Our small mountain is nothing more than a big hill that rises upward from behind the village. It's an important marker for travelers, as it can be seen from many miles out. Since we have no roads or signs to guide us, we use landmarks as our road signs to tell us where we are at and how much further we have to travel to get home.
The hill is a mere 559 feet in elevation and is the first hill encounterd for people traveling upriver from the Bering Sea. It juts directly up from the shore of the Yukon River as a steep incline.
It's where ravens do barrel rolls and eagles soar on the updrafts. From the top you get the most spectacular view of the Yukon River and surrounding hills that roll to the north all the way to Unalaklete and beyond.
I never thought to climb our hill until one day after living here for several years. I did one bright warm sunny day. I climbed up past the water tower and on up the hill, until it turned into a muddy trail with thick willow on either side. Natural springs trickled down the path and mixed with the snowmelt water. The last few melting snow drifts that cling on till mid june keep the ground saturated on the path leading up.
My lungs are starting to burn as I come out of the willow. The scene before me has me awstruck. I look at my feet. The ground is literally covered with thousands of wildflowers. Some, just tiny pink flowers that will become cranberries. Others are taller and more majestic like the Arctic Lupin. Never before have I seen such a display of color. I could not even take a step off the path for fear of walking over many of them with just one step.
The amount of flowers in their natural wild state is almost unbelievable. One has to really see with there own eyes and taste the fragrant breeze. Compound that with the most spectacular view of the Yukon River channels and sandbars and Kusilvak Mountain in the distance. I found myself standing there in awe, taking all the flowers in while watching the ravens soar on the winds.
I had to remind myself that I had a camera and could capture this scene forever. It is one of my favorites.
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