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On our trip to Denali National Park we saw dozens of Willow Ptarmigans (Lagopus lagopus) along the road and they did not seem to care about people. I found this rooster foraging on willow buds and after slowly approaching it I got really close to film it. They are still carrying their winter plumage but in summer they turn into earth like colors. Notice how its legs are heavily feathered and probably act much like snow shoes.
The scenery on my first visit to Denali National Park was spectacular with snow showers and sun rays occasionally breaking through the sky. We parked our cars 30 miles into the park and rode our bicycles for about 4 hours. From the road we got really close to the wildlife and saw Grizzly Bears, Caribous, Moose, Snowshoe Hares, Ground Squirrels, Ptarmigans and a lot of other birds that I don’t know.
Denali National Park surrounds a mountain range that includes Mount Denali with an altitude of 6200 m. The landscape is very dynamic because glaciers and melting water constantly moves elements around. Because of the many habitats created by the landscape the diversity of flora and fauna is very high for a northern latitude. The size of the park is 24,600 sq. km or little more than half the size of Denmark.
Murphy Dome is a hill located 35-40 km north-west of Fairbanks. A long range radar station that is operated by the United States Air Force is located on top of the dome. It used to be a part of the US missile defense system but today the station is minimally operated. The dome rises about 800 m above sea level from a plateau of 150 m. The 10 km ascend on my bicycle was fascinating but also a bit hard as I’m not used to such slopes from Denmark. I learned a thing or two about dressing properly because I got very cold on my way down – the temperature was around freezing point. I learned that in Alaska you should always carry some extra clothes with you.
Complete a 5 km run before the last note of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony and receive a voucher for a classical concert. This event took place at the UAF campus and was part of the yearly fund raising for the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra. Along the route people were standing with their radios so we could listen to Beethoven while we were running.
Americans are very creative when it comes to fund raising and more so than Danes. We are generally used to that things are taken care of via the taxes we pay.
I have completed a bear safety course that included shotgun instruction. For the shotgun instruction, we were each given 5 shotgun slugs that we fired at a grizzly bear target distanced between 6 and 12 m away. I hit the bear right in its heart with all 5 shots so I should be well prepared if I encountered a bear and happened to carry a shotgun. The small holes around the heart were made by wads that separate bullets from gunpowder. Because shotguns are too heavy to carry in the wilderness people mostly carry .357 Magnum pistols as a defensive weapon against bears.
I was told that in Alaska anybody without a criminal record can go into a store and buy a gun. Also, the state law forbids police from keeping any record of gun sales. An alien such as myself can only buy a gun if I acquire a hunting license. This is easy because the only requirement to get a license is that I sign a piece of paper and pay a fee.
Fortunately you do not have to carry a gun or a pistol to protect yourself against bears. Instead, you can use pepper spray, which deters most bears. However, the most important part is that you know a little about bears and their ecology. In the wilderness you want to make noise all the time to let the bear know that you are a human. Bears are normally afraid of humans. But if you happen to surprise a bear you talk to the bear in a calm voice and slowly retract. If the bear approaches you, you have to stand your ground and make yourself appear as large as possible. If the bear is defensive you can as the last resort play dead and protect your face. But if the bear is predatory it does not help to play dead because then it will just eat you. Neither does it help to throw stones and sticks at the bear because then it will know that you are harmless. The best strategy in a situation like that is to be as aggressive as possible and stand your ground.
About one person is killed by a bear each year in Alaska so it does not appear to be a big problem with bears even though the bear population is very high. I will only be carrying pepper spray.
The other day I passed these guys who where rallying for war. Their signs said “Give War a Chance”, “Osama Loves Peaceniks – Remember 9-11″ and “The Liberal Media & Peaceniks Give Aid to the Enemy!!”
What happened to the slogans “Make Love Not War” or “Give PEACE a Chance”??
