Fall Colors in the High Alpine Mountains of Alaska

It’s been a bit of a tough week up here in the Last Frontier. As fall colors begin to take over the landscape, insecurity has crept into our world. Seems all too familiar.

Some days I feel cursed, some days a little more blessed. But I always try to hope for the best, even when events are beyond our control. The tough part is waiting, and not knowing.

A Drive in the High Alpine Mountains

Rather than sit and stew about it, Jeff and I decided to take a day and drive up and over the top of Hatcher Pass. We hadn’t done it before in the fall and weren’t even sure if the road was open. We could see termination dust falling from mountain storms in the highest elevations.

Fortunately, it’s open. And there’s almost no one else up there. Solitude, and peace are what I desperately need.

Fall Colors

In Alaska, it’s not just the tree leaves that turn colors. The thick carpet beneath them that covers the mountains changes too.

It’s in the high tundra where you find intense reds, maroons, oranges, and some otherworldly yellows. And like a patchwork quilt, foliage flows down from the peaks blanketing the lower hills. It almost seems like you could crawl under it and take a nap.

But, it’s the mountains that are preparing to sleep. The tapestry spreads for miles and miles of seemingly endless space. It’s easy to loose time standing in silence, watching it.

In some cases, a few late bloomers still hold on to their summer colors in stark contrast to autumn. Even a few blueberries and low cranberries cling to the bushes.

I can relate. While physically I’m approaching 50, my mind still believes I’m 25, clinging to my youth. But memory proves me wrong, and I return to the present while trying futilely to predict the future. Right now, it feels stormy and a little cold. I have to remind myself,

Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful…If it’s bad, it’s experience.

I have a long resume of experiences.

Definition of Fall

I’ve always wondered, “Why were the seasons given the names they were?”

The definition of Fall is “to move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control, from a higher to a lower level”.

We all fall at one time or another, some more than others usually due to our own choices. It’s a part of life. The thing about writing about life is that the focus is usually only on the positive, bubbly side for many bloggers.

I’m not that naive to assume that everyone’s reality is always that way, so this is my “keepin’ it real” post. There are no glass cabins with bear fairies and moose unicorns that I’m aware of. It was only just a dream.

However, in humans, like the plants in the high alpine mountains draped in fall colors destined for the drab brown of winter…eventually there is spring.

And the definition of Spring is,”to Arise from..”

Hope springs eternal and I have faith that whatever path we take will be for the best. I love Alaska, and our family is committed to staying here one way or another. This is home. And what a beautiful place it is right now.