Winter Is Settling In

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So, winter is finally arriving in various places. (Not where I'm at right now!) Camping season has largely ended and hiking season assumes, well, a different shape.

Alaskan winters are very harsh, especially inland. But early enough (or late enough) in the season you can get a sense of what it's like to spend the winter there. 

They all are trying to catch a bit more to eat before it's all covered in snow. From elk to the Grizzly bears.

Only some seem to be really happy, pointing with pride at their newly minted winter home!

Further to the south and east, at Glacier National Park, winter is as notable and felt, with the combination of lakes and mountains very striking in early winter.

Still, it seems as if Mother Nature likes hikers so much, she keeps the trails open!

This way, with snow beginning its long hold over the country, everyone seems to be content with it - from mammals, 

to me!

Read my post Black (and White) Magic In The Arctic

Who Can Tell Where's The Trail?

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Yes - Some trails, even in the wild, and even after a snow storm, are very visible. And almost always, what you see in the end is worth the hike!

But sometimes the trails aren't that easy to spot. So in this post, we'll see who can tell where's the trail. I hiked these trails a couple of months ago at Glacier Nat'l Park in Montana. 

Take this one for example:

That one was easy, wasn't it? And certainly worth the 7 mile walk (one way) to get this view:

So how about this one?

Easy to spot - Scary to walk! 

Not until you reach the next one:

That one wasn't actually too scary to hike so long as you didn't look to your left hand side! (And made an effort not to slip)

But gain - Worth the hike when you reach your destination.

Now that we've sharpened our eyes and minds - a few more elusive trails. Can you spot them?

It may sound strange, but it's actually nice to hike these trails in the snow.

Sometimes, though, you can spot a trail even before you start it - 

Oh yeah - This is serious stuff. Better take some bear spray with you hiking Glacier Nat'l Park!

And on occasion, it's not the beginning of the trail, neither the destination that matters, it's the surprise awaiting you somewhere there, along it.

Read my post The Beauty In The Beast for other cool pictures and stories!

Ooh I Miss The Alaskan Spring

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God it's hot! But I found a solution for that! I spend most of my days sitting in an ice bath, looking at pictures of Alaskan spring on my tablet. Try it - It works!

Ready? Are y'all in the bathtub? In this post, we'll look at some wildlife pictures from my last trip to Denali Nat'l Park in May. Spring is a great time to visit Alaska in general and Denali in particular, especially if you hate people and love wildlife - You see very few of those and lots of these!

Take these Caribou for example - They've just emerged from a harsh winter and are so happy to be grazing again:

Let me absorb the view of the snow for one more second.

The Alaskan Ptarmigan spends the winter with its feathers completely white. It's cold, there's no romance in the air, and so the top priority is hiding from predators. But come spring, it's mating time baby, and so the Ptarmigan grows a set of very nice covers. I'll let you decide who's the male and who's the female here.

(Hint: in terms of dressing up, humans are different from most other animals)

Watching a Grizzly bear walking the valley not far from you is always a powerful picture. And when there's still some snow on the ground, somehow that adds to the sense of the environment which is home for the Grizzly.

Ever heard of Dall Sheep? These are unique to Alaska,  and in particular to Denali. In fact, that national park was originally created to protect the Dall Sheep! Like mountain goats, they like the steepest slopes where they're protected and enjoy a great view:

Like Dall sheep, I like the steepest slopes where I'm completely unprotected, but enjoy a great view.

Sure - Smile at that. See you putting your camera on a rock, running up a snowy path, turning around and even trying to smile - All these within less than ten seconds, and for what - a selfie???

Read my post Alaska - A Summer Vacation for Ordinary People

Sprintgtime In Denali Park, Alaska

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I say "springtime", you think "blue sky and some snowy mountains."

Well, that's part of the picture. It's hard to believe it's already a month since I visited Denali National Park during the "shoulder season" of Spring. It's harder to believe how different that was from my previous trips there, mostly done in Summer and Fall.

As I wrote in my last post Put Your Head On My Shoulder Season, this post will be short on words (well, at least considering my tendency to expand on the words side of things), and long on photos. 

