I’m slowly hiking the trail up to Curry Ridge in the Alaska Range with my friend Carl Portman. Behind us is a palpable presence.
During the summers of 1949-50, my dad, Kenneth D. Baker and Forrest Davis hiked to the north fork of Spruce Creek to work the claim.
I have seen some striking changes to our Alaska landscape. You need not achieve “geezer” status in age to notice the glacier rapid retreat.
The motto of Alaska outdoor survival and rescue instructor Brian Horner is “Learn to Return,” and I fully embrace that philosophy.
My friend Mark Fraker and I had begun our hike from Cathedral Lakes Lodge in the Cascade mountains, about 235 miles east of Vancouver, B.C.
I know of a bear biologist who spent some 40 years tromping around Kodiak Island, often without a gun; who never had problems with bears.
With no wind, Eklutna Lake was glass, mirroring the snow-capped mountains and the emerging green on their lower flanks.
It was a sunny, blistering hot day at Seward July 4 where about 1000 runners participated in the 91st Mt. Marathon Race.
There are the minor pet peeves, such as ketchup that won’t pour from the bottle despite aggressive tapping and shaking that suddenly releases a wet avalanche upon the plate. There is incessant internet spam on our computers. And how about telephone robo-calls? But with perseverance, we can learn to deal with these kinds of annoyances.
Memorial Day came and went a month ago. It was celebrated with picnics, barbeques, and furniture store sales. But for some, Memorial Day is all about honoring and remembering the servicemen and women who have given their all for the freedoms we all so very cherish.
