A HIGHER PLAIN?

It's common in "New Age" circles to refer to traveling into other states of consciousness, whether through focused trance-work using music, chanting, dance, or even psycho-active plants (which many cultures still use effectively, though they are not necessary), as visiting "higher planes".

As dedicated New Age beings ourselves, here at the A.P.R., we certainly agree, though we prefer to use "other" instead of "higher", as we feel that there are no "better", or "worse" states of being, they are all just parts of the whole, and it is our individual judgement and beliefs that may make them seem so.

In any event, it does seem to be the case, that high elevation land areas, on every continent, tend to foster more spiritually-based cultures, that most of the World accepts as so. Places like Tibet, and throughout the Himalayas and the mountains of Central Asia, the Altai Mountains of Siberia, the Andes in South America. And on this continent, the high desert regions of the southwestern U.S., home to the Pueblo, Hopi, and Dineh cultures.

[Laguna Verde, 4420 metres, Bolivia, M. Richmond, 10/2008]

What is it about these places, that seems to make us feel and think instinctively in more spiritual terms? And that tends to support cultures that seem to be more spiritually focused, than that of the "developed nations"?

When your lead author visited the Andes of Bolivia and Peru three years ago, it was not just with the intention of seeing these incredible landscapes, but also to gain inspiration, and learn from the cultures there. People with thousands of years of oral histories, who are only now just beginning to take charge of their political and economic destinies, after centuries of oppression, first from the Spaniards from 1520-1820, roughly, and then from their descendents in repressive oligarchies, usually with U.S. government support.

http://akprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/11/evo-si.html

[Volcan Illimani, Bolivia, 6520 metres, taken from 4900 metres, M. Richmond, 10,2008]



And so it was, that I was greatly inspired by the landscapes, and people of the Andes, especially Bolivia, in their struggles to re-make their societies in a more just and sustainable manner, reflective of the beliefs of their Indigenous majority population.

Here at home in Alaska, we have close at hand landscapes equally as spectacular as those I was so fortunate to have visited, in the Andes. And, that help inspire, and nurture us, spiritually, and physically, in our efforts to help foster and develop a politically and socio-economically more just and sustainable society. Which is not easy, given that the culture of Alaska, since the oil boom of the 1970s, has been changed, to what many people, ourselves included, feel to be one more similar to that found in Texas, or Louisiana.

At times, we feel despair of the trends we are seeing in U.S., and even global society to a certain extent, of the increased militarism, sociopathic greed, and hostility toward education and science. And the rise/support/use of fanatical fundamentalist cults/sects, to divide society, whether they are "Christian", as in the U.S., or Muslim, in the Middle East, by the "global elite", or "corporatocracy". It is at these times, that we flee into our local mountains, directly from our Chugach Front Research Centre, on bike, then foot, to restore our balance, and gain peace and inspiration.

We were fortunate enough to have a nice weather day this Tuesday past, and the company of our great friend Erik Skye, as we tried a new route, from the CFRC, "up" to the Middle Fork of Campbell Creek drainage, the Williwaw Lakes, and then back. 15 KM of biking, and 34 KM of hiking, which took us a total of just under 9 hours. Little did we know at the start, just how fortunate we were to be, on this day.

Leaving the front door at 1045 after some unexpected delays, the biking went very quickly. We stashed our bikes in a secret spot of the Spencer Loop, on the Hillside Park trail system, where brush and tall grass hid them from sight. Quickly ascending a secret cutoff, we then got onto the beginning of the Powerline Trail, and then to the Middle Fork Loop Trail. This goes through about 6-8 KM of prime bear habitat, tall grass/brush, near tree-line, but our intrepid assistant editor Mattie was there for our protection. We never did see or hear any in this area, but did come across a large pile of brown bear scat, as a trail marker/reminder, letting us know whose trail this really was. We then accessed the Williwaw Lakes Trail, which none of us had been on before, and headed in.

We saw about a dozen sheep grazing on the fall-coloured grass and tundra vegetation higher up on the northern wall slopes of the 800 metre deep canyon. They were too far away for Mattie to give chase, fortunately, as we did not want her to expend too much energy, this early, as we had much more distance and elevation to contend with. As it was, she was often flushing half-white ptarmigan from the grass and brush, who are in the process of changing their plumage to winter-white.

It was a rather moody day at first, with heavier clouds obscuring the higher peaks, still retaining their first heavy snowfall from the week before. The clouds would briefly part at times, allowing us to glimpse the semi-veiled higher heights. It was quite cool even here at the head of the canyon, at only around 762 metres (2500 ft) elevation, about 1-2C (34-36F). Smaller puddles on the trail were partially frozen, as was the ground underneath a top coat of thin mud, making for very treacherous footing at times. And also slowing our progress somewhat.

After about 90 minutes of hiking up the canyon, we hit the first of the small lakes in the Williwaw Lakes chain, and took a break for lunch. It was even colder here, right about 0C, with a few snow flurries. Whilst eating, and gazing at this little lake, we realised, this was an exceptional day!

Because there was no wind on this day, not even the slightest of a breeze that would ruffle the surface of these lakes. And hence, they were all, perfect mirrors! Because they are so cold and clean, with crystal-clear water. Previous experiences in these higher plains/canyons in the Chugach Mountains were always punctuated by gale and even storm force winds throughout the year, and one look at these flagged hemlock trees confirms just how windy of places these are. Because when low pressure systems are located to our south, in the Gulf of Alaska, which is a favoured place for them, the northeast-east-southeast flow around them funnels and whips through these similarly-oriented drainages. But on this day, a large upper-level low pressure system was covering all of South-Central Alaska, with almost zero wind-flow from the surface even up to 3000 metres or more. So there was some instability for light snow-showers, but also some breaks between. There are very few days like this in the Chugach mountains, probably less than ten per year.

