A Handler’s Perspective on A Rookies Journey
December 10, 2005
by Bonnie Foster

Alaska’s seasons are wild and beautiful. Many people who live “outside” Alaska think that the winters here must be cold, dark and forbidding. While it is true that part of Alaska does not see the sun in the winter that is not true of the area in which we live. Winter is the time that most Alaskans come alive. The way to live here in winter is to grab it and revel in the things that make it one of the best parts of living in Alaska. We have hockey, ice skating, skiing, cross country skiing, skijoring, sledding, sleigh riding, winter hiking and camping, snow machining and, of course, dog mushing.

With modern fabrics and technology it is not difficult to stay warm, especially if you are active.

The light changes during the winter, casting long shadows, and giving everything a luminescent appearance, soft as a newborn kitten, and unique to the north. The sky is usually clear blue. You can see Denali much more often during the winter, even from Anchorage. The sky has more shades and tones of colors than Crayola could ever imagine.

When Eric and I started fall training this year, the leaves were brilliant yellow. Yellow is the most common color up here because many of the trees are cottonwoods, birch, and Aspen. The berries are thick on the bushes. There are blueberries, lignonberries, crowberries close to the ground, bright red wild rose hips, and my favorite of all, and high bush cranberries. Cranberries are tart with a large seed inside of each berry. They make delicious jelly and jam. I think they are best when they are eaten frozen along side of the trail. They hang, jewel like, from tiny stems from bushes that are 2-3 ft above ground level. Their leaves turn a brilliant red in the fall.

As the season progresses from fall to winter, birds migrate south. Geese and tundra swans fly overhead honking their intentions in large migratory flocks. The sandhill cranes can be heard for miles as they fly overhead. The seagulls go back to where they come from and the Ravens replace them as the winter scavengers. The chickadees are year round residents. Every once in awhile, the dogs flush up a grouse or a ptarmigan. The ptarmigan have not yet changed into their winter feathers. In winter they develop white feathers and in the summer they are speckled brown to blend in with the surroundings.

In the weeks between fall and winter, the ground gets frozen, and the hoar frost grows on the twigs, branches and dried grasses. Early morning becomes a crystallized forest of sparking diamonds. It is absolutely breathtaking. The whole world looks like a fairyland sparking in the sun. Many days it will stay throughout the early afternoon until it warms up slightly and the frost drifts off the trees in sparking showers. It draws you to want to be outdoors and be a part of the changing season. The dogs love the cooler weather and revel in being on the trail once more. The dogs and I see new sights every time we are on the trail.

One of the sights we don’t want to see is moose on the trail. Moose do not like dogs. I think they believe that they are wolves and that they represent a threat to them. More people are killed and injured from moose in Alaska each year than they are from bears. Moose use the trails because it is easier for them to get around, especially when the snow is deep. Moose will plow into a dog team and they have the ability to kick forwards, sideward and backwards. Although I have never seen a porcupine on the trail, there are lots of dogs who have had an upfront personal experience with one. I have smelled them in the spring and the fall. They smell similar to a skunk. We have a small pack of wolves on the trails where we train, and several mushers who are out during the night have seen the pack. In fact, last winter, a few members of the pack ran along side of one musher’s team for about a mile or so. It was quite a sight but one that was also caused his heart to beat very fast.

To my knowledge, no one has ever seen a bear on our home trails, but they are there, because the area (the Anchorage municipality) has about 400 bears, both black and brown that fish and game has identified. I have them in my yard frequently and I live in the middle of Anchorage. Last week when we were at Jim Creek with the teams, we had 2 pairs of mature Bald Eagles watching us. I was convinced that the Eagles were waiting for us to fall in the water so they wouldn’t have to go fishing for dinner that night. There were also several Dall sheep up in the mountains. They are very high up but you can pick them out because they look like ping pong balls on the ridge lines and the craggy peaks. It is a beautiful land that we chose to call home, and its pleasures are increased by being able to partake in its beauty.

Bonnie Foster

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