Last post I mentioned it was much warmer than it appeared.
Since then it has become very suddenly and very surprisingly summer. Will it last? Who knows? We've seriously have had over a week of intense sun and sweat-worthy temps (for those of us acclimated to Alaskan weather, anyway).
I am in shock. We are in shock.
A year ago we were still under a foot and a half of snow. This year it has already been downright "hot" by our standards. Last weekend I soaked up some serious sun, enjoyed a five-mile roundtrip hike Saturday, and took a trip (which also required a brief hike) to the beach on Sunday.
Alaska is so vast, and so beautiful, sometimes it's almost overwhelming:
A a cloud in the sky? Haze? Smog? Volcanic ash cloud? Nope. Just unbelievable.
I mentioned a couple months ago getting "boots on the ground." The boots were in snow. Before you know it, there are no boots, and no snow.
It's a magical time. We're still six weeks from Solstice, meaning six more weeks of days getting longer, and I'm already going to bed for work when it's still light outside, and waking up to broad daylight. We have twilight beyond 11:30 pm and growing:
We've earned it. Last year was a trying year.
