Alaska Answers

Q. Could a man survive 12 daytime hours at -75 below degree weather? -Josh

A. Well, Josh, I am assuming that you heard someone claim to do this, and are skeptical. Right?

The answer is ‘yes’ he could, given a few conditions. Did he have warm clothes? Did he have food and water? Any shelter? Was the wind blowing?

You know if it is minus 40 to minus 50 and the wind is blowing at 30-50 mph, what we call the wind chill, makes it like it was a hundred degrees below zero! The wind does sometime blow like that, in places, in the winter.

When we lived in the bush in the 70’s, it once got 72 below where we were. I remember us arguing about who had to go out and check on the chickens and the geese, feed them and take warm water to them. That was COLD. Brrrr. I got a chill just thinking back on that.

If this man had on insulated underwear (long johns), then warm shirt and pants, couple pair of wool socks; then a parka, warm hat, insulated outer pants such as snow machine pants, and warm, insulated footwear such as Paks, or Bunny boots, or moosehide and fur mukluks, well, yes, I’m sure he could survive even 12 hours outside at that temperature.

An important thing would be some high calorie food in his pockets. The normal man gets by on something around 2,300 calories a day. To be out in that temp for that long, you would need to eat about 6,000 calories to stay safe.

In 1909 Ernest Shackelton and crew tried to reach the south pole. They got within 100 miles which was a feat even of itself. His journals record a day when the temperature was 70 degrees below zero, with a fierce blizzard blowing all day. They survived. So the answer to your question is ‘yes’ (but who would want to try?) I am thankful for my warm house I know that. Take care, and stay warm. -Bonnie J.

Q. We’re coming up to Anchorage on June 9th to fly out of Merrill Field for a week of fishing. We’ll need an overnight there. It occurred to me you could probably suggest a bed and breakfast. Something close to Merrill Field would be great. Thanks, Mel

A. Sure, I can help you, Mel. It isn’t a Bed & Breakfast really, but there is a motel called the Merrill Field Inn and it is located right across from Merrill Field, so I can’t get you much closer than that! I’ve never stayed there myself; however, I did call the Anchorage Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to make sure it was on their list of approved places to stay. It was. They serve a continental breakfast in the lobby each morning. Here is their info:

Merrill Field Inn
420 Sitka Street
Telephone is (907) 276-4547
There is a # for out of state also – 1-800-898-4547 With tax, rooms are 128.80 a night, and I believe that is with a 10% discount if you tell them a local resident, Bonnie Jennings, at Wasilla, recommended them. You can check them out at www.merrillfieldinn.com

The other thing you can do, Mel, is to look up www.anchorage.net on the web. That is the convention and visitor’s bureau site. You can click on Anchorage lodging and get a list of bed and breakfasts. I believe some of them have site maps so you can pick something close to where you want to be.

Hope this helps and that you have a wonderful, wonderful time and catch a fish so big you’ll need proof to make the folks back home believe you! -Bonnie J.

Q. What is considered the most breathtaking place in Alaska? I really need to know. Thanks, Megan

A. What a question this is, Megan! I say that because there are so many, I hardly know how to answer. Also, every person is different as to what thrills them. You know that old saying, ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. So I guess I’ll just have to answer for myself.

My personal favorite, (although you understand there are about 500 that are a close second), is the Arrigetch Peaks region of the Brooks Range of mountains, which stretch across Alaska above the Arctic Circle. My son, Nick, was killed tragically in 1990, but when he was alive he and his wife Susan, and daughters had a sports fishing lodge in the Brooks Range at Walker Lake. Walker Lake is the biggest freshwater lake north of the Arctic Circle. I helped cook at Gates of the Arctic Lodge several summers. Oh, what wonderful memories I have of that magical time.

Nick delighted in taking guests on a swing around the Arritetch Peaks as he brought them by floatplane from Bettles, Alaska.
There was never a person who wasn’t just blown away by the beauty and vastness of that wonderful area. Arrigetch is an Eskimo word which means ‘fingers of the hand outstretched’ and that pretty well describes those majestic sharp peaks reaching for the sky. There was one particularly wonderful area to fly thru. One of the mountains has what looks like two towers on top. You can fly the plane between them. Nick would tell the guest to look down as they passed between the towers. Immediately thru them, the ‘ground’ plunged away from you for what I believe was a couple thousand feet! Oh, my, your stomach sort of followed your eyes right down! I don’t think any man made amusement park could give you such a thrill. Spread out below were vast valleys, with twisty ‘braided’ looking rivers winding off into ‘forever’.

