Sharry Miller

Driving Denali

It was like a minor miracle: the first time we applied for a permit to drive our own vehicle into Denali National Park, we got one. I have a friend who's been applying for 20 years and never gotten one. Normally, the only way to get back into the park is on one of the official National Park Service tour buses, but then you're subject to where they stop and for how long. In their... Read more →

Autumn on Robe Lake

How many syllables does a Haiku have? I couldn’t remember while I was kayaking on Robe Lake this afternoon, but I was inspired to compose one or two or three to the wonders of autumn. Ah, yes, 17: 5, 7, 5 per line. Kayak rests in reeds. Paper rustles all around. Dragonflies dancing. There were many dragonflies out today, rustling like paper among the reeds and probing the water with their abdomens. I’ve been trying... Read more →

Stronger Than Before

In my last post I mentioned that I wasn't in as much pain as I was after my last surgery. That truth was really brought home today. After hours of tedium slaving away one-handed on my computer, I couldn't take it any longer. Bluebird skies, 60 degrees - does fall get any better? I needed to get outside. I've been on a couple of 2-mile walks with Christina this week, but they were slow and... Read more →

Leaf Leaping Time

Termination dust on the mountains, cold winds blowing, fireweed gone to seed - it must be time for one of my favorite activities: leaf leaping! Yes, leaf leaping, that delightful pastime in which I go for a walk on the bike path and end up bouncing around like a lunatic ball doing my best to land on all the crunchy leaves. I was on my own today, but I like leaf leaping best when I... Read more →

One Week to Peru!

The sun was shining, but I should have listened to my gut and worn a long-sleeved jersey for my ride. I had light goosebumps the whole 20 miles. They got a little bigger in the shady areas. Regardless, with just a week left until I head for Peru, I had to get some more exercise. Sun-kissed fresh snow on mountain tops may be one of the most beautiful sights around, but it's one I am... Read more →

Goat Trail Hike

Have you ever noticed all the sounds wind makes as it travels through leaves? A dull, quiet roar through Devil's Club's oversized foliage, a dry rattling through autumn's aspen and cottonwoods, a soft hiss through spruce boughs. A windy forest is a very noisy place to hike. Add to all that wind noise the ever-present roar of the Lowe River, occasional Dopplerized vehicular whines on the highway, and the tumbling of numerous small rivulets and... Read more →

A Fun Little Mystery

I received a package in the mail Saturday which led me on a merry little goose chase of no consequence. In the padded manila envelope was a copy of Alaska's Mushrooms by Harriette Parker. This slim volume contains basic information on 35 different mushrooms commonly found in Alaska, many of which are edible, some of which definitely are not. There was no accompanying paperwork in the envelope, and the return address was for someone I'd... Read more →

A Nursery Rhyme for Me

It's raining, it's pouring, The old lady's roaring. She went outside, and walked real far, And now she feels like soaring. Well, maybe not soaring, but at least I don't feel like screaming like a banshee anymore. Apparently, two days without significant exercise is not allowed. Of course, I didn't go out and do anything while it was nice (i.e., not raining) yesterday. No, yesterday I spent the whole day indoors. Today, I couldn't take... Read more →

No Need to Rewild on the Pack Trail

A week or so ago, I found a Facebook event link for the Rewild Your Life 30 Day Challenge being sponsored by We Are Wildness. Website owners Alissa Wild and Kevin Park say on their site: We Are Wildness is a website dedicated to the awareness of human wildness and our important connection to Nature. The project is for people who want to positively change their lives, create community, live naturally, evolve, discover and become... Read more →

Alaska Botanical Garden

Nestled between Benny Benson School and Campbell Creek, Alaska Botanical Garden volunteers have carved out cultivated oases in the midst of a boreal birch forest. Despite the herb beds, perennial planters, and native offerings, I thought the gardens would have been more aptly named Alaska Amanita Gardens this fall. Amanita muscaria specimens were growing everywhere. I finally had to put my camera in my pocket and force myself to stop taking pictures of them. I... Read more →