Monica Gokey

"Six Mile is in." That's the message that made its way through the whitewater kayaking community two weeks ago. Boaters eagerly watched as warm weather and rain brought river levels up on Six Mile Creek near Hope, a rare occurrence for January.

Anchorage's real estate market is more competitive than ever, with home prices continuing to rise, according to new data from the Alaska Multiple Listing Service.

Bullish contributors to the economic outlook in Anchorage include oil industry activity, healthy tourism and a recovering national economy. Among the risks on the horizon: low natural gas prices, decreasing federal spending and declining oil production.

You see them on the city's trail network: chunky black rubber tires powered by thunder-cracking thighs. Fat bikes are almost as ubiquitous as cross-country skis on some Anchorage trails.