The Chuli River River

Denali. Big.


The below is on the same day from Denali South Viewpoint in Denali State Park. If you look closely, Denali is poking out above the clouds just left of center. This pic is about 15 miles closer to Denali than the last, yet it looks a million miles farther away. A pure trick of the eye.

Huge ice shelves breaking off the shorelines of the Chulitna river were sending out echoing booms like cannons.


The suffix -tna means "river" so saying Chulitna River is a bit redundant, I guess like we all say "ATM machine" which is to say "Automatic Teller Machine Machine."

Anyway, around Denali South, there were spotty patches of snow in the woods. Less than 10 miles up the road, a different story. I figured there was a 1% chance of being able to camp at Byers Lake, and apparently that was overly optimistic. The paved road to the campground, which is 100% exposed to the sun, is still under a foot of snow. I can't imagine what the tree-canopied campground was like!

The Reign Is Over

I imagine in a lot of places, far away places with far away names, where maybe they hang toilet paper under-hand so you have to dig behind the roll, or where "Sourdough" is simply a bread option at the deli, or maybe even where they call all carbonated soft drinks "Coke" and then you have to specify that the type of "Coke" you want is "Dr. Pepper," (I'm looking in your direction Texas on this last point) well, in these far off places perhaps a weather forecast of mid-to-upper 40's and rain in May might be disheartening.

This here is not that far off place! Our precipitation since October has generally been of the frozen variety, apart from an utterly meaningless spritz of rain here and there.

The reign of no rain is no more!

Rain! Blessed, puddle-forming, run-off inducing rain is finally here! Rain! Rain to wash away the dusty, exquisite corpse of winter. Rain to fuel new life. Trees, previously unadorned, then only recently with staunch little brown husks, now showing hints of tightly wrapped green leaves breaking through at the tips. Such an exciting time. The learned prophet Stevie Nicks once said "When the rain washes you clean, you'll know." Truer words have ne'er been spoken!

Genesis

First hike of 2011. Beth is in her "hiking Capris," God is in His Heaven, and all is right with the world!

We've persevered through many a cold, dark winter's day. Please just give us a few months of THIS!

Break Up

We're past break up, when everything melts and six months of dirt is released from the many layers of snow. What we need is a good rain - at night - so I can still see blue skies like these from my office window! (cel phone pic - I'm not really a fan - need to start bringing in a regular camera)

Knock on wood - I remember after break up in 2008 the forecast called for rain one fateful April day, then it snowed almost TWO FEET (April 25, 2008). We don't need any of that. It is actually going to top 50 degrees today for the first time.

Schadenfreude

Mizzou was admittedly overrated this year from the start. But when KU fans wear these kind of outfits, then cry when they lose to a team that didn't actually get selected for the tourney? Forget it Jack, it's Schadenfreude.