Unique Alaskan Experiences

Startled by the camera flash, Mocha rests at Ophir, next to Picard, during Iditarod 2006.

Mocha must be a very special girl! Why else would she be wearing a customized racing coat, in Alaska state colors, with her name on it?

As you may have guessed, Mocha is not really my dog but I love her as if she were. She is a member of an elite Iditarod sled dog team owned by Dr. Eric Rogers of Eagle River, Alaska. I have the honor and pleasure of being her sponsor, which means that I have vicariously “adopted” her as my own. She was only 18 months old this past March when she completed her rookie Iditarod, along with her real “daddy”, Eric, the oldest human rookie in the 2006 race.

Read more about Eric and Mocha's journey at http://www.rnorthbounddogs.com and how you too can sponsor a Northbound Dog, become a commercial sponsor or a member of Roger’s Rangers at http://www.rnorthbounddogs.com/Sponsor.htm

Glacier Gardening

A Juneau ‘ice garden’ provides a surprising treat
by Christopher Batin 05/15/2006

I confess. I have sinned along with the countless cruise passengers stopping over for a day tour in Juneau. Like them, I looked at the Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure tour as advertising hype. How can you have an adventure in an ice garden — and for $19.95?

However, while in Juneau, I had a free afternoon, and my friend and Juneau resident, John Beiler, smiled as we planned the day.

“We’re going to Glacier Gardens,” he said, thinking I’d be overjoyed.

“It’s sunny out, John, which is rare for Juneau,” I replied. “Let’s see the whales, go fishing or hiking.”

He kept driving, pretending not to hear me. I kept an open mind, until I walked up to the garden entrance. From that point on, I was in awe. This was neither an ordinary garden, nor was it iced over.

Upturned spruce trees stood like Roman columns, each supporting a mini-amphitheater of flowers. Their wide, flat, sprawling roots flared in irregular circles that hovered 15 to 20 feet in the air. Each root tangle was filled with soil from which an abundance of plants emerged. While a wide trail snakes along the base of the trees, tourists bumped into each other regularly — most looking up at the floral spectacles.

“It is one of the most popular attractions in the Juneau area,” said Beiler, “and a popular choice for weddings and other events.”
Steve Bowhay married Cindy in 1988, and the couple expanded his gardening and greenhouse business into Glacier Gardens.

The flower garden is a small part of a larger tract of 50 acres of dense Southeast Alaska rainforest, accessible by a meandering forest trail. While it’s possible to hike the trail to the top of 520-foot Thunder Mountain, most people opt for a leisurely ride in one of the golf carts.
On the ride up, we leaned back and admired the thick rainforest beauty. Foxes, mink, otters, bears and eagles are often seen on the forest portion of the tour, as well as spectacular views of Chilkat Mountains, Gastineau Channel and the Mendenhall Valley. We stopped often to view flower-decorated ponds and waterfalls.

After I made the roundtrip, I wanted to make the journey again, only this time on foot, and perhaps even volunteer to plant a few flowers.
907-790-3377
www.glaciergardens.com


AT A GLANCE
Glacier Gardens is wheelchair accessible — great for cruise passengers who can’t handle traditional Alaska day tours. Buses leave downtown Juneau every 30 minutes and stop at Glacier Gardens.

Season: May 1-Sept. 30.
Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Cost is $19.95 for adults.

Climbers Gather for McKinley (Denali) Season
From the Anchorage Daily News May 8, 2006

CROWDS: Park Service expects 1,200 to attempt to summit mountain this year.

By MARY PEMBERTON The Associated Press
Published: May 8, 2006 Last Modified: May 8, 2006 at 01:45 AM

A steady stream of mountaineers is now headed for Mount McKinley to tackle North America's tallest mountain.

Four climbing teams were waiting at 8 a.m. May 1, the unofficial start of the summer climbing season, for the doors to open at the Talkeetna ranger station 60 air miles away, eager to check in and head up the 20,320-foot mountain.

"It is like the salmon," Roger Robinson, lead mountaineer at Denali National Park, said Tuesday as another van of climbers pulled into the parking lot. "They are arriving in a good number now."

Greg Collins, a 42-year-old guide with the Alaska Mountaineering School, was waiting Tuesday at Talkeetna Air Taxi for the clouds to clear to fly four clients from Alaska, New Jersey, New York and Illinois onto the mountain.

