Whether it is state park land or private property, most of Eklutna Valley still looks as wild today as it did the day Anchorage was established over a century ago.  However, there have been many changes, as a close inspection of topographic maps, aerial photos, or LiDAR images will reveal. LiDAR stands for “light detection and ranging.”  It is a remote sensing tool that uses light in … Continue reading Missing, misnamed, and forgotten: Eklutna Lake’s three campground creeks

Noah is better known, but Steve Thon took the ancient craft of boat building to a higher level. Literally. Rather than build a boat in a valley that accidentally ends up on a mountain, Steve built his ark on a mountain and laboriously hauled it down to the sea. Steve grew up in Minnesota, about as far as one can get from bluewater sailing. But he’s … Continue reading Eklutna Valley’s Noah

“What are men to rocks and mountains?”  Jane Austen The 19th century writer and polymath John Ruskin wrote “Mountains are the beginning and end of all natural scenery.”  That is certainly true in Eklutna Valley.  We are surrounded by craggy peaks, some of them quite daunting, others scalable by humans with sturdy footwear and less than sturdy physiques. When one looks north from downtown Chugiak the tallest peak looming … Continue reading Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee: A hymn for the mountains encircling Eklutna Valley

Steve Thon was walking his old lady – Grace, his Labrador retriever, not Debbie – along the shoreline of Eklutna Lake about September 10 when they found a piece of driftwood that had been floating in Eklutna Lake for nearly 20 years.  Recent high winds had driven it ashore near the lake’s natural outlet, where the first dam was built in 1928. Steve knew how old … Continue reading Eklutna Alex’s cabin: The valley’s oldest house returns from the spirit world

“The mountain sheep keeps his horns as long as he lives, and on them he writes his autobiography.”   Jack O’Connor, The Stories Sheep Horns Tell, 1974 Archives at the Anchorage Museum and Rasmuson Library in Fairbanks harbor a fascinating panoply of historic photos featuring Alaskans and Alaska’s scenery, animals and artifacts.  Several collections feature photos from the short-lived Eklutna Vocational (or Industrial) School, which trained orphaned … Continue reading Annabel’s sheep: An Eklutna mystery

“I don’t get no respect.” Rodney Dangerfield Have you ever heard of a mountain being demoted to a rock?  That has been the fate of Goat Rock, the westernmost of three peaks that stand like sentries separating the Eklutna and Matanuska valleys.  Goat Rock and the other two peaks – the East Twin and West Twin – might as well be called the Triplets for they have … Continue reading Turning a mountain into a molehill: The convoluted and confusing christening of Goat Rock

Lurking in the woods surrounding our homes are Ghosts of Forests Past disguised as charred stumps.   Like the spirit warns in A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella, “These are the shadows of the things that have been.”  Lots of these ghosts are found in Eklutna Valley.  At least 38 wildfires have been ignited in Eklutna Valley since Anchorage was founded a little over a century ago. … Continue reading Burn baby burn: Wildfires of Eklutna Valley

“For Distant Viewing”  That’s what the plaque on the spotting scope mounted in Chugach State Park’s Eklutna Valley campground claims.  When it was set up, probably in the 1980s, the scope facilitated spotting Dall sheep, bears, and other wildlife on the surrounding mountain slopes.  Today, some 40 years later, distant views are obscured by trees. Part of the natural and cultural history of Eklutna Valley is recorded … Continue reading Eklutna Valley: Then and now

Have you ever wondered what all of those park visitors are doing in Eklutna Valley? A fitness app called Strava can give us some insights. Strava heatmaps show routes recorded by smartphones and fitness watches. The maps are updated monthly and reflect activity compiled during the last two years. The app doesn’t show all visitor activity; it is recorded mostly by athletes or people who … Continue reading Recreational activities in Eklutna Valley

Have you seen ducks or geese returning north this spring? It won’t be long now, because I saw the season’s first butterfly today, March 15. Snowshoeing up the Wiedmer’s driveway Lisa and I found a Green Comma sitting on the snow, wings outspread, desperately hoping its wing muscles would warm up enough to fly back to the gravelly cutbank it must have flown from. Under … Continue reading Eklutna Valley butterflies: An updated list