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Summer tourist season starts with Memorial Day weekend at ExitGlacier on Alaska's Kenai Fjords National Park, and here are sometips from the National Park Service: Layer up the clothes; Bring the snowshoes, and Don't forget the water, or maybe pack a pot and stove formelting snow to drink. "Due to continued freezing temperatures at night, the water to therestrooms may not be able to be turned on for the Memorial Dayweekend,' the agency warned in a press release. The toilets, fortunately, work fine, given that they are nothingbut covered pits in the still snow-covered landscape that surroundsthe popular tourist attraction 100 miles south of Anchorage. ExitGlacier, like a lot of the state's Southcentral region, is having atough time getting out from under unusually heavy winter snows. Mother Nature aimed an icy arrow at the populated heart of Alaskathis winter. Alaska's largest city saw record snowfall. The easternKenai Peninsula had near-record snowfall. Then came a chillyspring. The story of the endless winter is nicely told by the Alaska-Pacific River Forest Center's snow-depth map , which shows about two feet remaining at its automated ExitGlacier measuring site, nearly three feet at Grouse Creek Divide onthe Kenai to the north, nearly six feet at Grandview along theAlaska Railroad route from Anchorage to Seward, nearly seven feetat Turnagain Pass along the Seward Highway, and about five-and-halffeet at the Mount Alyeska site only 1,540 feet above sea level inGirdwood. Higher up on Alyeska, as much as 15 feet of snow remains. AlyeskaResort, just down the road from Anchorage, is offering springskiing this weekend. It planned to open last weekend, too, but thenew snow falling on the upper mountains raised avalanche dangers.The words to this song were sung by the late, great crooner JohnnyHorton: "When it's spring time in Alaska, it's 40 below.' Well, not quite -- but sometimes it sure seems like it. "There is still up to four feet of snow covering the trail systemand campground,' the park service reported from Exit Glacier. "It's unbelievable,' admitted Irene Lindquist, the trail tech forthe Kenai's 5.4-million-acre Chugach National Forest. Campgroundson the central Kenai area are still snowed under. The Forest'sBegich-Boggs Visitor Center near Portage Glacier, about 45 milessouth of Anchorage, will open for the weekend, but campgrounds inthe Portage Valley remain closed. Why? Too much snow. The story is the same to the south toward Turnagain Pass, wherepeople are still snowmobiling, and down toward the small communityof Hope on the other side. Campgrounds at Bertha Creek, GraniteCreek and elsewhere are under so much snow they won't open for theholiday weekend. The situation does look better, however, in theCooper Landing area and to the west toward Soldotna. The QuartzCreek and Russian River campgrounds in the forest will be open, andLindquist said it might even be possible to hike a portion of theResurrection Pass Trail without snowshoes. The same cannot be said for the Lost Lake Trail. There's still snow right down to the trailhead only about 300feet above sea level. "The snow is melting pretty quickly,' Lindquist added. "It isgoing quickly in some areas.' "In some areas' is the key phrase. In other areas, not so much.Cross-country and telemark skiers are still bombing the Front RangeChugach Mountains above Anchorage. Some north-facing slopes looklike they could make for good skiing for weeks yet. Maybe by theFourth of July holiday it will finally look and feel like spring inSouthcentral Alaska. Meanwhile, give the oft-maligned employees of the federalgovenrment some credit for at least trying to get the seasonstarted. They've been out there with shovels and heavy equipmentdoing their best to make things better. They dug out the ExitGlacier visitor center and pavilion and plan to have them open from9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily from May 26 to May 29 come hell or high,white water -- or what most of us call snow. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China L-banner Stand , Custom Flags Banners for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Canvas Printing Service.
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