Spring Walkin'

Moonwalkers season may be over but the spring of Alaska reveals gorgeous weather, budding trees and hope that winter may actually end! As of today Alaska has more daylight hours than any of the states in the lower 48 on their longest day. Today we have 17h 56m 13s of daylight and it continues to increase at approximately 5 minutes each day. Official sunrise: 4:59am. Sunset: 10:55pm. This is the actual rise and set however the hues of light remain until around 3:00am and there is really no “darkness” more like a dusk.

7:30pm, you'd never guess with the sunlight

Taken at the end of our walk right before the rain

The view on the way back to church

 I have more energy than ever. Yesterday I forgot to eat super until I was going to bed and realized I had yet to eat. With so much sunlight it is not surprising that at 9:45pm when I cracked my window to the fresh air that the neighbor was starting up his lawn mower. The night is young!

takin' a walk, the grass is still brown but its coming...

With all that daylight people have flooded the bike path and Alaska seems to have come alive again. Among those on the bike path are the summer hikers of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. Twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7:00pm we venture from the church parking lot to the fire department up on the hill, and back. A 2.5 mile trip. Of course all 4-legged friends come along.

Tuesday night's crew from this week

A slight size difference...

The group dogs down by the river

YAY, GREEN!

 On our walk this past week we noticed the trees are finally STARTING to bud. The green is appearing amidst the brown, and the snow is almost gone save for parking lots, or under deep shade. While I do so enjoy the beauty of Alaska snow glistening in the sun, the spring and summer is the hallmark of this beautiful state.

Spring is here!

 There is no end to the activities at my internship congregation. This is a congregation who really lives out the church as a body of Christ showing that faith formation happens within a church family. The walks are not structured with heavy biblical discussion (although sometimes we get on deep topics), or deep theological virtues but rather how one’s day was, the good, the bad, the funny, the sad. It’s almost therapeutic and I love it.