That area was set aside by the federal government as a national park and preserve in December of 1980; but because our son’s lodge was already there, and had ‘grandfather rights’ it was allowed to stay. When he was killed, the lodge was done away with; even removed totally by the Park Service. You can still visit Walker Lake of course if you have the funds to be flown in, but there is no longer a nice lodge in which to stay. Sad, I think. The Arrigetch Peaks are still there though, eternal for all time. I think of them often. -BJ

Q. I will be taking a cruise in May. Can you tell me what the weather conditions will be like? -Anonymous

A. It varies from year to year, but generally speaking. probably a bit chllly. We always tell visitors to bring clothing they can ‘layer’. And be sure and bring a lightweight rain jacket, as along the coastal route you’ll probably get a bit of rain also. I can tell you what is normal for May around the Juneau area, which you’ll be cruisin’ by. You can expect days of around 55 degrees and nights of maybe 40 degrees. For May they usually have about 17 days of rain. It stays light over 17 hours a day.

In spite of the possibly chilly drizzle, it will all be worth it as you pass by majestic mountains, misty bays, islands covered with towering spruce, and watch the antics of bears, whales, and eagles. Yes, indeed, you’ll be happy you came. Bon Voyage! -Bonnie

Q. I would like to visit Nome. How do I get there? – Mohsin

A. You didn’t ask anything ‘about’ Nome, but since there are others reading this who might like to know, I’ll tell you a bit first before I answer your actual question.

If you look on a map of Alaska and look about midway up along the western coast, just a bit below the Arctic Circle, you will find Nome. It owes its name to a misinterpretation of a chart in 1850. It listed “? Name” meaning they didn’t know what it should be called. Someone read the question mark as a “C” and thought it stood for Cape……and then read the word Name as Nome! Pretty silly way for a town to be named sez I!

In 1898 gold was found in the Anvil Creek area and soon 30,000 hopeful miners were rushing there. There was even gold found in the sands of the beaches there; however, by 1906, most of the gold and the prospectors were gone. While it boomed though, it really boomed, powered by alcohol and gambling. Sadly, lots of ‘fortunes’ never made it home!

A 3,350 foot granite wall protects Nome from the sea. It is 65 feet wide at the base, and 16 ft wide at the top. It was built by the Army Corp of Engineers.

Average winter temperatures are below zero and summers only get up to betweenn 40 and 50 usually. Although not connected by road to the rest of the state, Nome does have about 300 miles of roads within the area; however, they are not maintained in the winter. Your car probably wouldn’t start anyway! Better rely on your snowmobile or your dog team!

Nome has many festivals and celebrations thruout the year, so it is a fun place to visit. The most famous is the finish of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Then there is also the Bering Sea Ice Classic Golf Tournament, played on the sea ice in March; the Polar Bear Swim on Memorial Day; a Midnight Sun Festival in June, a Bathtub Race in the fall and several others.

The city today is a jumping off point for flights to Russia, which is only an hours flight away. Also, a point of departure for tours of the Arctic. You can look at www.nomealaska.org

Now, how do you get there? Well, flying is the only way. Check with Alaska Airline 1-800-252-7522 or www.alaskaair.com It is about a 90 minute flight from Anchorage. Prices are around $400. round trip from Anchorage.

Compared to Barrow, Nome isn’t as far north, it isn’t as rich in native history, doesn’t have as sizable a museum or polar bear viewing tours, but it does have an advantage over Barrow. There are lots of shops, historic sights, and you don’t need to be part of a tour. You can rent a car and see lots of stuff on your own. You should even encounter a good share of wildlife. You can walk around town, and in good weather will even encounter some die hard hopeful prospectors sifting the sands of the beach! Get yourself a gold pan…..and who knows? It could happen! There are several good restaurants also, so you sure won’t go hungry. And yes, they even take Visa and Mastercard. So, come on up and enjoy your trip to Nome. -BJ

Q. If there are diamonds in Yellowknife, are there any in Alaska? -John

A. Wow, John! What a great question. When I read it, I thought, HUH?! Diamonds in Yellowknife? Isn’t that in Canada? Whoever heard of such a thing! This is the fun of a column such as mine, though. If I don’t know something, I have to go looking. You have increased my brain cells today for sure!

