A view of Mt. Wrangell's
steaming North Crater.
Photo by Carl Benson.
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Alaska: Forty
years and counting on Mount Wrangell by Ned Rozell - When
Carl Benson stepped on the summit plateau of Mount Wrangell in
May 2004, he saw the same view of the Copper River valley that
he had on his first visit, when he was 34 years old and John
F. Kennedy was president.
Now 77 and a professor emeritus
at UAF's Geophysical Institute, Benson first stepped on the summit
of Mt. Wrangell in 1961. Since then, he has spent months camping
near the summit of the 4,317-meter (14,163-foot) volcano, which
from a distance resembles a body under a white sheet.
A recent ankle surgery has
limited Benson's time on the mountain, but he made it up for
a few hours in 2004 as part of an international expedition of
Japanese, Russian, and Alaskan scientists who are drilling ice
cores on Mt. Wrangell's summit. With the help of pilot Paul Claus
of Ultima Thule Outfitters and his turbo-equipped Single Otter,
the team recovered 50 meters of core ice from Wrangell's summit
caldera in 2003, and a segmented 216-meter core in 2004. - More...
Saturday - August 14, 2004
Columnist
 Bob Ciminel - Fish Or Cut Bait: Of Course, I'm An Environmentalist!
- Those of you who have read my articles in Kanoe and Sitnews
over the years have probably formed the opinion that I don't
like "tree huggers" or "envirowhackos." Nothing
could be farther from the truth. I view environmental activists
as people who truly believe that man has been damaging the Earth
ever since God granted Adam and Eve access to the Garden of Eden.
- More..
Saturday - August 14, 2004
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