coastal Alaska". The money is A LOT more than what he makes here, but I just don't know about moving the horses up there???? We have so many ties to this area (family, friends, etc.), that it would be a HUGE move. We may check into it though. Wonder what "coastal Alaska" means???? DH is a surgeon and it said there is a new hospital opening in October 2006 and they need a surgeon. Any clues Glacier Lady?

 

Coastal would mean along the coast, probably more remote, very possible no roads out of there. It could be really hard to have horses. More than likely everything would need to be shipped by plane or boat. Can you find out anymore info? I'll ask around tomorrow too. What kind of surgeon is he?

 

 

My Walmart is 125 miles away. I've done lots of shopping on Ebay but I get some shipping grief. Alaska is in the USA!

[6Arabianhorses]

Coastal would mean along the coast, probably more remote, very possible no roads out of there. It could be really hard to have horses. More than likely everything would need to be shipped by plane or boat. Can you find out anymore info? I'll ask around tomorrow too. What kind of surgeon is he?

 

I assumed it meant along the coast, but was wondering about what town along the coast you might have heard is building a new hospital with it opening in October. He is a general surgeon (meaning he does trauma, appendectomies, hernias, gallbladders, breast surgery, mastectomies, colon surgery, all types of cancer surgery, lots of endoscopy and laparoscopy. He is also specialty trained in Burns and Critical Care medicine. We typically treat 5 or 6 brown recluse spider bites every year too. He also does "lumps and bumps", skin cancers, etc.). I don't have too much info on it yet as we just got the letter yesterday. We will see, like I said it would be a HUGE undertaking, both logistically and emotionally. Plus, he is the only surgeon for 2 counties up here in the mountains of western NC and that would be hard to leave our practice. Thanks for asking around.

[tangerinebunny]

Emarismom, with a week off, you can be our sacrificial, errr, test packer. You have all week to pack and repack, then give us your handy packing list. right? ;)

[emarismom]

Tangerine Bunny,

If I pillued out the suitcases now, I would never hear the end of it. My husband would rag on me until the end of time!!

I did go to Old Navy a little while ago. I bought a brown water proof jacket that is lined with pink fleece. Very light and very comfy. It was 16.99, seemed like a fair price. Now the BIG QUESTION: Do I bring a heavy coat as well? I have a much heavier one I got a while back for Denver in January, will I need that to? Should I just take the light one and layer underneath? Remember I am from MIAMI. If I don't take the big one, it leaves much more room (for shoes, ha ha). I may have some extra space for "Alaska stuff".

I have not done much of anything the last few days, except catch up on the boards:) . I had a houseful of kids both Tuesday and Wednesday.

I did go through mine and the kids closets and got rid of toys and outgrown clothes. I flat out refuse to clean!! Tommorrow I will touch up a little, but after all I am on vacation, even if I am stuck at home.

[tangerinebunny]

I'm going lined raincoat and cuddle duds option. I may look like the Michelin Woman when I get layered up for glacier viewing, but who's going to be looking at me?

[emarismom]

I don't care much who looks at me, but I really don't want to look fat in pictures!! I was thinking of the big jacket for the helicopter landing and for the day in Glacier Bay. If I do get cold I want to be prepared, but after the ten bags I took to Denver, Ireally don't want that much stuff again.

What are cuddle duds?

[tangerinebunny]

I don't care much who looks at me, but I really don't want to look fat in pictures!! I was thinking of the big jacket for the helicopter landing and for the day in Glacier Bay. If I do get cold I want to be prepared, but after the ten bags I took to Denver, Ireally don't want that much stuff again.

 

What are cuddle duds?

cuddle duds are really soft long johns. silk is good too. lots of places seem to have them on sale at the moment. They make good backup pj's too.

[emarismom]

I do have long johns,I don't know the brand name. So I'll throw them in. I can sleep in them or just use a tee of my husbands if they are too hot.

Definitly won't pack another set of PJ's.

[campngrl]

Set2Travel-we are going on the Alaskan cruise June 17th. We are also from Atlanta. What part are you from. We live around the Stone Mountain area. Please let me know how the cruise was and of course how the weather was. Maybe I could unload some long johns and shoes if I hear from you before we leave. Cant wait for it to get here.

Lynn

[Boulder]

Emarismom - When I was there, Disney was a darn sight wetter than Manchester and that's saying something. In most of the photos I have on that awful yellow poncho, flip flops and a mobile attached to my ear checking on my girls back home. In Miami (went to photograph the art deco buildings) I paddled ankle deep in water

 

Scrumpy - yep daffodils out in full bloom but at present being destroyed by strong winds and rain. Oxford doesn't get weather like we do up north.

My brother lives near Oxford, place called Clanfield near Brise Norton airbase. Have a feeling he worked at Kidlington once in a while.

 

Next time you come to UK you need to come North - very different from South!!

 

No retail therapy for me today, well not personally, had to take my 90yr old ex primary teacher out shopping for a jacket - what fun that was.

Am now going onto Lands End site to see what I can find, maybe they do a blue poncho - my sort of colour or better still red!!