The First Run
The yellow leaves of birch and aspen are falling from the sky in the breeze. And my silly dogs are trying to eat them out of the air as they continue running down the trail. My leader has a bladder problem. As in, she can’t control it. Well, I suppose actually she can, because she […]
Chasing the Aurora Borealis
It does not matter how many times they appear in the sky. When the aurora ripple up through the heavens you simply stop and watch. I have spent many evenings over the past twenty-five years trying to capture the aurora and despite a few great pictures I have consistently failed to encapsulate the awe you […]
Potholes, Bears, and Mud… oh my.
I had been hoping the drive up the Dalton would be similar to the drive into Denali Park… lined with wildlife. I have driven into Denali a handful of times and each time I have seen bears, moose and caribou. Along with a handful of other wildlife. However, after driving to my first camp at […]
Atigun Pass
The Pass rises to 4739 feet a mere one hundred and sixty miles from the Arctic Ocean. When I reached the bottom I was already a bit shaken because the climb before the actual pass was a solid six inches of mud. I should have thrown the truck into four wheel drive, but I just […]
The Haul Road
I moved to Alaska in 1997, but until 2020 I had never set foot north of the Arctic Circle. In 2020, I embarked on the final two years of my educational career as a principal in Point Lay, Alaska. That is another story, one I am hard at work on. However, crossing the Arctic Circle […]
A ton of dog food.
It’s not easy feeding 18 sled dogs. I can’t just go to the corner store and buy a bag of dog food. I mean I could, but I’d be going to the store every two days. We go through forty pounds of dog food every two days. So… I drive to Fairbanks and literally haul […]
Canwell Glacier Trail August 2023
The knee hurt. Surgery last year was called a success, but it still hurt. Climbing up the trail, gaining elevation, I could feel it was weak despite the months of therapy. With each step I could feel my age. I hate those people who say age is just a number. Age is not a number […]
The August Light.
I’ve told myself this story so many times that I now believe it to be true even though I know it is not. One my first day in Fairbanks, after finally making the move from Seattle to Alaska, I was standing outside my cheap hotel staring at the sunlight hitting the spruce trees with a […]