A Mountainous Journey: Winkle in Kenai

Yesterday was a big day. Having come straight off the three day middle school retreat I awoke at 5:00am to meet Jamie and Larry to head 4 hours south to the town of Kenai. Once a month the pastors and DCE’s of Alaska’s LCMS congregations gather for a meeting called Winkle. We share our thoughts, struggles, and ideas in ministry, and have a time of fellowship. The place of meeting this month was in Kenai.

We left at 6:00am and began the beautiful drive south. Along the way we saw many mountains with receding snowlines. In the fall I watched the snow march from the top peaks downward to mainland. With spring arriving the opposite is happening.

"Ghost Forest" All those dead trees are from the great earthquake of 1964. The land dropped 15 feet and the trees were preserved due to salt water.

We also happened upon a Boar Tide. This is the second Boar Tide I have seen since being in Alaska which is rare as one must be in the right place at the right time. A Boar Tide is a tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave of water that travels up a river or narrow bay against the direction of the river or bay's current. As such, it is a true tidal wave and not to be confused with a tsunami, which is a large ocean wave traveling primarily on the open ocean. Bores are unique in that they occur in relatively few locations worldwide. Lucky for me, the Turnagin Arm of Alaska is one such place.

Boar Tide!

We were driving faster than the Boar Tide

Four hours later and we arrived in the town of Kenai.

We met for our Winkle meeting at Star of the North Lutheran Church. This month we shared what curriculum/resources we use in ministry. Sermon series, confirmation, Bible Studies, VBS, Sunday School etc. It was good to hear, and I got some ideas for future ministry when I take a full call. After Winkle we headed out to Louie’s for lunch as a group.

Following full stomachs our carload drove to the shoreline to catch a glimpse of the three volcanoes that are within 90 miles of Kenai—Mt. Redoubt (Which recently erupted in 2009), Mt. Iliamna, and Augustine (last erupted in 2006). I also got to see the immense amount of glacial silt along the coast. This fine silt often gets caught in cars as it’s so fine it goes right through the filters.