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Published: August 28th 2008
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Wild Rose
An open blossom. When I was a child I remember taking our skiff and boating across the water to islands in Duncan Canal to beach comb. We found buckets, chunks of foam, and torn nets. Toads, hopped through the grass, having previously been warming themselves on the rocks. Scattered throughout the higher areas of the beach, where the tide rarely came high enough to cover, wild Alaskan flowers grew. Fireweed, Indian paintbrush, and shooting star colored the woods with dots of art.
Fireweed and Indian paintbrush were dug up and placed in buckets, then in our skiff, Once home they were replanted in our garden. As I grew, so did the flowers, and I remember sitting by these intricate plants for hours watching bees and rufous hummingbirds drink their fill.
Here in Juneau the flowers are starting to disappear. Late August is nearly fall for Alaska, and I watch the woods and fields with sadness. Yarrow has browned and dried, thrusting upward like feather dusters. Daisies grow limper and limper, their petals browning around the edges. The fields in front of the Mendenhal Glacier near the road were once full of bright pink fireweed. They say when the fireweed disappears, winter is
Stolen Beauty
This was some flower in front of Wells Fargo in Sitka. not far away. I remember beginning my second year of college at UAS here in Juneau. Outside my window was a small deciduous tree. In a week the leaves had turned from green to yellow and fallen to the ground. One week and fall was over. At the time I wondered what it would be like to live in Virginia where fall actually lasts. I wanted a real fall that bursts bright reds and yellows in warning of the cold to come.
When I was in Sitka last week, I visited the Pioneer Home downtown. Or rather, I walked through the gardens that faced Japonski Island. My Dad had bought a Sony CyberShot camera three years ago and interested in buying an SLR camera of my own, decided to borrow his for the day to play with lighting and angles. This plan was somewhat difficult to execute with the typical drizzly weather and overcast skies of Southeast. I simply had to be quick, darting outside and down the dock to capture a particular subject while it was still illuminated by the light.
Here in Juneau, I thought about causally strolling into people’s yards for flower pictures (everyone’s at
Poppy
Captured in front of the Pioneer Home in Sitka. work, right?) but decided against it. I am very non-confrontational and the thought of being yelled at, or even spoken harshly to, was enough to keep me on the sidewalk. Most of the Juneau residents, specially the ones who live downtown, work for the state--and in my opinion are often high strung.
Alaskan flowers are only found in open fields or transplanted gardens. The forests are too dark to fulfill their photosynthesis needs. Hemlock and blue spruce grow over 60 feet, with long, shaggy branches of needles that block out light on the forest floor. Small ferns and mushrooms cover the ground, unbothered by the lack of sun, while spindly blueberry bushes struggle to pop out a berry or two for the future.
But those are the struggles that exist in the plant world. For myself, with another whole day to kill in Juneau, I wonder what to choose as a plan for the day. I could hike Mt. Roberts, but if the weather at the top is fogged in, I really have no reason to go since I’ve climbed it before several times. The nice thing about Mt. Roberts is the trail, which begins on second street
Orange and Green
If one looks closely, you can see a small aphid sitting happily in on a petal. not far from downtown, is that it only takes an hour to get to the tram at the top. The second nice thing about the mountain is that one can take the tram down for free. Or at least one used to. Back in June, I took my friend Ross up Mt. Roberts. As we were preparing to leave, we noticed a sign posted near the door exclaiming that one had to buy something and show their receipt to the tram operator. Disgruntled, Ross tried to ask tourists if they would be willing to give us their store receipts (not such a good plan). The one older man Ross asked told him “No” and brushed by rudely, not meeting our eyes. So, we shared a bowl of terrible soup at the restaurant. When we went to take the tram, no one asked to see our receipts at all. My theory is that no one really cares, or at least at the end of a long day people forget the rule. 99% of the people who go up Mt. Roberts are tourists taking the tram. The few who actually hike are locals or a few select tourists who somehow learned about
Fireweed
One of my favorite Alaskan Flowers. These can grow taller than myself when given the chance. the trail. In my opinion, the trail is a great way to see some Alaskan nature and avoid the twenty-dollar tram ticket.
In Juneau, the city bus is by far the best way to get around. In an hour, the bus takes you downtown, the Valley, Auke Bay, and around the back loop (that you can get off before it turns onto Mendenhal Road and walk the mile to the Glacier). It makes stops at Fred Meyers, The Nugget and The Mendenhal Mall, in addition to normal stops any bus takes in residential areas. If a person wants to get away from tourists and be around locals, this is one good option.
When I passed through Juneau in July, I took the bus from downtown to Auke Bay to get hooked up with free kayaking through a friend. On the bus were two kiwis and two Canadians. The kiwis were a couple of older women off the cruise ship on a tour of Alaska and the Caribbean. The women were so humorous I didn’t get off at my stop. Instead I road around with them until I had to get off or be subject to pay another 1.50
Yellow Daisies
Also courtesy of the Pioneer Home. At night the old pioneers come out by the light of the moon to plant and care for these. Slave labor for the old, little known fact. in bus fair. “New Zealand is soo much better than Australia!” one of the women commented, batting her lashes. “We don’t have any of those creepy crawly things like snakes or bugs there. Hiking is quite safe for anyone!” I nodded, storing the information away for some future trip to New Zealand.
At one point she went off on a trail I was not at all excited about. “Now, tell me, do you have trouble with your Native people like we do?” I changed the subject quickly, glancing around nervously at the people on the bus, hoping that none of them had heard since most of them were Natives. I sensed an awkward conversation ahead. Being outspoken is not a bad trait, just be careful where and when and what is said, and to whom.
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