Alaska is thawing. The trees have taken on a red hue, a precursor to their eventual new-growth. Bears are awakening, moose are heading back to the hills, and people emerge from their homes. The mountains still boast a white curtain over their crests, and the forests still harbor patches of snow beneath them, but it is surely going to fade away. Even as I type this, the temperature soars. Recently the Anchorage bowl experienced temperatures in the mid-fifties. While that may not be entirely welcoming for some of our warm-blooded readers, for an Alaskan this is a wonderful sign of shorts and tee-shirts to come. Soon the bottom of our lakes will be unfrozen, the hills will be devoid of ice, and the maroon tips of trees will have turned a lush green.
Residents of Alaska have only two weeks left to get their studded tires off, which means a quieter trip around town with the windows low. Most houses in the state are missing an A/C; therefore plenty of screen doors and windows will billow open. With so much fresh air in the spring, you can’t help but want to be outside all the time. Winter is finally over, and it’s time to make the land colorful. Green grass, purple flowers, blue skies and budding trees ring in the new season
With spring come four-wheelers, motorcycles, and long days. Tonight the sun won’t go behind the mountains until 9:33 PM and its light will linger for an hour more. Every day gains around 6 more minutes of light, until June 20th and 21st when the day will top out at 19 hours 22 minutes, and 23 seconds in Anchorage. Fairbanks will have its longest day, which starts at 2:58 AM and ends the next day at 12:45 AM. Celebrations will ring around the state, what an amazing time to visit Alaska.