We were quickly entranced and inspired, that we should be so lucky to experience this, and set about to a frenzy of photo-shooting, before any wind might come up and ruffle the lake surfaces.

The views up to the head of canyon, walled by the 1525-1662 metre (5000-5450') peaks behind were just as beautiful, the partially veiled, snowy crags reminded me of some the higher peaks in the Andes, or pictures I've seen from the Himalayas. And yet, here we were, just four hours in by bike and foot, from the CFRC.

The clarity of these waters, this is the largest of the lakes, Williwaw, was absolutely astounding, never equalled in my experience.  Combined with the mirrorring of the surrounding terrain and vegetation in them, it left me in a deeply contemplative, almost trance-like state. Is this what we are always seeking, in our "higher plains/planes"?

Looking toward the northwest, down-canyon, there was more clearing, and hence, the reflections in the larger Williwaw Lake, from it's southeast side, had mixes of cloud and sun.

We spent about an hour and a half here, transfixed, inspired, renewed, and amazed, before we came to the realisation, that we had a long trek ahead of us back, and would need to leave, if we wished to regain our bikes for that part of the trip, in daylight.

There is a side-route, up a steep notch in the valley of the Middle Fork of the Campbell Creek canyon, that leads past another beautiful mirror lake, at the base of 1556 metre (5105') O'Malley Peak. This route goes past the lake then up a very steep 150 metre wall, which then takes you to the "ballfield", an interesting, almost-level, glacially scoured 1-2 KM wide plain, above 1000 metres elevation. This very steep route proved quite challenging, and left us all quite winded when we reached the top. But we were continually inspired by views like this:

The steep rock walls of O'Malley peak, whose snow-covered top was still sheathed in the mists of light snow showers, in the early evening sun. We were moving quickly now though, to stay warm, and to make sure we reached our bikes in the mild, forested lowlands below, in daylight, so we could bike back to the CFRC with the ability to see any moose or bear that may be present.

Up on "the ballfield' it was still practically calm, and the evening light was very beautiful, looking back east, to O'Malley Peak, it's rocky crags now mostly in the clear.

We made quick work of the last 20 KM of our day though, heading down from "the ballfield", over to the Powerline Trail, then down that, to the Spencer Loop and our bikes. From there, it was just a quick 20 minutes zipping mostly downhill on those, to the CFRC. It has to be said, that our assistant editor Mattie, is possessed of incredible speed and endurance. During this last part of the trek, whilst we were biking, sometimes at 45 KPH downhill, she was running just as fresh, as earlier during the day. All told, with all of her side-trips, bird flushings, and other excursions, she must have easily covered 150-200 KM, versus our 49. Now that is inspiring!

This trek, with it's incredible views and conditions, right from our door, ranks among our most refreshing and inspiring we've ever undertaken. Helping us to regain some balance in our lives, without requiring us to drive or fly long distances, and carry/pack large amounts of gear. We truly are fortunate to be able to do this. Come join us, if you are ever able, we will be happy to lead you, to "higher plains". Cheers.

SIX METRES UNDER [and] HEADING UP THE PASS

                                               SIX METRES UNDER

No, we are not writing about the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and Pentagon, in the US. Terrible, murderous tragedies, and crimes they were, with devastating consequences for the people there, and eventually, throughout the Middle East. There have been many good articles written these last few days about this anniversary, so here are a few, if you are so inclined.

This one, below, by Chris Hedges, sums the situation up quite nicely. He was actually there in NYC and a witness to World Trade Center attacks.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/09/11-7

In addition, this article, by Noam Chomsky, below, offers his always insightful analysis on the bigger geopolitical picture, of the events.

http://www.truth-out.org/after-911-was-war-only-option/1315582873
No folks, what we are writing about today is of much more significance to us all, than what happened in New York City and Washington DC ten years ago. And yet, you won't be hearing much about it in the US corporate media. This is from a French news agency. The Arctic ocean sea ice concentration, as of today, has reached a new record low, since accurate measurements began, in 1972. This is a very serious trend/occurrence, which we'll be discussing in more detail, after the article. Note especially the title of it. It would almost be funny, but really, tragic, to listen to the crackpot GOP/Fascist party presidential candidates, if they were asked to comment on the findings presented here (which they won't be).

Published on Sunday, September 11, 2011 by Agence France-Presse

Arctic Ice Cover Hits Historic Low, Due to Global Warming Says Scientists

The area covered by Arctic sea ice reached its lowest point this week since the start of satellite observations in 1972, German researchers announced.

"On September 8, the extent of the Arctic sea ice was 4.240 million square kilometers. This is a new historic minimum," said Georg Heygster, head of the Physical Analysis of Remote Sensing Images unit at the University of Bremen's Institute of Environmental Physics.

The new mark is about half-a-per cent under his team's measurements of the previous record, which occurred on September 16, 2007, he said.

According to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the record set on that date was 4.1 million sq km. The discrepancy, Heygster explained by phone, was due to slightly different data sets and algorithms.

"But the results are internally consistent in both cases," he said.
Arctic ice cover plays a critical role in regulating Earth's climate by reflecting sunlight and keeping the polar region cool. Retreating summer sea ice - 50 per cent smaller in area than four decades ago - is described by scientists as both a measure and a driver of global warming, with negative impacts on a local and planetary scale.It is also further evidence of a strong human imprint on climate patterns in recent decades, the researchers said.

"The sea ice retreat can no more be explained with the natural variability from one year to the next, caused by weather influence," Heygster said in an statement released by the university.

"Climate models show, rather, that the reduction is related to the man-made global warming which, due to the albedo effect, is particularly pronounced in the Arctic."

Albedo increases when an area once covered by reflective snow or ice - which bounces 80 per cent of the Sun's radiative force back into space - is replaced by deep blue sea, which absorbs the heat instead.

Temperatures in the Arctic region have risen more than twice as fast as the global average over the last half century.

