Above The Timberline By Wayne Mergler Editor’s Note: It has been an aeon since Wayne Mergler wrote for Hubris (the column below ran in June of 2011, back when the magazine was a…

“I used to sit on the porch steps, usually with a stick in my hand, digging at the dirt by the brick-lined walk. My parents and aunts and uncles sat on benches or…

“The ground is frozen solid, and no amount of shoveling, hacking, or pick-axing is going to create a grave. In Alaska, a corpse is ‘put on ice’ until summer, usually July or August,…

“Most of what I saw there is now forgotten, and rightly so, but I did find myself somewhat hooked on a courtroom show called ‘Judge Judy.’ I, of course, knew of Judge Judy,…

“Together, they were amazing. And they were always together, always laughing, singing, sometimes holding court, telling stories, regaling their fans with the sheer joy they felt in the presence of each other. They…

Above The Timberline By Wayne Mergler Note: Wayne Mergler is still “on sick leave” in the frozen north, so we are sharing one of his 2010 columns for your delectation till he’s back…

“When I first came to Alaska in 1968, tourists were a rarity. Some adventurous types came up here, sure, but, for the most part, Alaska was not on anybody’s ‘must visit’ list. For…

“I used to sit on the porch steps, usually with a stick in my hand, digging at the dirt by the brick-lined walk. My parents and aunts and uncles sat on benches or…

“Now, if Jaiziriquon is reading this column (seems unlikely), I should start out by apologizing. I have no idea how to spell his name or even if I heard it quite right, but…

Above The Timberline by Wayne Mergler ANCHORAGE Alaska—(Weekly Hubris)—3/5/12—A moose fell on my car today. Probably, most Americans don’t have that experience but, in Alaska, where I live, it is not so rare…