Steal those quiet moments

Resslin' Around, by Casey Ressler

What are you going to do with your 20 minutes of summer this year?

That question may sound funny, but in Alaska, it is a very real one. After looking forward to summer for eight months, every Alaskan feels the pinch of trying to fit nine months of activity into the four months of summer.

From the middle of June through August, my schedule is completely filled. That's the way it is for most Alaskans, too, during the daylight bonanza known as summer.

Between out-of-state visitors, work and vacation, there isn't any time for exploration yourself. You almost start looking forward to the quiet fall and winter -- almost.

Several of my close friends came back to Alaska last week for our high school reunion. Last Friday, an old college roomie arrived from Michigan, wanting to see Alaska for the first time. He'll leave next week, and within a day, my grandparents are arriving from Pennsyvlania. They'll stay through the end of July.

Take a breath.

A week later, the Alaska State Fair starts, it's time to get in all of those projects you never got to in July, and then the fall is not far behind.

During the busy summer months, it is the small, quiet moments you have to steal and enjoy to make the summer so enjoyable.

Make an evening drive up the Parks Highway, and toss a line into one of the streams. In a single evening, you can get in some hiking, take some pictures of the vibrant wild roses growing along the highway, maybe catch a rainbow trout or a grayling, and be in bed by midnight or 1 a.m. You can do the same type of evening trip to get in some mountain biking, canoeing or berry picking.

My old college roommate and his friend were having trouble sleeping the first night they were here.

"How can you guys sleep when it is daylight all night?" he asked as the sun poked through the shades all evening.

I explained to him that up here, we change with the seasons. Sleep really isn't that high on the priority list from May through September.

You can sleep in November and December. You have to take advantage of the summer while it lasts -- even if you only have 20 minutes around midnight on a Wednesday.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor. His special quiet moments often include egg-sucking leeches and fly rods.