The Arctic ice cover has also become significantly thinner in recent decades, though it is not possible to measure the shrinkage in thickness as precisely as for surface area, the statement said.

Satellite tracking since 1972 shows that the extent of Arctic sea ice is dropping at about 11 per cent per decade.

NSIDC director Mark Serreze has said that summer ice cover could disappear entirely by 2030, leaving nothing but heat-trapping "blue ocean."

The NSIDC likewise monitors Arctic ice cover on a daily basis, but has not announced record-low ice cover. Data posted on its website as of Saturday only covered the period through September 6.
By last week, it said, sea ice is almost completely gone from the channels of the Northwest Passage. The southern route - also known as Amunden's Route - was also ice free, as was the Northern Sea Route along Siberia.

But even as the thaw opens shipping lanes, it disrupts the lives and livelihoods of indigenous peoples, and poses a severe threat to fauna, including polar bears, ice seals and walruses, conservation groups say.

"This stunning loss of Arctic sea ice is yet another wake-up call that climate change is here now and is having devastating effects around the world," said Shaye Wolf, climate science director at the Center for Biological Diversity in San Francisco.

The last time the Arctic was incontestably free of summertime ice was 125,000 years ago, during the height of the last major interglacial period, known as the Eemian. Air temperatures in the Arctic were warmer than today, and sea level was also four to six meters higher because the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets had partly melted. Global average temperatures today are close to the maximum warmth seen during the Eemian.

Ok folks, here's the bad news. As we've documented in previous articles on Global Warming,

http://akprogressive.blogspot.com/2009/12/what-seems-likely-based-on-what-weve.html

and,

http://akprogressive.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-close-are-we-now.html

and, as the above article reminds us, the last time atmospheric CO2 levels were as high as they are now, 390 ppm, global sea levels were up to six metres (that's about 20 feet) higher. That would put a sizable chunk of Florida under, much of the Gulf of Mexico coastal margins, all the access routes here into Anchorage, and worst of all, low-lying areas in Asia home to billions of people (portions of India, Bangladesh, Indo-China, Malaysia, Thailand, etc..).

Also remember, in 40 more years, since nothing is being done to limit CO2 and methane emissions from fossil-fuel combustion, and indeed, with the development of the Alberta Tar Sands, an incredibly destructive and massive CO2-releasing project,

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/08/24-3

global atmospheric CO2 concentrations will have reached 510-550 ppm. It's clear now from researchers studying the geologic record, and measuring CO2 levels in the atmosphere from 100,000 to 250,000 years ago (from trapped air frozen in glaciers, core samples from all over the World have been analysed), that global sea-levels rise in lock-step with CO2 concentrations. And that the ancient CO2 increases were likely due to naturally occurring volcanism. These sea-level rises were caused by the melting of parts of the Greenland Ice Sheet, due to the warming from the increased CO2 concentrations.

The key question is, how long will it take for the Greenland melting to occur, which will then cause sea levels to "catch up" with the increased CO2 levels we've been, and will be seeing. This is why the decreasing Arctic sea ice is so crucial to the picture. Because more open water now in the Arctic is a "positive feedback". Open water absorbs tremendous amounts of heat from the sun, and slowly releases it through the course of the year. This also means, it becomes more difficult, if not impossible, for the ensuing season(s) ice cover in the Arctic to become as thick, and long-lasting, as previously. It takes longer to freeze in the fall, freezes thinner over the winter, and then is able to melt off faster in spring and summer. Allowing more solar radiation to be absorbed, continuing/amplifying the cycle. In addition, frozen methane deposits still present in the Arctic permafrost, and underwater in the shallower waters of the Arctic ocean, are vulnerable to melting with the increasing warming occurring in the Arctic. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, 22X more powerful than CO2. Uncontrolled emissions of this would be catastrophic to the global climate system. There are signs that this is beginning to occur. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/08/31-9

More heat from the Arctic ocean then, will be able to melt the glaciers/ice sheets in Greenland faster, which will then bring about the six metre or more (because remember, we'll be at 550 ppm CO2 by 2051) sea level rises. This is why we came up with the projections we did, from our scenario from the year 2045. http://akprogressive.blogspot.com/2010/06/run.html

A very interesting web-site, The Cryosphere Today, allows you to extract global sea ice imagery/data, and even look at side-by-side comparisons, from different dates.

http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Arctic sea ice, 30 years apart, as measured by polar-orbiting satellites. It doesn't take a physicist to see the trend here. Note how much more open water is now present along the Alaskan, Canadian, and Eastern Siberian coastlines. This greater extent of open water not only absorbs more heat, but also transfers more moisture to the atmosphere, affecting global weather patterns and causing more frequent heavy-precipitation events and flooding.

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2011/2011-03-02-02.html

Will humanity be able to adapt to these coming changes quickly enough? If sea level rises of six metres or more were to occur in 20-40 years, would the different countries affected be able to re-build infra-structure, ports, terminals, etc.., in time to keep up with this? Because what we take for granted as "civilisation" is dependent upon the global transfer of resources, food, oil, timber, minerals/ores/metals, manufactured products, almost all by shipping. What will happen if that is disrupted? This is the future we will be facing, 30-50 years from now. Even if massive full-scale efforts were undertaken by all the "developed" countries of the World to limit greenhouse gas emissions, and transition to renewable, non-emitting energy sources immediately, this is still going to happen. But since the current global predatory capitalistic structure, epitomised by the U.S. socio-political-economic system, is so entrenched, and continually being spread by force of arms throughout the World due to multi-national corporate greed, this is not going to happen for at least 15 to 20 more years. That's how we see it here at the Alaska Progressive Review.

                                               HEADING UP THE PASS

Friday last, the staff of the Alaska Progressive Review decided we needed a fast-pack, one of our 40-65 KM one-day hikes, to enjoy a rare, dry, sunny fall day. We had two goals in mind, to do it all on foot/bike from the Chugach Front Research Centre, and, to reach a spot where we could spread the ashes of our departed former research assistant Homer, in a place he used to enjoy.

