So we decided to camp out under the Skookum Volcano in the name of researching my writing.
Skookum Volcano getting more ominous as darkness falls.
Did I mention there’s local legends about creepy things watching from the hills that like to cut off heads?
Yeah…
So, where did I leave off last week?
It got dark. Really dark.
Only available light was from our fire and our one gas lantern.
No ambient light whatsoever. Not even from the moon or stars since the night was overcast. Beyond the firelight, the woods were black as pitch. We enjoyed our evening by the fire, drinking wine, and watching the shadows shift in the woods.
Enjoying the fire and a glass of wine. Trying not to think about the legends of the Cet’ aenn, “The Tailed Ones” of Ahtna Legends who live in the mountain.
Not being able to see far is an uncomfortable feeling in the backcountry. Not just because of stories of mythical creatures, but because of the real threat of bears. As I mentioned in another post, when you camp in the Alaska wilderness, it’s important to keep the food away from the bears. We pack everything in bear resistant containers and make sure to properly dispose of all food waste.
Bear resistant container. All food products that have a scent need to be packed in a container like this.
As you can see from the size of our cooler, it’s not very big, so meal planning is essential. We do a lot of single pot meals to maximize space and minimize waste.
To maximize space, we pre-plan single pot meals like pozole (pictured above)
Even with careful planning, there is risk of a bear attack. We typically sleep in the tent with a pistol between us. We leave the bear spray and outside so as not to risk discharge in the tent. We also leave an extra weapon outside (usually the rifle) if someone has to leave the tent in the middle of the night. We do everything we can to ensure our safety in the Alaska Backcountry.
Campsite out at Jack Creek, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
We had a great night camping out at Jack Creek in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. We hope to go back next year and hike to the mines. The Devil’s Valley (coming 2021), sequel to the Dark Land, is set on this side of the park, in winter rather than summer.
If you haven’t read The Dark Land, it is currently available on Amazon. The setting for this story is on the McCarthy side of Wrangell-St. Elias, near McCarthy and Kennecott. I have done a few posts about my research:
Hey, let’s go camp under an ancient volcano in the middle of the Alaska wilderness.
Oh yeah, this area has a longstanding oral tradition of creepy creatures watching from the hills that want to kill humans.
Sounds like the plot of a horror story, right?
Part One of our night in under the Skookum Volcano
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is the inspiration for my currently Published horror novella, The Dark Land, and the sequel The Devil’s Valley (coming 2021). As you can imagine, I was thrilled to get to travel this summer to a part of the park I had never been to before.
But with many trips, getting there is just half the adventure
The Nabesna Road is one of only two roads leading into the park. Only the first 10 miles or so of the 42 mile stretch is paved. My husband used to live and travel in this area, so we were fairly prepared for the rough ride, still there were a few surprises. As you view my pictures, keep in mind that this is considered to be a “maintained road.”
Creek Crossings
One of our biggest trepidations were the creek crossings. Multiple creeks cross the road deeper into the park. Depending on rain and run-off, the creeks could be impassible. The creeks are notorious for stranding unsuspecting tourists. We made sure to keep and eye on the weather, before venturing out. We managed to cross the deepest one with ease.
We put the definition of 4WD to the test here.
Ruts in the Road
This was a surprise. And it was even deeper than it looked. We bottomed out both front and back. Decided to grab some rocks on our way back to fill in the holes.
Deep rut in road
Devil’s Mountain Lodge
The Road dead ends at the Devil’s Mountain Lodge. The lodge sits at the base of Devil’s Mountain. A B&B that has been in business since the 1950’s, they provide flight tours, and guided hunting tours into some of the more remote areas of the park.
View from the Devil’s Mountain Lodge
Camping
This side of the park is pretty remote, and not generally a huge tourist hot-spot. Thanks to Covid, there were even fewer people. We didn’t have to fight anyone for a campsite.
