As the Denali summer rushes into autumn, my mind turns to one thing, mainly: blueberries. In the Kantishna Hills that surround Camp Denali and North Face Lodge, the tundra is dense with blueberry bushes, and now, after the summer’s sun and rain have worked their magic, those bushes are heavy with one of our tastiest berries. I can hardly go for a hike without pausing to gather handfuls of the sweet treats here and there. My afternoon breaks are spent with blueberry buckets ‘round my neck, my hands stained purple by dinnertime.
    To the visitor from out-of-state, our tundra berries might not seem like much to celebrate at first. They are smaller than the southern varietals, a bit irregular in shape, and one has to crawl on hands and knees in order to get into picking position. But just one mouthful of that wild, tart sweetness, and most tasters would agree that our blueberries are special. This year, they seem especially plump and abundant, perhaps a result of our warmer-than-average June and July.
    The blueberries I pick this summer are cleaned of twigs and leaves, frozen in a single layer on a sheet pan, and then heaped into storage containers, bound for the freezer, right next to the currants and lowbush cranberries that I will harvest later this summer. Besides enjoying the process of picking and the delicious flavor of fresh-picked berries, I delight in knowing that my freezer will be stocked with a winter’s supply of summer’s bounty.  In a dark and cold December, blueberry pies deliver a smile and a reminder of summer to anyone who gets a slice.