Alaska summers are short and packed. Between Flattop hikes, fishing on the Kenai, weekend trips to Hatcher Pass, and late-evening soccer games under the midnight sun, families in South Anchorage spend more hours outside in June than some people do all year. A little preparation in late spring keeps small problems from interrupting the few weeks we wait all year for.
Start with a Wellness Visit Before the Season Picks Up
A spring wellness visit is the simplest way to head off summer surprises. It is a chance to update vaccinations, review chronic conditions like blood pressure or asthma, and renew prescriptions before you head out of cell range. If you have not been seen in over a year, this is the appointment to book.
For families juggling kids’ camp physicals, sports forms, and adult check-ins, scheduling these together in May or early June saves trips later. Same-day labs at the visit mean you usually have results in hand before the first long weekend.
Refill and Pack Your Medications Thoughtfully
If you take daily medication, summer travel complicates the routine. Fishing trips, cabin weekends, and drives down the Seward Highway are easy places to forget a dose or leave a pill bottle behind. Ask your primary care team for a 90-day supply where possible, and request a second labeled bottle to keep in your travel bag.
For anyone with an EpiPen, rescue inhaler, or insulin, check expiration dates now. Heat in a parked car at the Bird Creek pullout can degrade medications faster than people expect, so a small insulated pouch is worth the few dollars it costs.
Plan for Sun, Even When It Does Not Feel Hot
Anchorage sits at a latitude where the sun feels mild, but UV exposure during long June days adds up quickly. Glacier hikes, river trips, and time on the water reflect light back at you from every angle. Sunburns on the Kenai or up on Crow Pass are some of the most common things we see in early summer.
A broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, reapplied every two hours, handles most situations. Wide-brim hats and UPF clothing matter more for kids and for adults on medications that increase sun sensitivity, including some antibiotics, blood pressure pills, and acne treatments. If you are not sure whether your prescription falls into that group, ask at your next visit.
Respect the Wildlife and the Water
Bear awareness gets most of the attention, and rightly so, but the more common summer injuries we treat are sprained ankles on loose trail, lacerations from filleting knives, and cold-water immersion after a slip off a riverbank. A basic first aid kit in the car, packed with gauze, an elastic wrap, tweezers, and a few doses of an antihistamine, covers most of what happens on a day trip.
Giardia from untreated stream water is also a regular visitor to our exam rooms in July and August. A small filter or purification tablets weigh almost nothing and prevent a week of misery.
Tick-Borne Illness, Mosquitoes, and Allergies
Alaska has historically had very few ticks, but that has been changing, and travelers returning from the Lower 48 sometimes bring exposures home. A quick body check after hikes, especially behind the ears and along the hairline, is a good habit for the whole family.
Mosquitoes, of course, are the more familiar nuisance. DEET or picaridin-based repellents work reliably. For seasonal allergy sufferers, birch pollen peaks in May and grasses follow through June. Starting a daily antihistamine a week or two before symptoms typically begin makes a noticeable difference, and we can talk through prescription options if over-the-counter products are not enough.
Mental Health and the Midnight Sun
The flip side of our long winter is a summer where the sun barely sets. That is wonderful, and it also disrupts sleep in ways that affect mood, blood sugar, and blood pressure. Blackout curtains, a consistent bedtime even when it is light at 11 p.m., and limiting late caffeine help most people adjust.
If you notice that summer brings anxiety, irritability, or insomnia that does not settle on its own, that is worth bringing up at a primary care visit. It is more common than people realize, and there are practical options that do not always involve medication.
A Practical Next Step
If you have not had a wellness visit in the past year, or if you are heading into the season with refills running low or questions about a nagging issue, now is the time to schedule. Our team at Hillside Medicine sees patients from across South Anchorage, Eagle River, Chugiak, Girdwood, and the Mat-Su Valley, and we keep room on the calendar in May and June specifically for pre-summer visits. A short appointment now means more time on the trail and less time in a clinic later.
Featured image: Photo by Darina Belonogova on Pexels.
