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Published: October 8th 2008
Fireweed
The bitter end of summer.Welcome to fall in Anchorage (which is NOT the capitol of Alaska, as several journalists have wrongly regurgitated in recent articles I have read). The leaves have already turned and the fireweed has bloomed and burned past its flame like color into a fluffy white fringe. Since mid September, layers of snow have slowly been creeping down the sides of the Chugach Mountains as a constant reminder that summer has ended. In fact the first snow is falling in the city as I write this, in the form of a mushy slush blurring windshields and striking fear into the hands of already poor drivers. Fall in Alaska ends just about as quickly as it starts. The vibrant colors don’t hold out for two weeks as they do in Tennessee and the weather is not mild, it is howling with whispers of the first frost.
Yesterday, Ashley and I headed up to Alpenglow to get some hiking in before trekking poles, snow shoes and heavy worries of avalanches make our ventures scarcer. In layers, we hiked up the mountain through several inches of snow. Mid way up, after we passed under several idle ski lifts, we rested on jagged rocks in
a saddle with hot Jasmine tea and granola bars. The clouds encapsulated us concealing any view of the city to our left and the valleys to our right. Every so often the clouds would break enough to vaguely make the snow-covered mountain range distinguishable from the clouds behind us and the next peak we would climb in front of us. The hike, though cool and refreshing, left me with mixed feelings of the coming winter. Like the spring, fall only last about a week and half. In a few days, we will be waking up to iced windshields and the need for ice cleats. Don’t get me wrong, I love the winter up here. I am just not sure if I am ready for 8 months of it to start tomorrow.
On the way down we ran and dove head-first into heaps of snow and grass, sliding and rolling down the mountain. Snow got everywhere: up the legs of our pants, down our backs, up our shirts, and I am pretty sure down Ashley’s pants as he hit a large rock with his rear-end. The walk through trails at the base of the mountain was filled with families hiking
Hidden Views
Overlooking where the valley is. and having picnics with hot chocolate. We stopped a bridge that went over a stream and took pictures. As we drove back into the city, we were greeted by the wet rain. If the weather clears up, the plan is to get in one last (very cold) camping trip in before calling it quits.
Overall, the month of September was very depressing as far as the weather is concerned. It rained everyday from the first of the month until the 26th of the month. I know this because the small puddle under my car did not dissipate in the least until that rain stopped for a single day. Our hiking trips ended in mid august and so did Frisbee. I stopped riding my bike regularly when I injured myself in a soccer game back in late August, after that I was not feeling very hardcore. Luckily, I joined a gym the beginning of August. This was mainly because they offer dozens of Yoga classes during the week, and a cycling room. I did rock climbing for a bit, but decided I would stick with yoga and running (it’s time to transition back into winter mode). I am sure by
the end of the week, fall will cease to be and the layers will continue to pile on. If the rain/snow stops I will continue to ride my bike. I can already see the days getting shorter and the nights getting longer.
Just to introduce you, Ashley is a male friend of mine (don’t get excited mom) whom I picked up in the philosophy section of Title Wave Bookstore. This was followed by hours of discussion ranging from outdoor activities we enjoy, photography, politics and government (he is in the Air Force) and world travel. The two things we have mostly in common are our stubbornness and the enjoyment of controversy. Ashley is one of the few people I have known who is an avid self educator. He is constantly reading up on world issues, and global politics. Though we disagree on a lot of issues and argue about a lot of things, it is nice to have someone who is actually interested in discussing these issues rather than simply argue about them. I am not going to lie, he is not the most pleasant person to be around in his spouts of anger and male douche-baggery, but it
has been nice to have someone to have coffee with, hike with, shoot rifles and handguns with, and see Zombie Strippers with.
Be expecting an update on summer. I realize I skipped it, but those pictures are on an external hard drive at the house 😊
Take care!
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ashley
non-member comment
haha
i love that multiple compliments that you gave me