Denali is a huge park, with one 92 mile-long road that is typically open only for Park Service shuttles, but during the early Spring, when the shuttles aren't running, you can drive your own car for about 30 miles. And of course - There are hardly any people in the park or on the road, and it's basically you and nature much of the time. Add to it the tendency of snow to fall when it's cold, and you get views like these:

 












Denali is waking up! While well equipped to deal with the harsh winter, when temperatures easily drop to -40, everyone is happy when it's warm (30F/-1C) and there's again some green on the ground. Look at one happy bunny, which has just turned from its white coat to its summery attire:

Did you know that in Denali, the bunny community has a cycle of 11 years? And that this cycle is a great example of food chains? This is how it works: the Snowshoe Hare (the official name of this cute bunny) thrives on  the leaves of the willow trees. They eat tons of them! The problem is - the caribou (pictured above), also use the willow tree leaves as their major source of food. So tens of thousands of bunnies eat the willow, and leave little to the caribou who in tern dwindle in population because of poor diet. 

But - The caribou is the main source of food for the wolf. So the wolves get hungry - and turn to eating the bunnies instead. Then there are fewer bunnies, more willow trees for the caribou, a greater number of caribou and the bunny population recovers because the wolves are not interested in them anymore. And this whole cycle takes 11 years.

Doesn't seem this guy cares about that, though!

 
















Yeah, the ground squirrel is more concerned about a Grizzly bear chasing it for fun and digging it out of its hole in the ground.

Speaking of bears, springtime is also a great season to hike if you don't mind some snow. In return, you get great views, crystal-clear air, and some slippery slopes.

I mean it when I say "slippery slopes!" Can you imagine how hard it is to place your camera on a rock, push the timer button, run fast but carefully on the snow and ice, turn around, and smile, and all in ten seconds? Ha.

The good thing about hiking is that you can see some tame wildlife not too far!

Oh, sorry! did I say "tame"? I meant the Doll Sheep, of course!

So as you see, springtime is fun in Alaska, and you can literally enjoy the best of both words, snow and sun!

Read my post Eye To Eye for more nice pictures

Put Your Head On My Shoulder Season

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So, I decided to travel to Alaska in mid May, right during the shoulder season. Yes, this is how the National Park Service Calls it! It turns out that Spring is indeed a wonderful time to travel there, especially in Denali where snow and sun (Yes, I know most you you prefer sea and sun) alternate. The trip was very special, and I developed some interesting observations there.

This post will be short on photos and long on wisdom. I do know that's why many of you come here to read my blog anyway. I'll get the wisdom out of my system and then we can focus on some very nice photos and stories.

So here it is:

1. It never gets dark in Alaska. They tell you the sun sets at 11:30 and rises again at 4, but I did not see any proof of that and to me it didn't look dark even for one minute. And it's only mid May!

2. The sound of rain does not make you calm and doesn't help you fall asleep. In fact, I can't understand why people spend 20 bucks on a rain-sound CD, or $100 on a machine that makes the sound of rain, when they can spend $3,000 and listen to rain pouring on their tent all night long in Alaska.

3. When your sleeping bag is rated "20 Fahrenheit", it means that's how you feel inside it.

4. Two ground squirrels just outside your tent sound like a Grizzly bear.

 

5. You don't have to serve in the submarine corps to sleep on a 49cm-wide mattress. In fact, you can walk into any REI store and get one.

6. It's very easy to read THE NORTH FACE backwards on the inside wall of your tent after staring at it all night long.

7. A fantasy for hot chocolate can be very daunting.

8. It's not the destination that matters, it's the journey to it. (Now these are words of wisdom!)

OK. Now that I got that out of my system, my next post will include some of the nicer aspects of Alaska during Spring, so stay tuned. Want a hint? Here:

In the meanwhile, read my previous post Highest or Tallest?

Give Me Love! (Or at least a bear hug)

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Is everybody looking for love? Some people, when seeing the picture above, think the bear was just curious; others think it was hungry. I say - When you're out and freezing, about to walk on sea ice for six months on your own - You're looking for love. Or at least a bear hug.

What's a bear hug anyway?

That depends on whom you're asking. A language observer, probably a woman, defines it as "a strong, hearty embrace, typically between two men;" a Wall Street hotshot defines it as "an unsolicited takeover bid which is so generous that the target is unlikely to refuse;" a collegiate sports fanatic: "a grappling clinch hold... the hands are locked around the opponent and the opponent is held tightly to the chest." Hmm... And the Geek Version? "a literal bear hug is an undesirable phenomenon in which a bear, able to stand upright, claws rapidly with a hugging position."

Duh.

All the above definitions are taken from Wikipedia , which I guess is reliable because so many people contribute to it, although some say it's too liberal at letting definitions in.

One thing for sure - that little bear up there really wants an affectionate hug, and it shows it!

