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We followed the new trail from the summit and were delighted that it ascended through trees on the wind protected side of the knoll. It is a lovely path with amenities, rope handrails and wood stairs make the climb a joy.
More tomorrow,
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
As we explored the summit of the Butte we found a new path covered in a heavy material using a web honeycomb pattern that looks like it will eliminate the erosion that plagued the old route. It seemed strange that we didn’t notice where this path joined the original main trail and that it wasn’t marked, but we assumed it was new and possibly still under construction.
More tomorrow,
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
At the top of the Butte the views are awesome and well worth the climb. Today the mountains and glaciers in the distance were obscured by strong winds blowing glacier dust. A 360 degree panorama of glaciers, rivers and rich farmlands can be seen far below, a spectacular sight on a clear sunny day.
More tomorrow,
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
After the initial climb the well-worn path is easy to follow, years of use have grooved and eroded a track several feet deep in many places and switchbacks make the ascent easier. The exposed south/east side of the knoll can be very windy, we were often sprayed by blowing dust.
More tomorrow,
Gail Niebrugge, Alaskan Artist
The stairs carved into the hilside are misleading, if you look at the top of the photo you can see the steps end and a very steep, dusty powder trail begins. The climb is 835 ft. and we did it easily in less than 30 minutes.
More tomorrow.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
It has been a few years since we’ve hiked the Butte Trail in Palmer, Alaska, it is a pretty straight forward 875 foot climb to the top of a knoll with commanding views at the top. We were surprised to see that passed through privately owned land, because we thought it was a borough trail.
More tomorrow.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
An unforseen by-product of using Corn Gluten as a weed killing agent is that it has attracted ducks and birds to dine on the lawn. Several pair of Mallard Ducks and a bevy of assorted birds are happily gorging themselves with the corn pellets. I wonder if enough will remain to do the job of killing weeds? Patrick at Applied Organics said he would spread another coat and use the powdered form instead of the pellets at his next visit.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
Our fragile first year lawn needed some nutrition and because of its proximity to the lake we were hesitant to use chemicals. We found Patrick Hoosier, the owner of Applied Organics, Anchorage, Alaska, who specialized in organic lawn maintenance and hired him to fertilize and kill weeds. First he spread Corn Gluten to kill all the weed seeds sown this year. He advised we would have to hand-pull all the weeds that were germinated last year. Then, he applied Compost Tea to fertilize.
Patrick and his wife applying Compost Tea. Hopefully this will work and our lawn will become healthy, thick, and green.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
This artist journal blog is about daily life in Alaska with professional artist Gail Niebrugge and her business partner husband Bob, and will discuss shows and exhibits, research in the field, the creation of original paintings, and art prints. See Gail's fine art here.
