By Philip Peterson II
Special to the Turnagain Times
I have a confession. I consider myself an environmentalist, a greeny, I’ll even subscribe to being a tree hugger, but I do have my limits. Being an avid back-country skier I love to get out there and tour through the mountains, soaking in the snowy environment on the way up and making turns on the way down. There is just nothing like it. However, during my early season ski excursions this year an ugly truth has risen to the surface of my tree hugging consciousness. Despite my commitment to environmental protection there is one tree out there that I can truly say I despise the alder. This hellish little monster of a tree seems to dominate early season conditions almost more than the snow-pack.
The prolific groves of alder stretch across the base of the mountains like the Great Wall of China, leaving no way to go around them. Their net-like branches knit together like a razor wire fence or the walls of Troy, standing between me and the mountains. It’s like those old movies of explorers hacking through impenetrable jungle with their machetes, except we have five to six foot skis strapped to our feet making us move through these clinging spaces like clowns tripping over giant shoes.
Over time, crazy meandering trails are established that we can follow through the maze. As more people use them they begin to turn into icy luge tracks, resembling a life sized game of shoots and ladders. You find yourself in the great internal struggle between taking off your skis and hiking down versus keeping them on and putting yourself to the test. The next thing you know you are suspended from a few of these nasty bushes with your skis pinned acrobatically behind your back and your ski partners guffawing behind you.
Sometimes I envision the alders being wrenched from the earth in powerful avalanches and I secretly smile inside. I imagine a broad swath ripped through the dense stands and a horde of skiers and riders cheering at the mayhem. They just seem to have this innate ability to draw out my dark side.
Because of alders we often assume that early season conditions will be poor, or at least a major saga. You go just for the early season work out, something to beat your beer belly back into submission. You head out for a bush-whack and hope for the best on the other side, and every so often you get lucky. Every once in a while you break free of the alder’s relentless grasp and find great snow. High above the thick thickets lie perfect powder fields just waiting for you, and they are all the sweeter because of the initial battle through the alder zone. Despite my intense dislike for these organisms, it always seems to be worth the ordeal; this is the only thing that has prevented me from creating an alder specific herbicide in my laboratory and clearing them from the planet.
To wrap up this alderphobic rant, I’ll leave you with a simple solution from Girdwood resident Jeff Hoke, “Man I wish we could just rip them all out by their roots and have a raging bonfire you could see from space.”
Photo: Philip Peterson II /Turnagain Times
Tiffany Kelly Peterson triumphantly emerges from the “Alder Zone”
By Kim Jones
Special to the Turnagain Times
Girdwood is a hotbed of sorts for all kinds of entertainment whether it is local performers or well known national acts such as Atmosphere or like we saw last summer The Wailers. I have a feeling that it’s even going to get hotter what with Mr. John Byrne and the Alyeska Hotels great plans for building an outdoor amphitheatre and an indoor venue for even more music and theatre to bless this heavenly valley.
So my mission—should I choose to accept it—will be to espouse abundantly about entertainment news in Girdwood and incidentally report on all things entertaining in that megalopolis to the north, Los Anchorage. You see I project Girdwood to be sort of the new “Hollywood of the North,” and I look forward to keeping you locals informed on such important issues such as: what famous entertainers are in town, who’s playing where, why Brad and Angelina are breaking up, are the Photons getting ready for there 50th reunion tour and other exciting and up to the minute entertainment news. So hopefully, you’ll enjoy and contribute to my diatribes by sending any news you have—no matter how significant or insignificant—to the Turnagain Times, and I will do my best to pass it on to all the beautiful people here in Girdwood.
The Holidays are upon us and that means a plethora of entertainment and holiday parties are about to descend upon us. I love this time of year as the Angels fly down from above and sing many songs of joyous Noel and harkens us to raise our voices with them to celebrate the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Tradition abounds with Anchorage Symphony and The Anchorage Ballet presenting The Nutcracker at the Performing Arts Center and then Sourdough Productions presents a great holiday treat called “A Funky Little Christmas Show” on Nov. 30 also in the Performing Arts Center. This concert features three great smooth jazz stars: Jeff Lorber, Jeff Golub and Warren Hill performing 60 minutes of there popular hits and then 45 minutes of contemporary Christmas music in that smooth Jazz styling (for more 411 on this show go to sourdough.net to see what else is coming up).
Well, funny you should ask, I see The Producers that wonderful Broadway Show is coming to the PAC in December and the Anchorage Junior Theatre, Symphony and Opera all have holiday presentations (for 411 on these go to centertix.net) and I also have a hint on a great stocking stuffer for the Holiday gift giving tickets to America that great classic rock band go on sale Dec.1 for a show at the PAC Atwood Hall on Jan. 11. Yes all the guys still live and breathe and fortunately for us will be here to play some of those great sing along songs such as “Horse with No Name”, “Sister Golden Hair”, Ventura Highway” and so many other great songs with that Southern California rock sound.
I really don’t have a handle on Christmas entertainment in Girdwood yet, however I heard that The Sitzmark will be opening on the Nov. 16, and they will once again rock Girdwood for the winter season; I will hopefully be able to provide you with more accurate information on the Holiday happenings around here in the next issue.
Now here’s a bit of information that I think will make most Girdwoodians moist when I tell you that Taj Mahal is scheduled to appear here in Girdwood at the First Annual “Blues in the Forest Festival” on June 7, 2008. Taj will headline what will be one of the best blues festivals on the entire West Coast featuring many other great blues artists and the best local bands available so slip that date on your 2008 calendars now.
Well that’s it for me this week. In the meantime, keep playin’ that funky music.
Kim Jones owns Sourdough Productions.