Day 22 - Hoonah, AK Day 1

I had a 7:20 AM flight to Hoonah this morning so I showed up about an hour early for my flight. When I told the check-in attendant that I was there for the 7:20 flight to Hoonah she started to laugh. Apparently, flying Wings of Alaska is much different than flying Delta or American Airlines. I approached the check-in counter and simply stated my name. The flight attendant looked on a piece of paper, saw my name, and told me to come back to the gate at 7:10. No photo ID, no boarding pass – nothing. I guess that’s why it was so funny that I had showed up an hour early for my flight. Apparently, most people come 10-15 minutes before the flight and walk right onto the plane. I learned the hard way as my mistake cost me about an hour of sleep this morning. When 7:10 rolled around I came back to the gate and a man wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap stood up and said, “I’m Justin, I’ll be the pilot for the 7:20 flight to Hoonah.” We followed him out onto the runway and boarded a small, 6-seat plane. One person sat next to the pilot and then there were two other rows with two seats each. We got on, the pilot started the engine, and the plane took off to Hoonah. Our luggage was neatly stacked behind the last row of seats and covered my a mesh net so it didn’t come into the seating area. The flight to Hoonah took an entire 18 minutes. I was on the ground by 7:40 and ready to head to my first village clinic.

I took a taxi from the “airport” (a small, wooden building with one room) to the dental clinic. The village of Hoonah is so small that any taxi ride is simply a $4 flat rate fee. Not a bad deal. I pulled into the clinic just as Cindy and Dr. Nascimento were walking in. We spent the morning setting up the clinic. Since no dentists work at the clinic full-time the dentists from Juneau are responsible for bringing basic supplies needed for oral surgery or other dental procedures. We spent the morning sorting and cleaning the clinic and making sure the chairs and x-ray machines functioned properly. We had cancellations at 9, 10, and 11 so I had some time in the morning to do more phone surveys. I have access to Eaglesoft from any SEARHC clinic so I simply found an empty office and started on my calls. I found it amazing that these patients did not make it into the clinic today. First off, at no point in Hoonah are you farther than about a 15 minute walk from the clinic. Also, the dentist coming to the clinic is a rare occasion so I find it strange that people would pass up the opportunity for care (especially since it’s free through the Indian Health Services!). Examples like these are what make dental care in Alaska such a challenge in comparison to the rest of the United States.

It was yet another great day outside today so we went down to the main attraction in Hoonah, AK for lunch – the Historic Salmon Cannery. Recently, an organization of private shareholders invested a bunch of money into the Cannery. They renovated the building to its original structure and turned it into a museum. In addition, they turned the area into a private port for cruise ships to come and visit during the summer. There are many great excursions that leave from the port – whale watching, ATV adventures, fishing, and Hoonah’s most famous attraction – the Zipride.

As soon as I saw the Zipride I knew that I had to find a way to get a ticket. It’s a zipline that starts from the top of a mountain and goes straight to the bottom. You travel 5,300 feet at 60 MPH while dropping 1,300 feet in elevation - in just 90 seconds. Normally the Zipride is reserved for cruise ship tourists, but occasionally they don’t sell all of the spots and today was one of those days! I got a ticket for the afternoon group so I hung around the Cannery and dock for an hour or so. There were lots of great restaurants and little gift shops. Not to mention a gorgeous beach on a backdrop of snow-capped mountains surrounded by miles of nature trails. Once my group was called I boarded a bus and headed straight up the mountain.

The bus ride in and of itself was a great experience. We had a Tlingit tour guide who explained the history of Hoonah. The Cannery used to be a huge source of income for the town. In the Icy Straits right near the dock there is an abundance of King salmon, Chum Salmon, Silver Salmon, and Halibut. When it was fully operational the Cannery produced millions of pounds of fish annually. It took all of 1 minute to drive through downtown Hoonah. There is one grocery store and one gas pump. Not one gas station, just one gas pump. Gas is currently $3.77 per gallon. Ace Hardware is the only chain store in the entire village. There is one school building for students K-12 and the Class of 2010 produced just 9 graduates. After we passed through downtown we continued to climb higher and higher into the mountains. There was lots of nature along the ride. We saw two bald eagles and some grizzly bear paw prints. At a couple of points along the route we stopped to look over the side of the mountain at the village. Off in the distance you could see an area that used to be a camp for loggers. The ride took about 45 minutes. We then had a 5 minute hike to the top of the Zipride.

They really know how to build the anticipation at the top of the mountain. You stand on a platform behind where people are put in their harness and sent down the zipline. You can see people disappear off of the side of the mountain and hear them screaming, but you can never actually see where they are going. Eventually I reached the front of the line and had a chance to look over the ledge. I now know why they don’t let people look over before it is their turn to go. Let’s just say they would probably have to have a bus waiting for people who would be sprinting back down the mountain in fear because 5,300 feet is a long way. You get strapped into you harness and place your feet on a door. You are in a seated position so you once again cannot see what is below you. Eventually, the door opened and for a split second, before I actually started falling, I was just staring straight down the face of the mountain. And then I was off. It was an amazing experience. After about the first 5 seconds you settle in and can enjoy being above the spruce trees and snow-caps on the mountain. They took some professional pictures so I will put those up when they become available online.

I headed back to the clinic in the afternoon. The afternoon patients made it to the clinic so I had a chance to do my waiting room survey for the first time. This is going to be the most important part of my summer project as it will help shape what form my patient education material eventually takes.

I took a run back to the Historic Cannery in the afternoon and then settled into Sportsman’s Bed and Breakfast. The place is actually really nice. Pat, the owner, is really nice and accommodating. She agreed to wake up early to make us breakfast tomorrow. I can already taste her “world famous” French Toast. Even though there is no internet in the B&B I do have DirectTV. I consider it a fair trade. Today was definitely a long day and tomorrow will be a long as well since I am working in the clinic from 7 AM – 6 PM. Off to bed…