Approximately 6 years ago Anchorage was enjoying a very early spring and then March 17th came around and we were hit with a late season snowstorm that brought us 27″ of snow setting an all time record for late measurable snow fall.
April 25, 2008 will break that as we are under a heavy snow warning with up to 24″ of snow projected by tomorrow. The Tanana River up north still has ice that is 40″ thick which is the thickest they have seen since at least 2002. The Denali Park Road is still closed and will be for awhile to come. In fact there is talk that the shuttle bus schedule slated to start at the end of May will in fact be pushed back. The road opening is labeled as “unknown”.
Obviously spring is no where near here. But with 24″ of snow it’s obvious I will not be going anywhere this weekend. Especially given there is now extreme avalanche warnings up and down the Turnagain Arm.
Brown Bear Feeding
Southcentral Alaska
Brown bears are found in much of Alaska south of the Arctic Circle. The legendary large bears live where the salmon do — in southwestern Alaska and along the Gulf of Alaska coast, where they feed on spawning salmon — or in this case moose.
Note: I took the above photo a month ago and debated long and hard about posting this given I know it would have the tendency to probably offend a few. But I looked at the subject long and hard and decided to go with it given it is simply the reality of life.
American Bald Eagle
Homer, Alaska
A sure sign of winter nearing its end as the American Bald Eagles on the Homer Spit are no longer being fed for the winter season. While many are still in the area the vast numbers that would appear in the mornings of the last several month have indeed dwindled.
Once again Mother Nature has had her laugh at my expense. This time it included me driving all the way up to Denali Park (250 miles each way) only to find the park closed because of recent snowstorms. But alas it was a beautiful day, albeit a long drive to find myself turned back. And of course in that amount of time the National Park Service finally decided to update the road status. Apparently if it hadn’t been for the storms they would have opened the road to Tek this weekend. It appears that should hopefully happen sometime next week.
Ever since returning home I have found my thoughts wandering on the upcoming summer. And while I have my trips to Katmai, Southeast Alaska, Anan Creek and McNeil River planned there are some that I want to fit in, including:
Dalton Highway to Antigun Pass
McCarthy/Kennecott
Taylor Highway to Eagle
Given these areas are so remote they are best not done alone. I definitely need to find myself an adventurous camping partner. That and I need to get to bed given I have a 3:30 a.m. wakeup call for a day trip to Homer for one last shot at eagle photography.
Despite Mother Nature’s unnecessarily cruel joke of handing us an additional 6 inches of snow yesterday on top of the 8 inches we received on Saturday, that hasn’t stopped the rhythmic pitch of spring fever and wanderlust from building within me. I’ve attempted to satiate this unending thirst by finalizing my trip to Southeast Alaska next month. A trip which will fly me into Juneau and take me on a ferry journey through Sitka, Petersburg, Wrangell and then on to Ketchikan before I fly home.
Yet the beat still echoes within. So much so that even though the Denali Park Road is not yet open to Teklanika I may just head up to the park anyway this weekend to drive the road to Savage River. For those of us that live for summer in this great state getting through this transitional season known as April can just be some of the most difficult times to endure.
Now if I can only make a sacrifice to the weather gods to throw some warmer weather and sun our way.
Melt snow, melt! Work with me here.
Mother Nature is a little late with her April Fools joke this year. But alas she did toss one at us to the appearance of a fresh cover of new snow. And not just a few inches of it but up to a foot of new snow that has fallen in Anchorage since early yesterday morning. Any visions of spring dancing in my head has very obviously been delayed.
Here I was looking forward to hitting the pavement this weekend for a nice long walk only to have those plans scratched. That’s right folks, Mother Nature has been added to my “s-list”. I don’t know what’s worse - the fact that I have a gray whale watch cruise and get away weekend scheduled for Seward on the 19th and they are predicting that s-n-o-w word or because I’m now forced to go rearrange my plans and go and join a (gag) gym!
She sure has some explaining to do.
So as the saying goes “March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb”. As such would be the case here in South-central. When the month began we were met with snow and frigid temperatures. Alas mother nature has eased her grip and instead given us rain showers to end it. I have always loved the smell of fresh rain. And it always helps clean the smell of the leaf rot that has been hiding under the snow all those winter months.
I had an interesting question arrive in my e-mail box this morning from a casual visitor to this site. While it seemed to be a simple question the response is one that is not so equivocally easy.
“What is it to be an Alaskan?”
Having lived here for 30 years I can give you my own thoughts on what it is and isn’t. But to ask anyone this I will say your answers you get will no doubt be different. In my experience those that live here have a love it or hate it relationship with this state. Those that truly call Alaska home and consider themselves an Alaskan are bound by the sense of spirit that exists here. Being an Alaskan is simply imagining yourself living no where else.
Sure there are times that I have thought about leaving here. To live in a warmer climate. But then I think about crowds, traffic and those thoughts quickly dim. All I have to do is then step outside and look at the grandeur around me to realize this is the best choice for me. Despite not being a fan of winter.
Alaska simply is. It’s a sense of spirit. It’s allowing yourself to be open minded and experiencing it. To learn about its cultures and terrain unlike you will experience anywhere else. It’s allowing yourself to giving yourself to her in body, mind, and soul - and taking in return. It’s a sense of adventure.
Alaska is simply living. But only if you let it.