John is right. They have indeed found diamonds in Canada. There are two mines operating about 188 miles north of Yellowknife which is the capital of Northwest Territories. Ekati Diamond Mine began operation in 1998 and the Diavik Diamond Mine began operating in 2003. The mines pull out the equivalent of about a coffee can full of diamonds a day – or $1.4 million dollars worth.

Since mining began worldwide, there have been about 1 million pounds of diamonds found, compared to 260 million pounds of gold. Diamonds are much rarer; which probably makes it all the more exciting when they are found. We always seem to value the rare.

Experts are thinking that in 20 years time, Canada will lead the world in diamond production, even topping South Africa and Australia! Who knew?

I found there is a very good book by a man named Kevin Krajick called: Barren Lands: An Epic Search for Diamonds In The North American Arctic. I think you’d find it of interest.

Now….are there diamonds in Alaska? Well, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first, John?

The bad news is that the rocks underlying Alaska are much younger than those underlying the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the very old rocks which produce the most diamonds. So geologists say that the possibilities of such a large find is not as likely in Alaska.

The good news is that in 1982 a miner in central Alaska, busily doing his placer mining on Crooked Creek, did indeed find a diamond. Shortly thereafter, two other miners each found a diamond along the same stretch of creek. Also, it is a known fact that the big diamond cartel, De Beers, is poking around in Alaska; but, of course, their findings are secret. So who knows?

Now that I’ve done some research, do I personally think there are diamonds here? You betcha! Nothing about the Great Land would surprise me! Thanks for writing. -Bonnie J.

Q. Is a cruise the best way to see Alaska? What if I don’t like boats? -Robin

A. I wouldn’t necessarily say that a cruise is the best way to see Alaska, because Alaska is so very big and a lot of its
wonders lie inland. Cruising is a very popular way, however, because it is sort of like ‘roughing it in style’, I think. The coast of Alaska is indeed prime scenery country and the cruise ships do stop here and there, usually, and you can go ashore for a brief time.

Beside the regular cruise lines, you could come on the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway. Those are nice. We’ve traveled that way a couple times. They also have a naturalist on board who gives talks about the scenery and wildlife you are seeing, so it is quite educational.

I know what you mean about not liking boats. I’m not too fond of them myself, although my fear is mostly of the small bobbing types. I feel fairly secure on something as large a ferry or a cruise ship!

Actually, I think a good way is a combination of the two. Maybe come up the coast on a cruise ship, or ferry; then get off in Anchorage and rent a car or small motor home and roam the state for a couple or three weeks. In each community, we have very good visitor’s bureaus who will direct you as to what is worthwhile seeing in each area. Then you can fly home, or maybe to the Seattle area where you have left your car.

To put your mind a bit at rest, please know that we’ve lived up here for 35 years and have never heard of a cruise ship, or ferry going down….or even coming near to that! Hope you’ll put on your ‘brave suit’ and come on up! Take care, BJ

Q. Which insects and rodents survive the freezing cold? Thanks, Linda.

A. Well now, Linda, are we perhaps feeling a bit of entomophobia or musophobia? Well, don’t be ashamed. That is at least better than having coulrophobia or alektorophobia! (a fear of clowns and of chickens.) Now that would really be silly. I don’t blame you for being wary of insects and rodents. I hate the little devils too.

I am guessing that we have less insects and rodents than the southern states. I know we have no snakes and that is a biggie with me! I guess you could say though that we do have our share….and they do indeed seem to live thru the winter. Insects aren’t much bother except for about 3 months of the year, so that isn’t bad. Our most famous is the ubiquitous mosquito.

