Outdoors and Recreation

Spotted tussock moth caterpillars are the local version of woolly bears. (Photo by Bob Armstong)

On the Trails: Woolly bears and spider webs

It’s early fall and we sometimes enjoy seeing fuzzy orange and black caterpillars trekking over the trails on their way to better foraging or a… Continue reading

 

A newly installed Forest Service sign orients recreators on the reconstructed Fish Creek bridge, one of 64 bridges that were rebuilt along the 14-mile trail. (Photo by Dave Haas)

From a mining aqueduct to recreational gold: The restoration of the Treadwell Ditch Trail

Community members, agencies team up to work on trail with nearly 150-year-old history

 

A male peregrine falcon that hatched in 2023 looks at the biologist who captured him on South Padre Island in Texas in late 2023. (Photo courtesy Padre Island Peregrine Falcon Survey)

Alaska Science Forum: Alaska peregrine falcon numbers drop again

Skip Ambrose has floated the upper Yukon River almost every year since Richard Nixon was President. Back then, in 1973, only 12 pairs of peregrine… Continue reading

 

A young bleeding tooth mushroom sheds excess water in red drops. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Birds, leaves and mushrooms at the onset of autumn

On a dark and dismal day in late September, I cheered myself up by remembering some pleasing observations in recent weeks: • On the dike… Continue reading

A young bleeding tooth mushroom sheds excess water in red drops. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
Being tired from a hike is far different than the type of tired that comes with a newborn baby. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: Discovering how being tired as a new parent is life-giving

“I’m so tired.” I had no idea how to reply. As a basketball coach you tell players to push through. As a high school teacher… Continue reading

Being tired from a hike is far different than the type of tired that comes with a newborn baby. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
Amanita mushrooms are large, white-spotted, and usually red. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Marvellous fungi

People often think of fungi as dietary items or as agents of rot and decay. Fair enough, but those are only two small windows into… Continue reading

Amanita mushrooms are large, white-spotted, and usually red. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
A wood frog pauses in the forest just off the Yukon River near the mouth of the Nation River. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Wood frogs — farthest north amphibian cannibals

Their staccato voices can make a muskeg bog as loud as a city street, though most are so small they could sit in a coffee… Continue reading

A wood frog pauses in the forest just off the Yukon River near the mouth of the Nation River. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
The South Sawyer glacier had shed many small bergs, which were occupied by hard-to-see resting seals. (Photo by Mary F. Willson)

On the Trails: Excursions at the end of summer

In late August I went on a day cruise to Tracy Arm. The weather was good for observing: gray, overcast skies to reduce the glare… Continue reading

The South Sawyer glacier had shed many small bergs, which were occupied by hard-to-see resting seals. (Photo by Mary F. Willson)
A blacktail doe stares down the author on Sunday. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: Limited enthusiasm

The alpine deer cabbage was yellow and gold, a sign of the coming fall. From a distance even the leaves turned brown seemed to take… Continue reading

A blacktail doe stares down the author on Sunday. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
Eyebright flowers occur in abundance along local trails. (Photo by Denise Carroll)

On the Trails: Trailside flowers

On a gray morning in early September, with no cruise ships in town(!), I wandered up Basin Road and the first part of the Perseverance… Continue reading

Eyebright flowers occur in abundance along local trails. (Photo by Denise Carroll)
A willow rose develops in late summer. (Photo by Mary F. Willson)

On the Trails: Bird activity, willow roses

I haven’t seen much bird activity along my mid-August trails recently, but here at home there is always something going on. The suet block, seed… Continue reading

A willow rose develops in late summer. (Photo by Mary F. Willson)
A medium-sized chiton commonly known as black katy can sometimes reach a length of 12 centimeters. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: A diversity of eyes

This essay was launched by reading an almost unintelligible (to me) scientific paper about chiton eyes. Nevertheless, that paper led to others, and here I… Continue reading

A medium-sized chiton commonly known as black katy can sometimes reach a length of 12 centimeters. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
Phillip Wilson (blue jacket) and Dan Mann stand on a rock outcrop that was scoured by floodwaters a few centuries ago when Black Rapids Glacier — far in the distance — advanced to dam the Delta River. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: The galloping glacier’s recent dramas

LACK RAPIDS OF THE DELTA RIVER — If we climb high enough above this tumble of gray water, we can see a wedge of blue-white… Continue reading

Phillip Wilson (blue jacket) and Dan Mann stand on a rock outcrop that was scoured by floodwaters a few centuries ago when Black Rapids Glacier — far in the distance — advanced to dam the Delta River. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Red elderberry is toxic to humans, but birds consume the fruits readily. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Late summer fruits — lots of questions

Mid-August and the berry crops of wild currants are ripe. The stink currant (reportedly so-called for the smell of crushed leaves) sometimes bears large crops… Continue reading

Red elderberry is toxic to humans, but birds consume the fruits readily. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
Recently emerged toadlets still have their tadpole tails. (Photo by Bob Armstrong).

On the Trails: Visiting Gustavus and Glacier Bay

I hadn’t been over there for several years, and it was time to refresh some old memories of forest walks and boat or kayak trips… Continue reading

Recently emerged toadlets still have their tadpole tails. (Photo by Bob Armstrong).
A creek runs beside the Mesa Site in northern Alaska. (Photo by Dan Gullickson)

Alaska Science Forum: Pondering the mystery of the Mesa people

Now as quiet as wind whispering through grass, a plateau rising from the flats of northern Alaska was for thousands of years a lookout for… Continue reading

A creek runs beside the Mesa Site in northern Alaska. (Photo by Dan Gullickson)
Western rust fungus can leave a big gnarly lump on pine branches. (Photo by Mary F. Willson)

On the Trails: Flowers, caterpillars and tree foam

Light rain fell as I left the Valley but, as usual, it fell more heavily as I neared the downtown area. Fog lay thick over… Continue reading

Western rust fungus can leave a big gnarly lump on pine branches. (Photo by Mary F. Willson)
The author (back) and his brother (front) at a Forest Service cabin on Prince of Wales island many years ago. (Photo provided by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: Learning to appreciate the journey to the destination

My wife and I had just moved into the Forest Service cabin and perpetual motion sent me to the lake where there were fish to… Continue reading

The author (back) and his brother (front) at a Forest Service cabin on Prince of Wales island many years ago. (Photo provided by Jeff Lund)
A red ant stimulates aphid to produce honeydew. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Ants are busy critters

There are more than 20,000 species of ants, including such noticables as picnic ants, sidewalk ants, carpenter ants, and so on. Less noted by most… Continue reading

A red ant stimulates aphid to produce honeydew. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
The Nogahabara Dunes spill into a lake 35 miles west of the village of Huslia as seen from the back seat of a Super Cub piloted by Brad Scotton of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service based in Galena. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Sand dunes a unique Alaska landscape

NOGAHABARA DUNES — From a molded seat of sand dug into the western rim of a 5-mile oval of desert, I’m looking out over a… Continue reading

The Nogahabara Dunes spill into a lake 35 miles west of the village of Huslia as seen from the back seat of a Super Cub piloted by Brad Scotton of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service based in Galena. (Photo by Ned Rozell)