Alaska in Springtime

There are an amazing number of things to do in the spring in Alaska. For as ugly as it gets in town, the mountains are still a haven for playtime, and with the longer hours, one can get out there pretty much every day. Last week, we had a lovely birthday party on Blueberry Hill to celebrate my dear friend Megan's 26th birthday (join the club sister!). The weather was gorgeous, the friends were terrific and even Mount Redoubt was puffing ceremoniously to celebrate the day.



Circle of friends.


Me with the birthday girl.


Mt. Redoubt, with a massive adjustment in contrast to bring out the image.


Unfortunately the weather for the rest of the week has not exactly been cooperating. On Thursday night I was bound and determined to sleep outside in a tent. I even had the pleasure of getting my new sleeping bag in time for this excursion. Thursday greeted me with rain and wind in town, which meant snow and wind in the mountains. Given a late start, and a lack of a trail, our original plan of camping in the ballfield had to be abandoned. So Janna and I scampered up Blueberry Hill, the site of the previous Chugach party, and pitched a tent in blowing snow. The weather made for a rather drafty evening, but all in all I was extremely glad to get out of the confines of four walls and a roof for a night.

Today, I again made my way into the park. This time just taking a quick jaunt up Peak 2 and Flattop with my neighbors' dog, L'ika. The weather up high was again less than ideal. A nasty cutting wind was ripping over the top of the ridge and the summit of Flattop was getting absolutely blasted. Needless to say, I did not hang around long, but descended to the incredible snow field leading back to the parking lot. Here I slid, rolled, shoe-skied and pretty much had a grand old time cruising back to the car. I was soaking wet by the time I got back to the van only to discover that I had lost my key during my childish snowfield antics. Fortunately I have a nice father who drove out and rescued me. More springtime adventures to follow!