Is Summer Over in Alaska?
 

I'm hearing really awful weather reports from kin who live outside of Anchorage in the Chugach.

jackal; what's going on?

Termination dust yesterday.We have not hit 70 degrees this summer.
So yes the summer that never was is over.

From a PM I just sent to an FTer visiting soon:

The absolutely horrible weather we've been having this, er, "summer" is the prime topic of conversational small talk this year. I love this place, but I'm not sure how much longer I can handle the lack of sun...

People shouldn't be making the mistake of confusing Anchorage for Alaska. (Though you can drive to Alaska from there :)

Well, I can see Alaska from my work, and it doesn't look any clearer over there... ;)

Thanks jackal!

I am getting termination dust reports from family members in Alaska including one who has been deep back in the Chugach very recently.

We are all very worried about one family member who has drifted into a deep depression since May when it didn't quit raining. Her husband is extremely attentive to her.

She starts out every day fairly well but by afternoon just sits and stares out a window and goes to bed early. Yes she is getting medical help.

Alaska can make you or break you.

I've worked in a windowless office for a long time. I think Alaska prepared me to do so.

People who are dreaming of going to Alaska to get big oil production jobs don't know about the actual dark sides of Alaskan life.

by comparison our temps in North Texas are twice the temps my family is reporting. When I went to be last night it was still 90 degrees.

Excuse my ignorance, oldpenny and akdude, but what is "termination dust?" Thanks.

Termination Dust is the first snows of the season. The snow starts to build up on the tops of mountains and gradually shifts down to the lower elevations like sugar. For Alaskans this means both good and bad things. It means the end of mosquitos and mobs of tourists, but also the end of long hours of daylight and the coming of winter darkness.

Seeing Termination Dust makes some people happy and others sad. It is very early this year.

Thank you. My wife and I were just saying that we are glad we went when we did, in mid-June. The weather was fine at that time.

Just telephoned Alaska again as I am very concerned about one person who is suffering from depression. If you are having a hard time with the lack of summer in Alaska, the coming of Termination Dust is just more gloom.

Thanks to Heaven for cell phones and having plenty of minutes!

I'm glad you had a fine trip as well.

Makes me wonder about all the talk about global warming. Maybe the glaciers held their own this year.

Oldpenny you've hit the nail on the head.I'm both happy and sad.Happy that ski season could be that much sooner and the turistas may be gone a little early.Sad we've had no summer to speak of and the cost of my recharging wintertime escape is going to cost more and be longer.(how confusing huh)
Still I think the worst thing I've seen in the past few years is the fact Fairbanks summers have gone to he**.I've lived up there and you could always survive the winters with thoughts of the wonderful summers.

Termination Dust used to throw my late mother into the darkest of depressions. She would mutter about the last rose of summer.

I realize now that she was sad, lonely and also worried how to survive another long winter. Those were the days before cell phones and making a long distance call was a huge ordeal due to cost and lack of reliability of telephone connections.

The docs in those days were very free with giving sleeping pills to complaining women. Need I say more?

Christmas was less than a highlight of the year than a milestone on the way to another spring.

I can still feel her sadness, but as I child I could not have cared less as I was about as happy as I could get.

That's Alaska!

Termination dust after a cr@p summer is depressing. Termination dust after a great summer is bracing. It's all in the context.

You all are spot on...

It was supposedly over 70 today and partly clear. I wouldn't know, though--I woke up for work at 3:20pm...even more depressing...

When I booked the trip to Maui for next month, I was wondering if it'd be a waste--going to HI is supposed to be an escape from the cold and dark winters, not a time to leave the glorious Alaskan summer behind. I'm starting to be glad I booked it, though--I'm about ready to see some sun and warmth!

I've been wanting to go out for some hiking, but hiking in the rain isn't nearly as spectacular as hiking in the sun, and so I haven't been motivated to try to get out and do stuff. Hope we start to have at least a little bit of clearer weather so I can not be so sedentary and lazy...