Alaska News

Will early signs of spring have Alaskans hiking by April?

PAXSON -- A great horned owl flew out of the old metal building that used to house a military radar site. It was near dark and he looked like a C-130 as he glided over the dog team with his wings set. It is near enough springtime that the big birds are beginning to think of nesting.

The warming that has covered the state this past week has brought thoughts of spring to all of us. Will it be an early spring this year? What the heck, we only had a couple weeks of winter anyway.

Spring weather in the Interior nudges everyone outdoors. There isn't much ice on area lakes. Most have only a couple feet. There is water on top of some. It was 41 degrees in Delta Junction on Sunday. It was raining here and in Fairbanks. It would be great to catch a fish, but I don't want to sit in the water.

Donnelly Dome

What about hiking? If one is near Anchorage, the south-facing Turnagain Arm Trail and Flattop Mountain are early prospects. The altitude gain from the Flattop trail head is only about 1,300 feet. Perfect for a springtime day trip.

In the Interior, Donnelly Dome is everyone's choice. There is a good trail up the east side that makes the 2,400-foot climb seem much shorter. Donnelly lies on military land within Fort Greeley's boundaries, and one is supposed to have a permit to recreate on military lands in this area, though unless one is a local Deltoid, how could you know? No signs are posted near the Dome.

Donnelly Dome used to be called Delta Dome until it was renamed after a highway worker in the 1920s. From Donnelly's summit, one can see most of the big peaks in the eastern Alaska Range. Aurora, Hayes, Hess, Deborah, McGinnis, Moffit and Shand all seem close enough to touch.

Shand and Moffit were both called Mount Shand originally after one of the first two climbers who summited Moffit in 1941. The Geological Survey decided it couldn't have two mountains side by side with the same name. They renamed Moffit in 1961 after Fred Moffit, a prominent Alaska geologist.

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Naming a mountain isn't quite so easy today. One needs to have been deceased at least five years and had some type of long-term association with the peak. Exceptions can be granted if one has an outstanding national or international reputation.

"Look at that pointy, white, mountain over there. What's its name?" I asked my Dad years ago. He replied; "mountains have no names, son. They are like the wind, they just are." (But way out west, they call the wind "Mariah.")

Avalanche danger

We do name our mountains. And we climb them. In spite of the prod to hike, driven by our balmy weather this week, steer clear of mountains with snow. Avalanche danger is extreme. There has been one avalanche death this season in the Alaska Range and a couple of near misses in the Chugach.

Instead of making an attempt at the Dome this past weekend, I took the dog team around the backside, where I found 40 mph winds and a real need for ice cleats. I turned down slope and went back to the old radar housing to see if that great horned owl was trying to nest inside, out of the wind.

Nope, at least not yet. He evidently just wanted a calm spot to take a break.

John Schandelmeier is a lifelong Alaskan who lives with his family near Paxson. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and two-time winner of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.

John Schandelmeier

Outdoor opinion columnist John Schandelmeier is a lifelong Alaskan who lives with his family near Paxson. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and two-time winner of the Yukon Quest.

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