Collins has reached the summit 10 times.
"It's incredibly challenging," Collins said. "There are many hazards, but you get pretty good at it if you go there all the time. ... It makes you feel so alive."

As of Tuesday, 1,052 climbers were registered to climb Mount McKinley this summer. Park officials expect the number to reach about 1,200 climbers, with most of them on the mountain 135 miles north of Anchorage in the next two months.

Most will choose the less technical West Buttress route to the top, but not Collins' group. His group is going up the West Rib route, a steep ascent that provides a direct route to the summit but requires climbing up short sections of 60-degree ice inclines.

Climbers call one particularly scary stretch the "valley of death," Collins said. "I don't know why they call it the valley of death," he said. "There's just a few meters of death." While Mount McKinley is not considered the most difficult of the big mountains to climb, it is treacherous, mostly because the weather can become deadly in an instant. Robinson points to three Japanese climbers whose bodies were found in 1989.

"At some point, they were blown down and across the surface, just blown away," he said. "The only reason we found them is that the rope had snagged on some ice. The autopsy showed they were flash-frozen."

Park spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin said 83 climbers were on the mountain Tuesday.
Last year, a record 1,340 climbers attempted Mount McKinley. The peak climbing period is from late May to early June.

"There are over 600 we can have on the mountain at any given time in late May to June," McLaughlin said. Last year, 101 climbers reached the summit on June 15. "That was pretty amazing," she said.

On average, 52 percent make it to the top. Last year, 58 percent made it. Twin brothers from Ohio were among them, but they fell to their deaths on the way down at a particularly treacherous traverse between 17,200 feet and 18,300 feet. Their deaths were the only ones in 2005. "If you are tired on this traverse going back down, and it is pretty icy, it is the kind of ground if you start to slide it is really hard to stop," Robinson said.

Measures were taken a couple of years ago to make that part of the mountain safer, Robinson said. T-shaped pickets were driven into the mountain. The pickets have holes in them, with webbing and carabiners attached. The anchors are about 100-150 feet apart. "Climbers can clip into those as they go up and down," Robinson said. "If someone slips, theoretically this anchor should hold them."

It probably would have saved 55-year-old brothers Jerry and Terry Humphrey of Negley, Ohio, but they left their rope back at their snow cave, Robinson said. It looked like they decided at the last minute not to bring it, he said. "When the brothers fell last year, it was really icy," he said. "If they brought a rope they might not have fallen."

Nonguided climbing teams and individual climbers are required to register 60 days before their climbs. A fee of $200 per climber is required. Park rangers require basic information on climbers, including emergency contact numbers and their personal climbing histories.
Teams and individuals are not turned away because they look weak on paper, McLaughlin said. But rangers may encourage climbers to try easier climbs first or use a guide.

Climbers start by flying 50 air miles from Talkeetna to base camp at 7,200 feet on the Kahiltna Glacier. From there, climbers using the most popular route usually go to 7,800 feet, where they stop and camp in a flat area before starting up a gentle slope. Climbers proceed up a glacier until they reach 11,000 feet, where rangers advise them to take a couple of days to acclimate to higher elevations. From there, they head to Windy Corner at 13,000 feet -- not a good place to stop -- and on to the upper base camp at 14,200 feet. "People are coming in and out all the time, at all hours," he said.

The serious climbing begins from this point on, said Robinson, who has climbed the upper reaches of McKinley numerous times. Climbers use fixed lines to scale a steep rock and ice ridge to 16,200 feet. The mountain's high camp is an additional 1,000 feet on a shelf off the side of the mountain. "Generally, people don't spend a lot of time there," Robinson said.

The next section, the Denali Pass traverse from 17,200 to 18,300 feet, is where the Ohio brothers died. After walking across a basin, climbers at 20,120 feet are confronted with the summit ridge, the last 200 feet to the top of the mountain. The drop-off from the ridge is 2 miles on one side, 500 feet on the other. At that point, some climbers decide they've gone far enough, Robinson said. "For a lot of the year, it is real hard ice," Robinson said. "It would scare the typical person half to death to be there. They say, 'That is good enough.'?"

Sequins and Tuxedos Scare the Bears



In Alaska animals have the right of way and there is a saying, "sequins and tuxedos scare the bears"! This may or may not be true but for sure the “fashion police” never get this far north. That is one of the lures of this place.