We started the day at 0830 in the company of our friend Celine Van Breukelen, who wished to accompany us, at least part of the way. We biked the first 3 km or so to the base of the Konoya Point trail, which is also our daily running trail. Stashing the bikes here, we started up the steep, but beautiful forested route. Unfortunately, at about the 400 metre level, we came upon a large pile of very fresh brown bear scat. No more than a few hours old.

This was bad news. Several hikers had been charged by a brown bear near here over three weeks ago. Since Celine was going to turn back early, she would have had to come back through here by herself, without the protection from our intrepid assistant editor Mattie. We decided it was not worth the risk, and headed back down.

All was not lost. We then biked down to the Spencer Loop, in the Hillside Park ski trail network. Stashing our bikes halfway up the largest hill on the loop, we then started walking up the "secret cutoff" from it, that connects to the beginning of the Powerline Trail.

From here, it was fast and easy hiking, we quickly jumped on to the Middle Fork Loop Trail, which angles back on the north side of the South Fork of Campbell Creek Canyon, toward the Powerline Trail, on the other side, eventually re-connecting. After a few hours, Celine had to turn back, but at least she didn't have to worry so much about potential brown bear encounters. Heading further in up the Middle Fork Loop Trail, we could see the beautiful fall colours on the adjacent hillsides.

This trail eventually crosses the South Fork of Campbell Creek, and then connects with the Powerline Trail.

By the time Mattie and I got a few more KM in on this, it was already 2pm, and time for lunch. But we were seeing some nice sights already, like this coyote prowling around.

I always love seeing wild canids when we travel, so this was a treat.

Even Mattie was interested, but not threatened, she didn't try and give chase.

We decided to head up the trail to Ship Lake Pass. A place we all loved, and which Homer really enjoyed being in, he'd been with us there on four different expeditions. Just before heading in on this trail, the fall colours on 1433 metre "The Wedge" were particularly beautiful, with the mountain hemlock trees in the foreground.

It took another 90 min. to ascend the 8 KM up to the 1268 metre pass. It was quite cool and windy up there, easily 50-70 kph winds, with a temperature of 5-6C (39-41F). But the views up here are always stunning, and the fact that we could reach this in six hours on foot/bike from the CFRC, was even better.

 

Before I could do anything else, after reaching the top of the pass, Mattie was off, racing after these sheep. They are way too fast for her though, so she had no way of catching them. She came back very winded after just a half KM of that!

After putting on extra layers and warming up, it was time to release Homer's ashes back into the environment, in this incredibly beautiful place he loved. Now he's at home here.

This is the view looking east, toward the highest peaks in the Chugach. We've been here in every season now, and still can't get enough.

At the bottom of the pass, jewel-like Ship Lake gleams in the cool autumn sunshine. This is our backyard, and we will always make trips in here every year, on foot and bike, from the Chugach Front Research Centre. How fortunate we are.

Mattie, of course, is completely at home and in her element here in these settings. Always "on it", that is, on alert for the approach of other animals, or people, completely fearless and ready to protect your lead editor, and whoever else might be along on our trips. Thank you Mattie!

After spending about a half-hour up on the pass, enjoying the view, and remembering the wonderful times we had with Homer here, it was time for the long trek back.

About halfway back to the Powerline trail, we spied three moose off to the side. I asked Mattie not to bother them, and she listened, staying by my side, while we enjoyed watching them browse in the fall sun. But not for too long, we still had a good 20 KM or more of hiking, and then some biking, to do.

By the time we made it back to the CFRC, 12 hours had passed, and we reckon that I had walked about 48 KM, and biked about 13. Mattie, with all her side trips, and detours, easily must have done two to three times that. But she can't help herself, with her abundant, exuberant energy, and it always inspires me, just watching her. We were very happy we accomplished our goals and were able to put Homer to rest, in his beautiful Pass. Cheers.

LOVE IS

                                                        HOMER    ca. 1996-2011

    "Like had been replaced by love. And love was the plummet dropped down into the deeps of him
where like he had never gone. And responsive, out his deeps, had come the new thing-love. That which he was given unto him did he return. This was a god indeed, a love god, a warm and radiant god, in whose nature White Fang expanded as a flower expanded under the sun.
     But White Fang was not demonstrative. He was too old, too firmly molded, to become expressing himself in new ways. He was too self-possessed, too strongly poised in his isolation. Too long he had cultivated reticence, aloofness, and moroseness. He had never barked in his life, and he could not now learn to bark a welcome when his master approached. He was never in the way, never extravagant nor foolish in the expression of his love. He never ran to meet his god. He waited at a distance, but he always waited, was always there. His love partook of the nature of worship, dumb, inarticulate, a silent adoration. Only by the steady regard of his eyes did he express his love, and by the unceasing following of his eyes, of his god's every movement. Also at times, when his god looked at him, and spoke to him, he betrayed an awkward self-consciousness, caused by the struggle of his love to express itself and his physical inability to express it.
    He learned to adjust himself in many ways to his new mode of life. It was borne in upon him that he must let his master's dogs alone. Yet his dominant nature asserted itself, and he had first to thrash them into an acknowledgement of his superiority and leadership. This accomplished, he had little trouble with them. They gave trail to him when he came and went or walked among them, and when he asserted his will, they obeyed.
   In the same way, he came tolerate Matt-as a possession of his master. His master rarely fed him; Matt did that, it was his business; yet White Fang divined that it was his master's food he ate, and that it was his master who thus fed him vicariously. Matt it was who tried to put him into the harness and make him haul sled with the other dogs. But Matt failed. It was not until Weedon Scott put the harness on White Fang, and worked him, that he understood. He took it as his master's will that Matt should drive him and work him just as he worked and drove the master's other dogs.
   Different from the Mackenzie toboggans were the Klondike sleds with runners under them. And different was the method of driving the dogs. There was no fan-formation of the team. The dogs worked in single-file, one behind the other, hauling on double traces. And here, in the Klondike, the leader was indeed the leader, and the team obeyed him and feared him; the wisest, as well as the strongest dog was the leader. That White Fang should quickly gain the post was inevitable. He could not be satisfied with less, after Matt learned with much inconvenience and trouble. White Fang picked out the post for himself, and Matt backed his judgement with strong language after the experiment had been tried. But, though he worked in the sled during the day, White Fang did not forego the guarding of his master's property in the night. Thus he was on duty all of the time, ever vigilant and faithful, the most valuable of the dogs."  Jack London, WHITE FANG, 1906.

