Winter has arrived!

October 23rd, 2008

The true beginning of winter for the community of Girdwood, Alaska is the day the first snow falls that sticks around for the entire season. Today, if weather predictions can be at all trusted, marks the beginning of winter in Girdwood. I awoke this morning from a dream (about snowboarding goggles!) to our backyard in an epic battle against an onslaught of snowflakes, a black and white scenescape of the aftermath of the Gods having a pillow fight. Big, heavy snowflakes a-falling and dog tracks like ant trails all around what was once our lawn.

Because the cold has really only just begun to set in, the black bears of the valley are still out and about. For evidence, I needed look no further than two houses up Timberline Drive, where, during my walk back from the local bookstore, my attention was drawn to the calls of an adult male human defending his territory and belongings.

"Git! Git outta here! Git! GIT!"

The adult male human will also throw rocks, not at the offending mother bear and three cubs, but at his own property, in an attempt to make more loud noises. Unfortunately, the four bears wanted to use this man's pickup truck as much as he did. No longer picture man yelling and throwing things. Now picture man in his work van, backing out of the driveway, across the road in to the church parking lot, then flooring the van to charge his driveway, pickup truck, and bears, horn honking, like a lumbering cow.

Mrrrrooooooooooooooorrrrrrr!!!

Two wheel drive on the fresh snow is not impressive for barreling down on uninvited bear guests. This kind of confrontation happens frequently in Girdwood. Eventually, the bears retreated to a nearby tree and the adult male human occupied the big, red pickup truck and drove away.