Alpine Alaska
“And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.” John Steinbeck-Travels with Charley in Search of America
Anemone narcissiflora at Eagle Summit in the White Mountains, north of Fairbanks.
Some months ago the idea of a trip to Alaska with friends from the North American Rock Garden Society chapter presented itself as an opportunity for a summer adventure. My brother had lived in Alaska for a few years some 10 years past, and I had visited every opportunity I had. Unfortunately on all those visits I never managed to get really into the landscape to look at plants aside from some quick wayside road stops. So I set off last week, to explore with a long time accomplice, Jane McGary, the other of our group of friends from the local chapter having had to drop out of the trip unfortunately. Jane and I go back some 20 plus years now, when I met her at a monthly meeting of the Columbia-Willamette Chapter of NARGS. As I started my horticultural career fresh out of college and learning as I went about a new found love of rock garden plants, alpines and after seeing Janes stunning rock garden and bulb collection, bulbs would become a passion of mine . Throughout my career Jane became an employer, as I worked for her in her Estacada garden, a mentor as I learned to propagate and grow the bulbs she had collected over a lifetime, and most importantly a friend and travel companion that I have been lucky to see some amazing places and plants with. Here is a little teaser gallery for you to enjoy the wildflowers of Alpine Alaska. I’d love to come to your garden group or club to show the full adventure, smash that speaking engagements button and lets get it scheduled!
Jane lived in Alaska in the 1970’s and 80’s working as a linguist out of Fairbanks, on a project to document the rapidly disappearing indigenous languages. She made a great tour guide with her knowledge of the culture and memories and reflections on the times she lived with her Malamutes in a tiny cabin in the backwoods of Alaska. We fortuned upon a display of the project at the University Museum in Fairbanks and the many hours spent driving across that vast landscape made for wonderful discussions on languages an the lives and migrations of those early wayfarers who made their way across the Bering land bridge.
We explored from Hatcher Pass in the Talkeetna Mountains, where we found stunning flower filled meadows midway up the range. Briefly visited the high fell fields and meadows of the Chugach Range above the turnagain arm of the cook inlet. Some disappointment would be encountered as we headed north into the Alaska range and Denali National Park. A slow moving scree, dislocated from it’s mountain by the global climate heating melting the permafrost underneath has closed the road below the much heralded and flower rich Polychrome Pass, you can now only ride some 43 miles of the 97 mile road and the turnaround point doesn’t allow access to the best flower spots (a word to the wise if you consider an Alaska trip, the road is not expected to be repaired for several years). Any disappointment we found at Denali was cut short as we headed into the White Mountains along the Steese Hwy North of Fairbanks. A recently revamped boardwalk at Pennell Mountain led to wetlands chock full of interesting plants, and we shared some conversation with a couple of BLM agents about where the Caribou herd was some 200 miles to North but headed that way at the clip of some 20 miles or more a day. Eagle summit at the top of the range led to expansive views toward the Arctic circle, and the alpine tundra ecosystem was an unparalleled alpine experience for me. Jane had remembered that the North facing slopes held different and interesting plants and I donned my rock hiking shoes to scramble among the remaining snow banks and shaded rock overhangs that held so many interesting plants!
It was an amazing adventure into Alpine Alaska, and a great way to spend a summer week in the land of the midnight sun with a one time local who is always happy to share her vast knowledge of the land, the flowers and the people.
P.S. We missed you Terry!
Mark