The Alaska Progressive Review, and our friends and family, were saddened by the passage of our enduring, warm, and gentle research assistant, Homer, earlier this week. He lost his will to live after suffering through great arthritis pain, and looming incapacitation. But he was always an inspiration to us, with his strong presence, quiet dignity, and great courage.

Very little is known about Homer's childhood. It was said by my friend Rebecca Chandler's ex-husband, Eric Nicolier, who was a musher, that he had been obtained from the Athabascan village of Tanana, northeast of Fairbanks, at an early age. Which probably explains his wolfiness, some wolves must have mingled in those Tanana sled dogs at some point, and bred with them. Which can happen anywhere in the state, where there are large open mushing kennels.

Homer served as Erik's lead dog on their team, when they completed the grueling 13-day Yukon Quest, sled dog race, the toughest in the World, in 2000. Much colder, with steeper terrain at times, from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, in Mid-February, than the Iditarod in western Alaska, which is in March. Temperatures of -25 to -45C are common most of the time, most years. Eric made another attempt in 2004 with Homer as lead, but complications from four female team-mates coming into heat simultaneously, interrupted their bid.
http://www.yukonquest.com/site/about-yukon-quest/

I first met Homer in 2001, when I befriended Rebecca Chandler, in Fairbanks that year. I immediately was captivated, he was truly imposing, in his role as alpha male of all the 34 dogs her husband Eric had. He enforced a harsh discipline from the other dogs, but never unfairly, or excessively. When Eric and Rebecca split up in 2005, Homer became Rebecca and 5-year old daughter Isabel's family dog, and guardian.
I always looked forward to seeing him those years, when he was in charge of their security. He still retained more of his wolfish craftiness then, often getting in trouble for getting into or stealing things. Rebecca and Isabel left Fairbanks for better opportunities in Oregon, in 2008, and Homer wound up at a new home. When Rebecca came back to visit Fairbanks in June, 2009, she took him back. He wasn't getting any attention, just tied up out back most of the time. She brought him over to me, he was about 6-7 kg overweight, had no real spark, and was seemingly becoming disconnected from life.
Rebecca asked if I could take him in. I jumped at the chance, I've always admired him. This is what he looked like just a week after that, while we were dipnetting for salmon on the Copper River with our friend Erik. Homer was still overweight, and a little distant. But after a few more weeks of slowly increasing runs, good food, and lots of attention, he lost the weight, and, his spark returned.

From that point on, he was fully engaged as the beautiful, gentle, and protective companion he became to us for the next two years.

He loved our pack trips to places like the weird ancient weathered outcroppings on 1610 metre Mt. Prindle, 120 KM east of Fairbanks in September, 2009. Probably his most interesting trip, and one of our most enjoyable, was our Labour Day weekend 2009 canoe/packraft float a few weeks before, from the Tangle Lakes west of Paxson, out through the Delta River, onto the Richardson Highway, near Black Rapids.

About 48 km of canoeing, with Erik and his son Shane, and daughter Megan, over three days. Homer had never been in a canoe, and behaved admirably. Never moving or causing any instability. Mattie was not so well-behaved, and was escorted out of the canoe occasionally, where she instead swam with her lifejacket on. While I followed behind in my packraft. I was amazed. But he is very intelligent. I only ever had to go to a place once with him, and the second time, he always would remember where we were.

He loved all our winter expeditions, no matter how cold, always happy and healthy all day in temperatures down to -35C.

Once we moved to Anchorage in May, 2010, he quickly grew to enjoy our runs and hikes in our adjoining Chugach mountains, where he was completely at home and in his element.

He started to slow down a little this past winter, and had to have two operations, to have leg tumors removed, in February, and June. But he never wanted to stop or slow down.

He even made it to the top of 1620 metre The Ramp, in July, a steep, rocky trek up in the fog across loose talus. In all our trips, he was very wise in his decisions and encounters, with traps, snares, porcupines, moose, and black and brown bears. Which Mattie was still learning, but has, under his guidance.

Just over three weeks ago, as we were running down our daily trail, the trail to Konoya Point, a sow black bear and two cubs came strolling up. He and Mattie immediately got between us, and escorted the bears away from the trail, with him in front! They came back a minute later in perfect shape.

His last pack trip with us, three weeks ago, in the Talkeetna mountains, enabled him for one last time to be out in his element, free to do as wished, completely unfettered. He greatly enjoyed this, for which we are all greatful.

We know he is now happy, pain-free, and running again, as long and as far as he can, in the Next World. We will always remember his over two years of loyal, affectionate presence with us as our research assistant, as he helped us in all our daily endeavours, and helped protect us from all the hazards we face here. Run in Peace Homer!

TALKEETNA'S TASTER [and] WHO KNEW?

                                    TALKEETNA'S TASTER

This past week the A.P.R. staff felt the need to get out on at least a short pack trip, in the waning days of our ephemeral sub-arctic summer, in a somewhat lesser-traveled area. Namely, in the Talkeetna mountains, north of the Matanuska Valley. These mountains cover a large area, and are completely roadless, and hence, as close to true wilderness, as we have here south of the Alaska Range. They range in elevation from 1800 to 2700 metres (6000-8870 ft), with some glaciers on the highest peaks. On our trip though, in the eastern part of the Talkeetna range, from the Hicks Lake trail, they are sheltered to the south by the 3000-4017 metre (10000-13176 ft) highest peaks of the Chugach Range, and so are completely unglaciated, even up to elevations of 2140 metres (7020 ft).

