A berry fruitful weekend

The salmon run might be about over for the summer, but berry picking season is about to come into full swing. 

I had always heard Alaska had a large variety of edible berries, but I never realized how MUCH is out here. On just about any hike in the tundra, you're guaranteed to come across crowberries, blueberries, low-bush cranberries, and cloudberries. And supposedly it's only the beginning of the berry season.

Yesterday a weasel, today a whale

This morning one of our interpretive rangers came back from teaching the weekly Tundra Tots program and announced they had stumbled across something very interesting on the beach.

"A seal?" someone guessed.

Nope.

"A walrus?"

"Bigger," he he said.

"A WHALE?"

Weaseling around

You know how you always see the best stuff when you don't have your camera? Well, that just happened to me today in the most epic way.

So, the sun FINALLY came out after its 3 week hiatus from the skies over Nome, warming temperatures to a balmy 56 degrees. Immediately after work I ran home, changed out of my work clothes, and hopped onto a bike for a ride around town, happy to not be weighed down by cameras and a backpack for once.

Saturday Ranger Hike

Yesterday was the "actual" public ranger hike, for which we had been scouting out the 3870 trail on Thursday. Technically I didn't have to go, since it was Saturday and I have the weekends off, but I forced myself to get outside again, despite wanting to be lazy in the dry warmth of the bunkhouse all day. In the end, I'm super glad I went.

3870 and so much fog

Ever since I got back from Serpentine, I don't think I've seen a single day of sunshine (save for an hour or two here and there). There's been thick cloud cover, casting Nome under a grey, soggy wet cloak that seems to seep the warmth out of everything in its shadow. Everyday to and from work, I find myself joining other Nomites in a sort of hopscotch between the muddy patchwork of puddles across town, huddling down against the biting wind that throws a heavy mist in your face head-on.

Week in Serpentine, part 2

Wednesday was by far our worst day, in terms of weather. We all awoke in the morning to wind rattling the entire building and rain pounding at the poorly insulated windows. When I decided to brave a trip up the hill to the outhouse, it felt like being on a boat in a small storm, the whole structure rocking back and forth and a cold draft coming up through the hole, bringing with it all the wonderful aromas an outhouse has to offer. Lovely experience.

Week at Serpentine, part 1

Monday morning I found myself once again traveling the long, dusty dirt road to Quartz Creek, the airstrip where we were to meet our bush plane to be dropped off at Serpentine Hot Springs in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. Also known as Iyat in Inupiaq (meaning "cooking pot"), Serpentine is one of the most visited areas of the preserve, as it has an old bunkhouse and bathhouse pumped in with water from the hot spring, and has for centuries been known as a place of healing and spiritual energy.