One of the two highest tides of the year washed ashore at Anchorage on Thursday night. The new moon had lined up with the sun to tug on the ocean with full strength only two days before. By 9:14 p.m. on Sept. 29, the crest of a global wave has pushed enough water to raise the surface of Knik Arm 34.3 feet above mean low water. The flat-calm water lapped at the riprap off the coastal trail, floating tree trunks just across the fence from the bike path.
The vast mudflats? They were gone.
Inside the berm that underlays the Alaska Railroad, Westchester Lagoon had gone tidal. A strong current flowed out of the almost submerged tunnel and rushed by the viewing platform and into the lagoon. Distant trail lights reflected in the V-shaped ripple of water that was flowing east -- over the weir. Chester Creek had reversed. The ocean was moving into town. A muskrat swam into the mouth of this flow, but stalled in the face of the oncoming water. It turned around.
That entire basin between the railroad and the trail was flooded. Current moved under the bridge toward the tunnel leading downtown. For a few moments, the west end of Westchester, one of the most popular destinations in the city, felt like a deserted island.
Within minutes the current reversed. Floating leaves sailed back toward the dark tunnel. The ocean was starting to fall; Knik Arm to empty. It would drop almost 39 feet in the next six hours, one of the biggest tidal ranges anywhere on Earth. It happens again on Oct. 27-28.
Contact Doug O'Harra at doug(at)alaskadispatch.com