{"id":22978,"date":"2024-04-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.everest.com\/everestdigest\/\/?p=22978"},"modified":"2025-10-08T01:58:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T06:58:41","slug":"springtime-a-season-of-change-and-the-fish-are-moving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everest.com\/everestdigest\/springtime-a-season-of-change-and-the-fish-are-moving\/","title":{"rendered":"Springtime: A Season of Change and The Fish Are Moving"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n

The seasons are changing, and in Alaska many of us are starting to remember why we live here. It can be easy to forget as winter drags on for what feels like forever –\u00a0 the combination of cold, snow, and darkness force us to question some life choices and if a more mild climate wouldn’t be a better option.<\/p>\r\n

Of course we can think back to long summer days spent on the beach or in the mountains. We can do our best to place ourselves back on the porch enjoying a beer late into the night while it still feels warm and the sun still hasn’t quite disappeared.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But right now that same porch may be covered in snow, and it is dark well before dinner time. It’s not that we don’t realize those days are coming, but the feeling and sensation is detached, as if the blanket of winter has numbed these experiences and won’t allow the memory to fully load. I can remember a specific afternoon getting home around 4pm and it already being dark. I had a very clear thought \u201cIn a couple of months this same time will feel like the middle of the day\u201d. Even though I knew this rationally, the idea seemed unfathomable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Eventually though, after many thoughts just like that, the memories are starting to come back into focus. Sunrise getting earlier and sunset getting later every day. Gaining a few minutes a day of sunlight might seem silly to some people, insignificant really, but it’s a pretty standard snippet of conversation here. Along with the weather, it seems to be a common small talk topic \u2013 even being shared on the local public radio station.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

With the increase of sunlight comes other signs of spring, some more subtle than others. The first call of a Varied Thrush can cause a lot of excitement. In areas that receive a lot of direct sunlight the first blades of grass are starting to break through the snow free soil and provide new life, an often used but apt metaphor for this time of year. Ice in the rivers is breaking up and clearing out. All of these are happening now, minor changes that give us all hope. For me, the biggest sign of spring \u2013 and what finally brings my sanity back \u2013 are the first fish returning to the rivers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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