Mt. Roberts Hike

An old mine 1/2 mile from my apartment

This was once one of the most prductive mines in the world at the turn of the century. It is the Treadwell Mine in Douglas, Alaska. Now it is a park.

Mendenhall Lake last weekend

Global Warming is real!

http://www.350.org/en/about/blogs/bill-mckibbens-speech-power-shift-2011

Global warming is real folks!!!! I see it in Alaska. We had unbelievable rains until January of 2011. Coal is a big factor as is oil and shale oil is extremely bad for our environment.

The ice cap was the thinnest it has ever been, we have had hurricanes, tornados, flooding, topping of mountains, FRACKING and the GULF OIL SPILL which was man caused and is ruining our environment.

The future: We can expect more crazy weather events because of climate change. We can expect more drought, more crazy storms, more oil spills (GOD DID NOT CAUSE THE OIL SPILL IN THE GULF - true fact, but many people are sick and fish are dying because of that spill.)

Why are gas costs so high? Because of speculation and greed. Paper pushers on wall street have run the cost up on the futures markets. Futures were pushed to extremes during the GW Bush years.

Goodbye Hoonah

Hoonah, AK

This is the old Hoonah packing fish packing house. It has been converted over to retail shops now and a museum.

Hoonah and Mt Roberts carved tree

The small totem poles are at Hoonah, AK. It is he Island where I was asked to consider applying for a teaching job. The carved tree is on a trail by the tram in Juneau, near down town. The picture of water and land is a Hoonah shot. I saw a Silver Back brown bear about an hour before taking this picture.

Mendenhall Lake still has ice

Mendenhall Lake still has ice on it. The ice is riding because the streams into Mendenhall Lake are running fast. That raised the water level which lifts the ice up. It would be crazy to walk out there now. It is still white all the way to the Glacier to see it.
The ponds on streams by the boardwalk are starting to thaw out. The beavers have some work getting their dams back into shape. It was snowing/raining mix most of the day today. As I was leaving the Glacier viewing area, a lady who had not been their for a couple of years saw the glacier and was upset at the melting and changes that have taken place. I felt that same emotion last fall when I saw it. Climate Change is real and it is not a good thing for Alaska, which is going to impact the whole world.

Mendenhall Glacier - No more walking out to it

Last weekend I went to the Glacier to check it out. No one was on the ice and I did not attempt it. It would have been my last opportunity to get out to the glacier. My going out to the glacier itself over frozen ice pack is done. We have two weeks of weather over freezing. A couple of days, there was ice on the windows and ice on mud puddles. The next time I get out to the glacier itself, it will be in a kayak.
February and March I had good access to the glacier.

Mountains down the road

Mountains seen going down the road.

Big ice cubes