Looking back on my life and the many places it has taken me, I have had many opportunities to experience cultures on the four of seven continents I have been. The most beautiful and intrigueing places I have spent the most time are this great state, Alaska, and the area I grew up in, Soda Springs, California on Donner Summit. Now upon reflecting on each of these two areas I see so many similarities it is astounding, when I believed them to be so different. I find Alaska and Donner Summit to both have great beauty, are clean and both have a thrill of experiences that many never see; big skies and hugh mountains that go on forever. The areas both have extreme climates but also offer vast areas you can find yourself alone for days facing a canvas of nature.
After doing some searching I have learned that the Sierra Nevada range was once part of the ocean floor. I recall hiking in the past few years on the Summit and my nefew found a fish fossil in the rocks. (Geo. of Sierra Mnt. by M.A.Resendes) The North America and Pacific tectonic plates movement helped create this mountain range. During the last 80 million years with volcanoes and glaciers forming and melting it has helped create the jaged peaks and deep gorges of this mountain range.
Donner Summit, elev. 7085 ft. has an average snow fall of over 30 feet. It is one of the snowiest places in the U.S. Snowstorms often drop 5-7 feet in one storm. (Science News) In the 1500's C. Sierra, an explorer on first viewing called the range Sierra which in spanish translates to "Snowy Sawteeth". The people of this area has claimed this rugged area of the Sierra Nevadas and Donner Summit a recreational area. During the summers it is an escape for hiking, camping and enjoying water sports. During the winters it is a winter wonderland with all types of skiing, skating and the area hosts cabins and 2nd homes for thousands.
The southeast part of Alaska's mountains have also been formed by shifting plates and volcanoes. The pressures and melting of glaciers. Sitka, Alaska, home of the Tlinget and Haida tribes have flourished for thousands of years. They have been able to survive and coincide with ease, compared to some of their cousins in the far north. This is due to over abundance of food and supplies from the sea and land. The climate being much more milder and the land offering so much more year round without the severe winters. The land and sea offering so much with the temperate rain forest at their disposal. These Native groups have learned and taken advantage of all the sea and land has to offer. Due to the nature of this are recreational life style of canoeing, fishing and backpacking is prevelant in this area also.
These two different areas of the globe that are thousands of miles apart have shown
how the landacapes have shaped the the people and their lives who inhabit them. I feel blessed to be able to have had the opportunity to spend the longest spells of my life in these two culturally and geographically diverse areas. They hold such unique beauty and a lifestyle that I am thrilled to raise my family here. I still have ties to the Summit and take my girls back appreciate and experience all it has to offer.
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