Watershed Divide
Our campsite at Jack Creek was just stunning. An interesting fact is that this creek is on a water shed divide. While Wrangell St. Elias National Park is known for being home of the Copper Glacier, headwater of the Copper River, this creek does not flow into that watershed. Though less than 30 miles from that river, it flows into the Tanana instead. This river cuts north across the state before dumping into the Yukon. Many of the local native legends revolve around these two diverging water sheds.
Jack Creek Campsite in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Skookum Volcano and Devil’s Mountain
Inspiration for my novels came from local Ahtna (Head Water’s People) legends of the area. It’s no coincidence, looking at the terrain, that there are oral tales of things watching from the mountains above. The Skookum Volcano and Devil’s Mountain are both rich in heavy metal mineral deposits and are riddled with caves.
The Volcano is riddled with caves, can you imagine what might be lurking inside?Native copper flakes floating in puddles
We spent the evening setting up camp and marveling at the beauty around out campsite.
Pond behind our campsite at Jack Creek in Wrangell-St. Elias National ParkEnjoying the fire
Then darkness fell…
Hmmn…why did I think it was a good idea to go camp in an area known for creepy creatures????
To be continued next week…
Thanks for reading. My Alaska wilderness horror novella, The Dark Land is available on Amazon:
Writing Sex (and other activities) in Alaska in the Summertime
Since many of my followers got a kick out of my last post about sex scenes in the cold, I thought I would follow-up about writing realistic romance (and life) in the outdoors of Alaska in the warmer times of year.
Yes—it does get warm here.
I can already here the question from a few of my followers:
So have you…you know…?
That’s a whole other blog post. For now, I’d like to share some of the more realistic parts of writing steamy romance in the great outdoors in Alaska (or extreme northern climates) in the summer.
The Midnight Sun
Whenever I have friends from other places visit in the summers, I always give them a beautiful sleeping mask as a gift—because while the midnight sun seems great at first, it makes it impossible to sleep. People always ask me if I have trouble with the constant darkness in the winter. Not as much as the perpetual light in the summer. Picture this…the sun is shining and everything is green, with a perfect temperature of 70 degrees. Sitting up and reading a book on the deck with an extra glass of wine is too tempting. Doing more yard work or taking another walk is too hard to turn down. Up north, in Prudhoe Bay and Barrow, the sun will be above the horizon for 24 hours a day until August. By fall, I’m exhausted and you just can’t override that diurnal urge to be awake when the sun is up.
View of the sunset from our cabin. Time is approximately midnight. The sun will only dip below the mountains for a few hours before rising again. It never gets truly dark this time of year.
Here’s a great article from 2019 explaining the phenomenon.
One of the things to keep in mind is in the summer is that there won’t be any real darkness. Unless your characters have great blackout curtains, they still be able to see each other when they turn off the lights. At the same time, the low light is gorgeous. The sun does go down here in Anchorage for a few hours, creating a soft twilight setting. Use that to your advantage in your story.
The Mosquito—Our Other State Bird
Ahh—the bugs. And not just the mosquitos. But they are out there, and I have even managed to incorporate these annoying little pests into my stories at times. It doesn’t matter how much deet is in that bug spray, they’re still coming for your blood. That being said, they definitely like certain temperatures and of course boggy wet areas and forests.
Cow Parsnip
The scourge of Southern Alaska (and parts of the Pacific Northwest), you can find these plants over most of Southeast Alaskan trails. The stems and leaves contain a photosensitive chemical called furocoumarins. While some people have a more intense reaction than others, this chemical causes blistering burns on the skin after exposure to ultraviolet light. An article below details one hiker’s horrific encounter with the plant. It also gies you details of what the plant looks like and its growing conditions.
I mention this, because it could make a great plot point for some of you that may be writing revenge-type stories. My husband has a great story of a friend from the lower 48 who went camping for the first time in Alaska, chopped down a whole mess of it and used it as bedding. His trip did not end well to say the least.
Erratic Weather
There’s a saying in Alaska:
If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.