We fled the urban madness of Los Anchorage, as we call it, early last Tuesday afternoon, and arrived at the trailhead around 1700, it was a 160 km drive from the Chugach Front Research Centre. We quickly realised that this “trail”, which is really a 4-wheeler route for hunters going in here, was going to be a mess. Full of huge holes filled with water and very slippery mud.

It’s only about 6.5 km (4.1 miles), from the trailhead, to a 960 metre (3150 ft) pass. So it’s a little steep after the first couple km in.

Looking back south, just before the pass though, the higher 2500+ metre peaks of the Chugach range come into view, with quite a bit of new snow on them, above about the 2000 metre level (not unusual for this time of year). That’s one thing people in the lower 48 need to realise about trekking in Alaska. 2000 metres here (6560 ft) is like 4000+ metres (13,100 ft) in the Rockies or Sierra, in terms of weather conditions and duration of snow cover, so caution and careful preparation is necessary any time we venture above even 1000 metres, in Alaska, all through the year.

We got in about 10 km in two hours, just over the pass, and decided to set up camp for the night. Even here, as you can see, at 980 metres, it’s essentially above tree-line, with just grass and small shrubs. The trail was even worse in this area, than from the start, since it’s north-facing, and hence, dries very slowly, if at all, from the rains of summer. The wettest time in this part of Alaska is from about mid-July through September, when weak low pressure systems from the Gulf of Alaska, or the Bering Sea, come inland, before the jet stream starts to drop a little further south during the fall. Our veteran research assistant Homer was completely at home here, enjoying his time free from the constraints of life at the urban edge, where the CFRC is perched.

One nice thing about mid-August though, which helps make up for the muddy, wet conditions, is that the mosquitoes and gnats are almost completely gone by this time. We were able to sit out comfortably in the evening, reading, and enjoying the scenery, without having to wear a head-net, or keep swatting.

The next day, Wednesday, we broke camp, and were on the trail by 1000. We noticed though, that the skies were darkening to our south, and some weather would soon be moving in. However, we also knew that the higher peaks of the Chugach, to our south, would block much of the worst of the incoming system.

By 1200, we had gone in about another 6.5 km, and reached the south end of Hicks Lake. The trail from last night’s camp to this point was even worse, if that were possible. Endless dodging around huge water-holes in jello-like mud, with three stream-crossings to boot. But there was a nice dry flat spot, near the lake, which had good water for cooking/drinking, so we wanted to set up a base camp here, then hit the high country with just a lighter pack containing all the food and water, and do some ridge-hopping. But first, we waited for the weather to come through. Just about an hour, of rain and wind, and then skies cleared, and it became quite nice. I was able to dry out all my sweaty clothes from the day before after setting up camp. By 1400, we headed up an old 4-wheeler track that went straight up a ridge to almost the 1830 metre (6000 ft) level, in nice gentle sunshine, with a temperature near 15C (60F).

From down below at the 950 metre valley level, the 2000 metre summit of Chitna peak beckoned, and was our objective. We didn’t quite make it though, just about 100 metres shy of the summit. A steep rocky gulch separated us from the ridge we were on, to it, and Homer was still recovering from his leg surgery, so I didn’t want him to overdo it.

But as we ascended up the steep old route, and then struck out on our own across the tundra, above 1524 metres (5000 ft), we saw some caribou, and lots of other interesting sights. Our favourite, by far, time of this whole trip, was our few hours spent up on the 1830 metre (6000 ft) ridge, where we had incredible views, which were not possible, from down below.

Up around 1700 metres (5576 ft), we came across the biggest marmot, I have ever seen. Fortunately Mattie didn’t see it before I did, so I could get a few pictures. She was off after it though, as soon as she saw it. It just did it’s unique long one-note whistle to warn it’s compadres around, then dove underground. Mattie has some hunting instincts, but she’s never yet caught anything.

The ridgetop we made it up to at 1890 metres (6200 ft.) was beautiful, high and exposed on three sides. We spent about 30 minutes up here enjoying the view, before another shot of showers and cold wind approached.

The view to the east was our favourite, the following ridges over had colors reminiscent of areas in Denali NP like Polychrome Pass, with the nice green velvet tundra below and clear alpine ponds. Even better, was that we could just barely see sheep in the bottom of that beautiful little valley, 150 metres below us.


But when I zoomed all the way in on my camera to 16X, they all came clearly into view. There were about 20 of them scattered around different areas.

It's very safe in there for them. No one can even see this valley unless you get on these ridges, or come in from it’s north entrance, which requires negotiating about 30 km of muddy, wet trail from the Glenn Highway.

Looking north, you can see how this little valley’s entrance is in that direction. And how vast this treeless terrain stretches. Other than just a few lower drainages with shrubs and black spruce in them, it’s mostly tundra or rock all the way north to the Alaska Range. With no roads, visitors are scarce in this large area, since access would be very difficult and time-consuming, unless they were flown in.

Another band of showers was approaching by 1630 in the afternoon, so we decided to head back. It was getting quite chilly there, probably around 6-7C (43-45F), with a good 30-40 kph breeze. It was raining by the time we descended a few hundred metres.