Mice generally try to come indoors in late fall; I suppose looking for a snug haven as they sense Old Man Winter bearing down on them. Well, can’t blame them, I don’t suppose, but I diligently run an indoor trapline at the first sign. Uaually I catch anywhere from 8 to 15 before they are cleaned out, but then we live in a country home, along side a creek, so they are probably worse here.

Squirrels are no problem, in fact I quite like them as they scamper over the tree limbs outside my window. I guess they are a sign of life against that white, frozen landscape. Write me again, sometime, Linda. -BJ

Q. Why is Alaska so cold? -Gregory

A. Well, I guess probably because of our location – you know, east of the sun and west of the moon! At least that is how I felt about our location the first several years in Alaska in the early 70’s. Seemed like we were so very far from everything familiar, even though I loved Alaska from Day One!

I’m sure the scientific explanation is the tilt of planet earth, as we wobble our way around the sun. Did you know we ‘wobble’? It is the angle of the sun’s rays which determine climate, or, in other words, hot and cold. We are in the northern latitudes and those are the colder areas.

The variations of cold within the state are determined also by the position of the different mountain ranges. For instance, the extreme cold of the arctic is kept, somewhat, up there by the Brooks Range of mountains which stretchs across the state above the arctic circle. The other mountain ranges, also somewhat control movement of hot and cold air.

How cold does it get here? Well, in my area, 15 or 20 below a few times in the winter is cold. 360 miles north where some of my kids live, 40 and 50 below are not uncommon. It is so wierd that when it has been 50 below for a few days, for instance, and then warms up to zero, you will feel so ‘warm’ that you will actually go out to feed the chickens or bring in wood, in your shirt sleeves! We have experienced this many times. So I guess you could say, cold is ‘relative’. The coldest recorded I think was 80 degrees below zero at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971. At the other end of the scale, 100 degrees above zero was recorded at Ft. Yukon in 1915. Seventy above is definitely my favorite! -Bonnie J.

Q. Elaina and Tara both asked similar questions: I would like to know about the state’s landscape; and what are Alaska’s characteristics?

A. Alaska is very mountainous. One time I saw a 3-D topographical map in a book store and I stood and stared in amazement! I found myself asking, aloud, “But where is there anyplace for the people to live?” Shrunk down to about a 3 ft. x 2 ft. map, it looked to be all mountains. Truth is, the population centers are there, in the valleys between the mountain ranges, and in the case of Anchorage, in the bit of land between the mountain foothills and the inlet to the ocean. The city of Fairbanks lies in the Tanana River Valley.

We do have highways of course, but if you look at a map of the highway system, you will see that they all lie on the right hand half of the state. The rest is all fly in country. Even our capital, Juneau, is fly in, or by way of the ferry system. There are roads and cars in Juneau, of course, but you can only drive them within the city, as there are no roads leading out of the city, going anywhere. To put it into perspective, compare it with the country of Austria, which is 1/18th the size of Alaska…and yet Austria has twice as many highways!

Alaska has more per capita private airplanes than anywhere else in the world. In the winter we put skiis on our planes, and in the summer, floats. Lake Hood, in Anchorage, is a popular float plane base. It has more than 600 take offs and landings on a nice summer day.

Alaska comprises more than 570,000 square miles. That’s about 365 million acres, or 9/10 of a square mile per person. The state is divided into regions as follows: The Northern Arctic, Interior, Western Bering Sea Coast, South Western Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands, South Central Gulf Coast, and Southeast Alaska. Fairbanks is located in the Interior; Anchorage in the South Central Gulf Coast, and Juneau is in Southeast.

About 29,000 square miles, or 5% of the state is covered by glaciers.

From east to west, our state is about 2400 miles. and from north to south about 1420 miles. We’re BIG! We have 33,904 miles of shoreline, and we border onto 4 seas or oceans. They are the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea and the Arctic Ocean.

We have lots of rivers, 3,000 in total. The Yukon is the longest, with over 1875 miles in Alaska. It ranks 3rd in the U. S. for length, coming behind the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. Alaska has over 2 million lakes which are larger than 20 acres in size and many, many ones smaller than that.

I guess you could describe us as mountains and water! And friendly people. I’ve heard it said that Alaska won’t be what you expect; it will be even better! -Bonnie J.