The guidelines for dressing in Alaska are "comfortable and casual." In general, dress as you would for the climate in the Pacific Northwest or the New England states. Always be prepared for rain. It makes the most sense to dress in layers so you can take them off or put them on as the weather changes.

A typical day's attire might start out with warm socks, tennis shoes, jeans, an undershirt (or turtleneck if it's really cold), a wool sweater, your waterproof jacket and a bandana tied around your neck. If the day warms up, you can take off the jacket and the sweater. You could luck out and have real summer weather. You might want to pack fewer T-shirts than you will need and buy them along the way as souvenirs. A long-sleeved, lightweight shirt is de rigueur for warm summer evenings when mosquitoes, the so-called Alaskan state bird, are out in droves in some areas. Pants are acceptable for women everywhere, and even in the best restaurants you will find people dressed in jeans. The style-conscious might want to have a dress-up outfit for city nightclubs and fancy restaurants if those activities are on their agenda. There are very few of either in Alaska.

Comfortable shoes are a must. Tennis shoes have taken over in Alaska, although you may want specialized climbing and hiking shoes if you intend to go far off the beaten track. Rubber boots would be handy in the southeast and south central regions, but if you don't have them, make sure you have at least one change of shoes in case those you are wearing get wet. It's a rule of the north that if your head is warm and your feet are warm, the rest of you will be warm. Bring extra socks-preferably wool ones-and bring a hat. Have a bandana (a marvelously versatile item) with you at all times. A lightweight, zip-front, waterproof jacket with a hood will prove indispensable and easily gotten into and out of as the weather changes.

If you are going to be doing a lot of boating, then you will need a rain hat, rain jacket or parka with a hood, and rain pants. (I got a great lightweight and easily packed rain suit at Cabela’s for a very reasonable price. I cannot tell you how many times I have used it and enjoyed Alaska in the rain.)

Bring a swimsuit? Sure! Some hotels have pools, and if you'll be stopping in hot springs, where bathing suits are required.

From May through September, temperatures range from 40°F to 70° F during the day and drop into the 30’s and 40’s at night. The best way to prepare for this range of temperatures is to dress in layers and to be prepared for anything from bright sunshine—don’t forget those sunglasses and sunscreen—to light rain. The weather is highly changeable in the summer, going from overcast and chilly, to bright, sunny and hot all within the space of a few hours.

BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING and for heaven’s sake don’t scare the bears!

If a picture is truly worth a thousand words, as the old saying goes, then this picture should be all that is needed for this post…. Narrow Gauge... STEAM!

Skagway, Alaska, is home to the uniquely Alaskan, White Pass and Yukon narrow gauge railway, which offers a number of very interesting, educational and scenic excursions throughout the summer months. Not all the excursion trains are pulled by the “steamers” any more, but I was lucky enough to be aboard one that was in September, 2005. Number 73 pulled our tour to the outskirts of town where the rail shop is located. Here a diesel was substituted for the long haul up the mountain. The “steamers” are mostly used as switch engines in the yard these days; however, there is still an occasional “steamer” run, on very special tours, all the way to the top of the mountain.

As you sit in a lovingly restored passenger car looking out the window and listening to the story of the gold rush, and the painful process of constructing the railroad, you cannot help but see and hear some of the humans and animals that lost their lives in this effort. Their ghosts must surely still reside in this incredible place.

Near the depot in town there is a narrow guage hand truck and a narrow gauge snowplow that you can stand in front of for that REALLY “cool” (That is pretty bad, isn’t it?) picture to take home to the folks. You can also purchase a book about the railroad in the small gift shop in the depot.

Learn more about the White Pass and Yukon Railroad, and check out some great photos and a live web cam at http://www.whitepassrailroad.com/.

Learn to Speak “Alaskan”

Robert Morgenstern -- Dec. 2004
Princess Tours

Alaska is unique in every way - it even has its own vocabulary. We offer you a guide to some of the words and phrases, ancient and recent, known only to those who inhabit Alaska. Study these terms and you just might convince the locals that you are a true sourdough.

Outside: Anywhere outside Alaska but generally means the continental 48 states. When a local goes on vacation, they are headed "Outside".

Eskimo Ice Cream: The fat of a Seal or Caribou is whipped to a creamy texture and mixed with chopped meat or berries. Yummy.

Muktuk: An Eskimo delicacy consisting of the skin and attached layer of whale blubber. It can be eaten dried or cooked, but usually prepared raw.