Ray and I love to joke about the inaccurate weather forecasts. To counter this, whether on a hike or a drive, prepare for changing conditions, and be ready for a little (or a lot) of inclement weather. Sure, the gorgeous blue bird days here in Alaska are wonderful to behold, but since the warm season is so short, we don’t let that hold us back from enjoying the outdoors. To be honest, we don’t let winter hold us back much either, but a hike in the summer is way more pleasant than a hike in the winter. At least in the winter, there’s no mosquitos or cow parsnip!
The Wildlife (they like to watch)
Okay, I don’t know if they LIKE to watch. But they definitely like to interrupt. I think what many people lose sight of, even here in Anchorage, is that we’re on their turf, not the other way around. One of the things that people comment on in my writing is that the characters ALL carry guns.
Is that for real?
Do I REALLY do that?
The answer is yes, I do. I also carry bear spray. What I will also say, is that I have never had to shoot an animal in self-defense (though we have had some pretty close calls). Most wild animals are curious, but really want nothing to do with people. If you make enough noise while hiking, most bears will go the other way. The two most dangerous animals are as follows:
Just a black bear cruising the a neighborhood in Anchorage. If that’s what comes into town, imagine what’s in the backcountry.
Females and their young:
Moose
We see so many tourists trying to get close to the baby moose. I understand why. They’re cute, fuzzy and really awkward on those long spindly legs. But always keep in mind that nearby is one of the most dangerous animals in Alaska. Mama moose is about 1000 lbs of sheer rage when she thinks her baby is threatened. She can turn on a dime, too. More people get injured or killed in Alaska by moose than bear for two reasons:
There’s more moose than bear (ratio of around 3:1)
They seem less threatening
Here’s a great article from Alaska Fish and Game about agreesive moose if you’re looking to incorporate one into your story.
There’s a reason why there’s many jokes about protective Mama bears. It doesn’t help that the cubs are inherently curious and like to wander. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, avoid at all costs. I’ve heard more than one horror story of a person inadvertently getting between mama bear and baby.
Any animal that has become habituated to humans and is no longer what would be considered wild. These animals now consider humans to be a source of food. This happens quite frequently with bears. Tragically, when this occurs, this is when an animal has escalating and dangerous encounters with humans. Fish and Game can sometimes tag and relocated the animal, but often the animal has to be put down. This is why there are so many strict regulations about food and bear proof containers in the back country. If you are writing about the backcountry and bears, here’s the specific page related to that:
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, check out my Alaska backcountry horror novella, The Dark Land, available on Amazon now.
The legend of Alaska’s Headless Ravine is steeped in blood. Its hunger for human flesh never sleeps, even in the deepest cold of winter. Courage, skill and love will be stretched to the limits on the isolated trails of The Dark Land.
Arctic ocean in winter with Polar Bear warning sign
Those who follow me regularly know I work (and play) in a pretty tough and cold environment. And it is beautiful. Those clear cold days in the arctic or sub-arctic make you feel as if you could see eternity. When there’s not a cloud in the sky, and the sun is reflecting off a blanket of white so pristine if you stare too long without dark goggles, you’ll hurt your eyes. At the same time, even with cold weather gear, it chills to the bone. At seriously cold temperatures exposed skin can freeze in less than 5 minutes. The coldest temperature I have ever worked in was -65 with a windchill of -80.
Me decked out for work. Since I was only going between my truck and buildings I wasn’t wearing my “full” gear. Temperature at the time: -54 with wc -70.
Frostbite Charts
I’ve included the NOAA Windchill Charts for your reference. Once the wind starts blowing, it definitely starts to feel brisk.
I’m always amazed how much I can eat after working in the cold all day, not only that, just how tired I am. All I want to do is take a hot shower and curl up in a blanket with a gallon of hot soup, hot chocolate and donuts to dip in it.
Building Up a Not-So-Sexy Sweat
Not to mention the sweating. You would think at those temperatures you wouldn’t sweat, right? Nope, there’s a reason why there’s a huge market in cold weather environments for moisture wicking under-gear. When I have been out in the cold, either working or skiing/snowshoeing, my underlayers are drenched with sweat. The first thing I always do when I get home or back to camp, is change out of my underlayers so they can dry (or wash them if possible). When my husband climbed Denali in 2007, there was no way to wash those layers for the three weeks on the mountain, they just had to change out every night, let them dry then put them back on. By the time he got home, there was no amount of washing that would get that smell out—he had to just throw them away.