Bears certainly hug for a variety of purposes. What may look like a fight to the naked eye can be a game of affection for a couple of healthy, bored Polar bears. In the following photo, one could think "isn't that bear forcing itself on the other one, kind of a rough kiss?"

Would sure look like that if these were college bears! But a minute later, the other bear seems to show affection:

And the one on the left seems what - Shy? Just click to enlarge and judge for yourself! Hard to say that about a predator at the top of the food chain, but that's what it looks to me!

In truth, this is all probably a practice in fighting, and some exercise to get those old muscles going. Sometimes, it's training of a young cub by a loving mother-bear. Here, she's challenging him to mimic a fight, but shows him there's a limit to his excitement:

"You just stay there and don't get any closer, son!"

A bear hug can also take the form of a dance, where two giant, 800 pound (200 kilo) predators are measuring each other.

"I guess we'll just stay friends. Give my five!"

Read my post Yogi Polar Bear to see more funny pictures of the giants of the Arctic!

Highest or Tallest?

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Would you rather climb the highest mountain, or the tallest one?

Perhaps you don't know the answer, but certainly the crowd wisdom calls for the highest one - Mt. Everest. With its peak at 29,035 feet (8,850 meter), Mt. Everest has been the prime target for mountain climbers, professional and novice alike.

But, let me argue here that the Real Thing is Mt. McKinley in Alaska.  True, Mt. McKinley's peak is not the highest above sea level, at 20,320 feet (6,194 meters). But hey - it's not like you jump off a boat at the sea and start climbing! What matters in mountain climbing (for those who seek the achievement of-course) is the vertical rise - from the base of the mountain to its peak. Mt. McKinley has a vertical relief of 18,000 feet, climbing above a 2,000 feet high plateau, while Mt. Everest's vertical relief is only 17,000 feet (what can I say - they planted it at a high place).

I have fulfilled my official obligation now, to call this mountain Mt. Mckinley. Locals, including the Alaska State Government, call it the native Athabascan name: Denali - "The High One" - While the Federal government insists on calling it McKinley - its old official name. No wonder Alaskans hate Big Government - and click to look what that brought us!  Ahh.

Denali sits on top of Denali National Park. The mountain is so big that it creates its own climate, so it could be warm and sunny throughout the huge park, and cloudy, cold with snow showers on the mountain. Because it's far north and has low barometric pressure, it has much less oxygen than other prominent mountains, and as a result acclimation for those who climb it is much longer. The average climb time on Denali is three weeks! And only about 50% of those attempting to reach the summit make it.

Happy Birthday, Denali! This past summer it's been exactly 100 years since the first official climb all the way to the top. The youngest climber has been a 12-years old kid and the older - 78. To celebrate this, this summer a full 68% of climbers made it to the top.

Now, back to us humans. The rest of us can enjoy the views of Denali while traveling Denali National Park. The huge park - over 6 million acres - has only one road in it, on which mostly park-ran busses travel.

But, a better way to explore the park, its vistas, vegetation, and wildlife is by foot. Here I am demonstrating that even ordinary people can do that:

Not convinced yet? Here's my son, 14 years old, demonstrating that anyone can disconnect from Facebook and Instagram and do that! (Yeah, we asked the huge Grizzly bears to stay out of the picture)

(my photo is courtesy of him, of course)

While hiking Denali, you can look not only for wildlife (see my recent post), but also learn of glacial activity. The mountains of Denali are covered by glaciers, and during the summer some of the ice melts, and glacial streams carry with them rocks that have been pressurized to dust under the enormous weight of the glaciers. These streams look dirty! And of-course, no fish can survive in them because it would get Asthma in a millisecond!  Here's a photo of a glacial stream meeting a freshwater stream, to demonstrate this:

For the real adventurer in you, there's an alternative way to travel the park:

After all, the Denali Park Road is only 91 miles long so it's not a big deal. Yes, you can bump into the occasional Grizzly Bear or Moose who decide to check you out, and then you have to pedal really, really fast (don't do that). But on the other hand, it's a great way to cover the territory personally and explore the various parts of Denali over a few days.

BUT, and this is a big but, not only people do Alaska park hikes. The following picture is one of my all-time favorites. (obviously because I was on the right side of the camera!) I shot it at another Alaska National park, Katmai, and I call it A Walk in the Park.

Don't look back!   Read my post Arctic/Antarctic Travel - Not for Fun Seekers! to see more cool photos.