Tonight We Visit Beautiful Alaska

5/28/2008

Elaine Meinel Supkis

Readers of this news service are all quite interesting. One of them, Mr. G. Oppenwall, sent me some lovely pictures he took in Alaska. I thought we should share these with everyone. Alaska has one of the most amazing landscapes on earth. And the wild life is varied and fascinating. Also, I want to warn everyone in the far north this year, the volcano in Chile, even though it is in the far southern hemisphere, is evidently beginning to spread fine particulate matter and gases to the higher stratosphere and it is now across the entire planet. For I went outside tonight, while pitching rocks and working on the garden fence. And looking up at the sunset, I could see the soft veil across the heavens. The wind was blowing hard from the clean air regions of the Arctic. Normally, the sky is a deep blue, not a fine pale blue. And as the sun set, the zenith took on the classic purple/pink coloration that these skies have only when a volcano is active. This means a cool summer. So far, here it has been very cool this last two weeks and even though it is nearly June, it might freeze tonight. Cover those young veggie plants!

Now stop that ! You're not "imposing" on me. Only Impotent people impose on me. Ha ha.

In order....Mt Denali 20,400( formerly Mt McKinley, dead white guy pres.) , Kennicott Glacier in Mt St Elias NP, the old Kennicott Copper mine (for 10ys the most lucrative copper mine on earth), moose in lake near Chena Hot Springs, Mt Sanborn (16,500'), Dall Sheep in Mt St Elias NP, Hanging glaciers on side of Dragontail Peak in Alpine Lks wilderness area state of Wa, ditto next pic, High Rock fire lookout just barely outside of Mt Tahoma (Rainier) NP, near Asgard Pass in Alpine Lks,WA, Mt Denali again,crevasse in Kennicott glacier in Mt St Elias NP.

Most of the guys I work with are overtime junkies, so to try and stimulate their sense of curiosity/adventure, I photo copied many of these pictures and have them
all over the walls of my little shop within a shop.

We were unbelievably lucky with the Dall Sheep. I've been to Alaska several times and have only seen them as little white dots way above the trail or road. The
wind must've been blowing our scent in the opposite direction. They are very fast,shy,and skittish animals. When they finally did sense our presence they took off
for the rocks.

We camped out at Chena Hot Springs and after having slept all afternoon at the pool (well deserved sleep as Alaska in the summer makes you manic)
decided to go for a "moose cruise" which is driving real slow looking at all the pools and swamps for moose. We saw at least 20 moose within about 2hrs.

The Enchantment lakes pics were taken "illegally". You are supposed to pay a permit fee for a campsite and make reservations almost a yr in advance. Yeesh !!
So we "commando camped" with just bivvy sacks on some rocks hidden out of sight from possible permit checking rangers. Tough hike. 7500' elevation gain/loss.
Took 2 FULL days to complete.It snowed on us just a little bit at night as this was in early Oct only a few days away from the snow season.

This fire lookout tower was built by hauling the lumber 3 miles up a steep trail, and then another 500 yds up a steep rocky slope by backpack/human labor

Jack Kerouc of "On the Road" fame spent a summer here, and several other lookouts near Mt Rainier, for a summer job for the forest service back in the days before satellite technology eliminated the need for a lookout job.

We escaped a sudden storm in one of these towers once and I'm pretty sure we got blasted by lighting once or twice. Thank god these things have lighning rods.
Maybe we should've taken you with, nyuk nyuk !

Ha, my friend Tim Cassidy ( hails from Las Vegas NM and his family traces back to THAT Cassidy of historical fame) just brought me over a tractor cap that says
"National Security Agency" Yeee Haaa !!! I'll wear it all day today in the shop. Evidently his sister knows somebody that knows somebody. Kinda like our mutual fiend, JB who my sis says now works for "Synthesis Solutions" a private Blackwater type Sump in the Deee Ceee area. Yeeesh

see you...........G.

ps, that shot of a wolf was the luckiest pic of my life. Took it on the tundra about 30mi from the Arctic Ocean, he looks like an old guy with gray muzzle. I know people
that have lived in Ak most of their lives and they never see wolves except maybe way off in the distance. My camera only goes up to 200mm zoom

Comments

[Les Rogers]

Nice post, I grew up in AK till about the age of 27, I still hear of
places in AK that that I've never heard of, including one or two in
this post. Also I never saw a live wolf (ah, scratch outside of captivity?) Only saw dall sheep as dots. Did get chased by a mother
moose though. Anyway, my mom was a travel agent, and we knew some
other old time familes up there, any my parents did get us around to
see some of the sites, and dad has good cameras, i've lost all the film
though. Cool stuff. Did see some sights, dead wolves in a neighbors
garage we're cool, big. Made our 80lb shepard look small. I guess I
only lived outside of town from 1969-1980 and that about 5 miles oustide
of Fairbanks. Nice memories. Where's all the night shots? eheh

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