Alaska Winter Adventures

Why I Wanted to Visit Alaska In the Winter
Guest Blogger, Jane Suiter

Potos by Jane Suiter

I have the privilege of having two friends who call Alaska home.  My first visit was in the summer of 1998 when I turned 50.  Because I had always wanted to visit Alaska, I went that year.  My second trip was the summer of 2017.  The summer solstice to be specific since it was my birthday.  I wanted to experience close to 24 hours of sunshine.  It made it much easier to get up in the middle of the night for a bathroom trip.  I didn’t have to turn on the light.

My most recent visit followed close on the heels of the summer visit – Thanksgiving 2017.  While my main reason for the visit was to see my friends, I had some other reasons to visit this time of year.  I wanted to experience the Northern Lights, the late sunrise and early sunsets, and an earthquake.

Appeal of the Aurora

Of course, the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, occur all times of the year but the summer night sky isn’t dark enough for the lights to be visible to onlookers.

I arrived on a Sunday.  My friend, Brenda, is a teacher and had to work Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week.  She has an app that tracks the possibility of Northern Lights occurring in the Eagle River, AK, area.  Her bedroom was upstairs and mine was on the main level.  At 11 p.m. the first night she texted me to see if I was still awake. I don’t usually go to bed before midnight so I was.  She asked if I wanted to go check out the Northern Lights.  I knew she had to work the next day and I was impressed that she was willing to go check them out.

We drove up Mount Baldy so we would have an unobstructed view of the sky.  When we got to the top we weren’t the only ones there. Other people had gathered to see the lights. Fortunately, we found a parking place in the crowded lot.  We were not disappointed. The Aurora Borealis was spectacular. The light show lasted about 15 minutes.  Most of the color was green but every once in a while, we were treated to some other colors. A continuous wave of light danced across the sky.  It was amazing and something I won’t forget.

Experiencing the Dark

My second reason to visit in winter occurred every day.  I wanted to experience the short days of winter in the north.  Sunrise was around 9:15 a.m. and sunset was around 4 p.m.  I didn’t have a problem with the 4 p.m. sunset but didn’t like the 9:15 a.m. sunrise.  I would like to go to work in the sunlight and don’t mind coming home in the dark. This span of sunshine time would bother me if I lived there.

Feeling the Earth Move Under My Feet

My third reason to re-visit Alaska happened on the day I was scheduled to leave. I have traveled to California several times and have never felt an earthquake. As a retired earth science teacher, I wanted to experience an earthquake without damage or fear for my life.

The day it happened in Alaska, I was sitting at the table and all of a sudden everything started shaking. It was an earthquake! The epicenter was about 100 miles away and it was a 5.1 on the Richter scale. The shaking lasted about 10 seconds and some of the items on the bookshelves were vibrating. It was an interesting sensation, to say the least.

Spectacular Views

For anyone visiting Alaska one of the sites to see is Denali, the mountain.  It is a rare opportunity to see this mountain.  In June we could see it from afar on our way back to Anchorage.  I took a bus tour into the park but it was a cloudy and rainy day so no mountain view.  We took a train from Anchorage to Talkeetna to spend the night. On the way to Talkeetna, Denali was visible. The train even stopped so we could take pictures.  When we got to Talkeetna, we walked around this small town.  We found a spot along the river where Denali was still visible.  It was a great site.

I loved my winter trip to Alaska and I think you will, too.