We got back to camp in a light rain around 1800, and had our dinner. Unfortunately, it was too cold and windy and showery to stay out that night, so I was mostly in my tiny ultra-light Big Agnes SL-1 tent, it only weighs 0.9 kg packed!  Yet is big enough for a full-sized person, and their pack. It kept me dry in gale force winds and moderate rain all night last year, in our pack trip up into the Chugach mtns. behind the CFRC.

http://akprogressive.blogspot.com/2010/08/going-neutral.html

The next day though, the weather dawned dry and mostly sunny. So we had a nice leisurely morning packing up, and then heading back out. This time, I remembered all the worst areas along that sloppy, muddy trail, and was able to find some shortcuts and remember what to do. So it went faster, and easier, than on the way in. We saw a few moose in the distance, but no bears, that day, or the previous two. We see more in our neighbourhood! We just had in fact, our favourite running trail from the CFRC, up to Konoya point, closed last week due to a brown bear charging hikers near a moose kill. That was on our regular, daily running route. Now we have to use an alternate for a few weeks.

It only took us about 4 ½ hours to negotiate the 13 km back to the trailhead. The route down from the pass on the south side was quite steep, so it was a lot faster, than on the way in. All in all, we certainly got what we needed on this trip, and the wet, muddy, slippery trail in and out, while difficult, was worth the effort. Because once you can get on the drier ridges, the views are incredible, and the conditions much easier. It might be worth coming in much earlier in summer, before the heavier rains, say June to early July. The bugs would be much worse, and some snow on the ridges could be a problem, but the going on the main Hicks Lake trail, would likely be much easier. 

                                                        WHO KNEW?

We sure didn’t here at the A.P.R. About this really interesting article, which saws essentially that the U.S. government is breaking the law, by not guaranteeing full employment! Give this fascinating article a read, you’ll be amazed, as we were.

http://warisacrime.org/content/lost-debt-ceiling-debate-legal-duty-create-jobs

Lost in the Debt Ceiling Debate: The Legal Duty to Create Jobs 

By Jeanne Mirer and Marjorie Cohn

The debate about the debt ceiling should have been a conversation
about how to create jobs. It is time for progressives to remind the
government that it has a legal duty to create jobs, and must act
immediately – if not through Congress, then through the Federal
Reserve.

With official unemployment reaching over 9%, the unofficial rate in
double digits, and the unemployment rate for people of color more than
double that of whites, it is nerve wracking to hear right wing
political pundits say the government cannot create jobs. Do people
really believe this canard? On “Real Time with Bill Maher” a few weeks
ago, Chris Hayes of The Nation stated that the government should
create and has in the past created jobs, but he was put down  by that
intellectual giant Ann Coulter who said, ”but they (WPA jobs) were
only temporary jobs.” No one challenged her.

 Most of the jobs created under the Works Progress Administration
(WPA) - and there were millions of them - lasted for many years, or
until those employed found other gainful employment. They provided a
high enough income to allow the worker’s family to meet basic needs,
and they created demand for goods in an economy that was suffering,
like today’s economy, from lack of demand. The WPA program succeeded
in sustaining and creating many more jobs in the private sector due to
the demand for goods that more people with incomes generated.

The most galling thing about pundits stating with such certainty that
the government cannot create jobs is the implication that the
government has no business employing people. In actuality, however,
the law requires the government, in particular the President and the
Federal Reserve, to create jobs. This legal duty comes from three
sources: (1) full employment legislation including the Humphrey
Hawkins Full Employment Act of 1978, (2) the 1977 Federal Reserve Act,
and (3) the global consensus based on customary international law that
all people have a right to a job with favorable remuneration to
provide an adequate standard of living.   

1.      Full Employment Legislation

The first full employment law in the United States was passed in 1946.
It required the country to make its goal one of full employment. It
was motivated in part by the fear that after World War II, returning
veterans would not find work, and this would provoke further economic
dislocation. With the Keynesian consensus that government spending was
necessary to stimulate the economy and the depression still fresh in
the nation’s mind, this legislation contained a firm statement that
full employment was the policy of the country. As originally written,
the bill required the federal government do everything in its
authority to achieve full employment, which was established as a right
guaranteed to the American people.  Pushback by conservative business
interests, however, watered down the bill. While it created the
Council of Economic Advisors to the President and the Joint Economic
Committee as a Congressional standing committee to advise the
government on economic policy, the guarantee of full employment was
removed from the bill.

In the aftermath of the rise in unemployment which followed the “oil
crisis” of 1975, Congress addressed the weaknesses of the 1946 act
through the passage of the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act of
1978. The purpose of this bill as described in its title is:

"An Act to translate into practical reality the right of all Americans
who are able, willing, and seeking to work to full opportunity for
useful paid employment at fair rates of compensation; to assert the
responsibility of the Federal Government to use all practicable
programs and policies to promote full employment, production, and real
income, balanced growth, adequate productivity growth, proper
attention to national priorities."

The Act sets goals for the President. By 1983, unemployment rates
should be not more than 3% for persons age 20 or over and not more
than 4% for persons age 16 or over, and inflation rates should not be
over 4%. By 1988, inflation rates should be 0%. The Act allows
Congress to revise these goals over time.

If private enterprise appears not to be meeting these goals, the Act
expressly calls for the government to create a "reservoir of public
employment." These jobs are required to be in the lower ranges of
skill and pay to minimize competition with the private sector.

The Act directly prohibits discrimination on account of gender,
religion, race, age or national origin in any program created under
the Act.

Humphey-Hawkins has not been repealed.  Both the language and the
spirit of this law require the government to bring unemployment down
to 3% from over 9%. The time for action is now.

2.      Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve has among its mandates to "promote maximum
employment.”  The origin of this mandate is the Full Employment Act of
1946, which committed the federal government to pursue the goals of
"maximum employment, production and purchasing power."  This mandate
was reinforced in the 1977 reforms which called on the Fed to conduct
monetary policy so as to "promote effectively the goals of maximum
employment, stable prices and moderate long term interest rates."
These goals are substantially equivalent to the long-standing goals
contained in the 1946 Full Employment Act. The goals of the 1977 act
were further affirmed in the Humphrey-Hawkins Act the following year.