Not entirely sexy—right?
Layers
Then there’s the sheer number of layers. When I’m geared up for work, my outer layers, comprising my arctic bibs, boots, jacket, balaclava parka and gloves weigh upwards of 30lbs. That’s not counting my regular clothes and underlayers I wear.
It makes writing a realistic cold-weather romance, a little tough. That’s a lot of barriers for a couple to plow through to get to a little skin.
Could you imagine the scene?
She removed her dark goggles and threw back the hood of her parka. The heat in her eyes was enough to melt the ice on the lake. Overcome with passion, he threw back his hood, wolf fur tickling his face. Fumbling through thick gloves, he unzipped her parka and fondled her full breasts through her under jacket and four layers….
Layer removal
Layer removal
Layer removal
Finally, with the heaps of outer clothing piled around them, they had almost reached nirvana. Shivering as hypothermia set in, she looked at the clothes piled in the snow and asked, “What were we trying to do?”
Yeah, realistic sexy time out in the elements just isn’t going to happen in my novels. It’s just too damn cold. In some of my stories set in the summertime in Alaska, I can pull it off without a problem (ok—minor problem, if you’ve ever been to Alaska, you know about our state bird—the mosquito). Believe it or not, it does get warm here, even in the arctic.
But for those of you writing about Alaska or other northern climates in the winter and want to pull off a sexy scene, here’s how I’ve made it work for me.
Body Language Outdoors
Intimate moments can happen outside, like conversations/glances. I feel they are part of what helps the romance and sexual tension build to make it more believable later. But keep in mind if they are someplace extremely cold, they are going to be wearing full facemasks and possibly goggles. Seeing a look in someone’s eye or reading a face expression would be impossible. Emotions have to be conveyed with body language, posture, motions and words and tone of voice. But starting the intimacy outdoors with a touch, a would or a motion can ignite the spark that creates realism when they move indoors.
Removing Layers
Remember all of those layers? Yeah, they’re a pain in the… but they’re necessary to keep from freezing those delicate (and not so delicate) bits off. It’s jarring to your reader if people were fully suited up a moment ago, and are now suddenly naked doing the horizontal mambo with no transition. The dreaded “telling” can really bog down a story here: he took off his coat, she hung up her parka, etc. I try to mix it up with conversation and action that moves the plot along and gloss over the taking off of stuff. Sometimes it’s integral to the plot, especially if later I need to have them grab something from a pocket as part of the action. I don’t want the reader to be thinking—hey wait, where’d that come from.
Time Jump
The good, old-fashioned time-jump is always a standby to help overcome the layer hurdle as well. You can jump from where they’re outside in the cold to where the characters are curled up by the fire in the lodge, and it’s obvious that some time has occurred. You can describe the items you might need later in a scene (a jacket hung by the door, underclothes strung up by the fire, a weapon being sharpened while someone rocks in a chair).
Bathing
Remember the not-so-sexy sweating, I mentioned previously? It is something I have had readers who work and play in the outdoors comment on, that there’s no way after skiing, snowshoeing, basically doing any strenuous activity in the cold is anyone going to smell good. That’s something realistic that you can use to your advantage in your story. What’s sexier and brings to characters closer together than a bath or a shower when they get back to the lodge? That being said, if your lodge is a remote cabin with no running water, you’re going to have to get creative, but I think you can pull it off.
The Dark Land, Available on Amazon
Thanks for reading! My Alaska backcountry horror novella, The Dark Land is available on Amazon. For sneak peeks sign up for my newsletter. I promise not to SPAM (though Alaskans are the #2 consumers of SPAM behind Hawaii!).
The legend of Alaska’s Headless Ravine is steeped in blood. Its hunger for human flesh never sleeps, even in the deepest cold of winter. Courage, skill and love will be pushed to the limits on the isolated trails of The Dark Land