Muskeg: Swamp or bog composed of layers of decomposing plant life. Often found in tundra regions.

Termination Dust: The construction workers during the building boom in the 1940's called the snowfall each year termination dust because it meant the end of their jobs would be terminated for the season. Now, it is used to refer to the first snowfall signaling the end of the summer season.

Cheechako: The Alaskan term for someone who is new to the country. A "tenderfoot" "green horn".

Denali: Literally, means the "High One" or the "Great One”, Denali is the name given to the massive peak also known as Mt. McKinley, by the Athabascan Native People. Congress officially changed the name of Mt. McKinley National Park to Denali National Park in the Alaskan Lands Act in 1980.

Sourdough: The name originally came from the Gold Rush of 1898 era when prospectors and other wanderers carried a lump of fermented starter dough for making bread in pouch around their neck. The fermented dough was kept close the body, to stay warm. A sourdough pouch hanging around a miner's neck was a clear sign of experience in survival. So, the term came to be associated with an old timer or someone who has been in the North Country a long time.

Lower 48: Alaskans refer to the continental United States as the lower 48.

Combat Fishing: Alaska features the most salmon rich fishing streams in the world. Opening day is so eagerly anticipated that hundreds of Anglers will line the banks of the river, shoulder to shoulder, casting for fish. The trick is to actually hook a salmon and not a fellow salmon fisherman.

Tundra: The word comes from the Finnish word meaning barren or treeless land. Most of the Tundra exist on the planet exist in the Northern Hemisphere in a belt along the Arctic Ocean.

Mukluks: Mukluks are a soft boot made of caribou or sealskin and typically worn by the Eskimo.

Noseeums: Tiny winged insects (a form of small gnat) that is nearly invisible. The bug packs a nasty bite slightly less bothersome than a bear chewing your leg off.

Bunny Boots: Also known as Mukluks, a soft boot made of reindeer or sealskin.

Iditarod: Known as the "The Last Great Race on Earth". From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover over 1150 miles in 10 to 17 days.

Ice fog: Is what occurs when water vapor meets bitter cold air that can't hold any more water in 10 seconds or less. Water cooled that fast forms tiny ice particles. Collectively, millions of these particles take form as ice fog, the cotton candy-like clouds that hang over our roads.

Breakup: The spring melt season is a season unto itself. The rivers thaw and begin to flow again, carrying huge chunks of ice down river. Breakup is followed by days of celebration as Alaskan's emerge from long, long winter nights.

Aurora Borealis: The official term for northern lights, which are visible for more than half the year in the far north. The University of Alaska Fairbanks houses a research center dedicated to studying the phenomena, which is caused by magnetic particles from the sun as they hit the earth’s atmosphere.

Permanent Fund: A state savings account created by constitutional amendment that requires at least 25% of Alaska's royalties from oil to be set aside, with only the interest earnings available for spending. Permanent residents receive a yearly dividend check.

Mushing: Is the game of sled dog racing.

Cache: A small shed like building on stilts where furriers and hunters kept their goods.

Alcan: The Alaska Highway, also "Alaska-Canadian Highway", "Al-Can Highway", runs form Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Fairbanks, Alaska via Whitehorse, Yukon. It is 1,523 miles or 2,451 kilometers long.

Blanket toss: The blanket toss is now conducted as entertainment, but it didn't originate that way. The Inupiaq hunter would be tossed in the air, enabling them to see across the horizon to hunt game. Now thirty or more Inupiaq gather in a circle, holding the edges of a large skin made from walrus hides, and toss someone into the air as high as possible. The person being tossed throws gifts into the crowd and loses their turn when they lose their balance. The object: to maintain balance and return to the blanket without falling over. This is one of many games played during the course of a 10-day celebration.

Totems: Totem poles are known as silent storytellers, depicting figures that were relevant to a specific Native tribe.

Ulu: The native people of northern Alaska invented this knife centuries ago. It is used for hunting, fishing, skinning, filleting and every other imaginable domestic cutting need by the Inuit (Eskimo) people. Nowadays, replicas can be purchased at any souvenir shop in Alaska.

Ice worms: Ice worms are real. They live in pools of water and crawl around between ice crystals near the glacier surface. Ice worms have been observed to move around in the ice at depths near two meters. Even in the Alaska Range, the glacial ice at that depth can remain near freezing and so can provide at least a marginal ice worm habitat.