3.      The global consensus based on customary international law that all
people have a right to a job with favorable remuneration and an
adequate standard of living

In the aftermath of World War II, and for the short time between the
end of the war and the beginning of the Cold War, there was an
international consensus that one of the causes of the Second World War
was the failure of governments to address the major unemployment
crisis in the late 20’s and early 30’s, and that massive worldwide
unemployment led to the rise of Nazism/facism. The United Nations
Charter was created specifically to “save succeeding generations from
the scourge of war.” 

To do so the drafters stated that promoting
social progress and better standards of life were the necessary
conditions “under which justice and respect for obligations arising
under treaties and respect for international law can be maintained.”

It is no accident that one of the first actions of the UN was to draft
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (UDHR or the Declaration).
The Declaration was ratified by all then members of the United Nations
on December 10, 1948. It is an extremely important document because it
not only recognized the connection between the respect for human
dignity and rights, and conditions necessary to maintain peace and
security. The Declaration is the first international document to
recognize the indivisibility between civil and political rights (like
those enshrined in the Bill of Rights) on the one hand, and economic,
social and cultural rights on the other.   The UDHR is the first
document to acknowledge that both civil and political rights are
necessary to create conditions under which human dignity is respected
and through which a person’s full potential may be realized. Stated
another way, without political and civil rights, there is no real
ability for people to demand full realization of their economic
rights. And without economic rights, peoples’ ability to exercise
their civil rights and express their political will is replaced by the
daily struggle for survival.

[but that's what the corporatocracy wants, struggling desperate people who

will fight for scraps of low-paying jobs, so their profits will be maximised,

eds.]

The Declaration, although not a treaty, first articulated the norms to which all countries should aspire. It stated that everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living. This includes the rights to: work for favorable remuneration, (including the right to form unions), health, food, clothing, housing, medical care, necessary social services, and social insurances in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability or old age.

There has been a conspiracy of silence surrounding these rights. In fact, most people have never heard of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Similarly, most Americans do not know that the UN drafted treaties which put flesh on the broad principles contained in the Declaration. One of the treaties enshrines Civil and Political Rights; the other guarantees Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

These treaties were released for ratification in 1966. The United States ratified the treaty on civil and political rights and has signed but not ratified the economic, social and cultural rights treaty. The latter treaty requires the countries which have ratified it to take positive steps to “progressively realize” basic economic rights including the right to a job.

Almost all countries of the world have either signed or ratified this treaty. When most countries become party a treaty, they do so not because they think they are morally bound to follow it but because they know they are legally bound. Once an overwhelming number of countries agree to be legally bound, outliers cannot hide behind lack of ratification. The global consensus gives that particular norm the status of binding customary law, which requires even countries that have not ratified a treaty to comply with its mandate. The conspiracy of silence With the duty to create jobs required by U.S. legislation, monetary policy and customary law, why has the government allowed pundits to reframe the debate and state with certainty the government cannot do what it has a legal obligation to do?

We allow it because of the conspiracy of silence which has prevented most people from knowing that the full employment laws exist, that the Federal Reserve has a job-creating mandate, and that economic human rights law has become binding on the United States as customary international law.

Congressman John Conyers of Michigan knows about the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act, and he has introduced legislation that would fund the job creation aspects of that Act in the “The Humphrey-Hawkins 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act,” HR 870. It would create specific funds for job training and creation paid for almost exclusively by taxes on financial transactions, with the more speculative transactions paying a higher tax. If Congress refuses to enact this legislation, the President must demand that the Federal Reserve use all the tools relating to controlling the money supply at its disposal to create the funds called for by HR 870, and to start putting people back to work through direct funding of a reservoir of public jobs as Humphrey-Hawkins mandates.

There is nothing that would prevent the Federal Reserve from creating a fund for job training and a federal jobs program as HR 870 would require, and selling billions of treasury bonds for infrastructure improvement and jobs associated with it. The growth in jobs would stimulate the economy to the point that the interest on these bonds would be raised through increased revenue.

There is no reason the Fed on its own could not add a surcharge on inter-bank loans to fund these jobs. These actions could be done without Congressional approval and would represent a major boost to employment and grow the economy. If the Federal Reserve is going to abide by its mandate to promote maximum employment, and comply with the Humphrey Hawkins Act, and the global consensus it must take these steps.

Failure of the Fed and the President to take these affirmative steps is not only illegal, it is also economically unwise. The stock market losses after the debt ceiling deal is in part based on taking almost 2 million more jobs out of the economy and will only further depress demand creating further contraction in the economy. This is not an outcome any of us can afford.

Jeanne Mirer, who practices labor and employment law in New York, is president of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers. Marjorie Cohn is a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and past president of the National Lawyers Guild.

Of course, the corporate-controlled mainstream media does not want this information publicised, but it must be! Lawyers need to get involved to file legal actions against the government, to force it to comply to it’s own laws. And to do that, there needs to be pressure put on politicians by the public, to remind them. And to support ones who will agree to live up to the laws in place, that would greatly benefit this nation, by returning stability and hope, to millions of people. The US's crumbling infra-structurem needs repairing, and new and improved methods of transportation like high-speed and intra-city light rail systems could be developed.

The WPA in the 1930s brought us these beautiful and enduring reminders of what this country can produce, when people are given the opportunity. These bridges, all up and down the west coast of the lower 48 are still in use today (though are probably in need of major rehabilitation by now!). 

As well as structures like Timberline Lodge, on Mount Hood, east of Portland, OR, which has served as a destination ski resort and getaway since it's opening in 1938, bringing enjoyment and beauty to millions of people over the past 70+ years.

If the US government doesn’t comply with these employment laws, unemployment will continue to increase, and many serious problems will develop within five to ten years, at most. Overtly fascist politicians trying to take power, and great social unrest, with rioting in all major cities at least as bad as that which occurred between 1965-68.

http://www.ushistory.org/us/54g.asp

Cheers.