We’re Melting!

Our temperatures have cooled, and most or all of the wild fire smoke has dissipated (see A Red Sun Rises). But, we’re still seeing the effects of the Alaskan heat wave.

Meade Glacier sits at the head of the short Katzehin River across Lynn Canal and somewhat north of our homestead. The river influences our life here in many ways. Most importantly, the glacial silt that flows out across the fjord waters effects how we fish and collect fire wood.

Fresh water, being less dense than salt water, tends to lie on top of the ocean at the outflow, often in a layer that’s about a foot deep. We commonly look out and announce “The river’s coming!” as the silty, fresh water flows to our shore. If we needed to (and don’t mind the silt) we could dip drinking water off the surface.

The silt also makes a translucent layer that shields the sensitive eyes of our game fish, allowing them to stay near the surface on sunny days, rather than diving deep. That improves my fishing.

But, I digress.

This specimen cruised by our beach the other day (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

The local weather service warns of flood conditions throughout the region, brought on by increased snow and ice melt. The fast flowing melt water scours the banks of the Katzehin, and we see the result.

Masses, rafts, parades of wood flow out from the Katzehin delta each day. Much of it comes from dead wood lying on the banks until washed out by high water. The most impressive, though, are the whole green trees, roots and all, that get washed out of the bank.

The glacial river produces these big trees most warm summers. For high drama, we watch the gillnetters out front scramble to avoid or deflect full-branched trees bearing down on their fragile nets, broadside as often as not. However, I don’t recall a summer with so many, so much variety, and such large trees.

…and there it goes, maybe on its way to Juneau? (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

This could be good for us. We usually don’t harvest fire wood from the beach, because we don’t want the salty wood to rust out our cast iron stove (some dispute this, please don’t try to educate me about it; I paid for the stove, I’ll do what I think best to keep it, thanks). But, if a tree floats across in short order, on that layer of fresh water, it’s fair game for fire wood (see Jetsam). These newly uprooted trees would need a lot of seasoning, but the giant tree that floated into the downtown waterfront recently has already been bucked up and hauled away.

And, whether or not we actually use the wood, the progression of trees floating by makes for dramatic viewing.