At play where the midnight sun holds court
Last week I returned to Wiseman for the first time in three years, only the second time since I left indefinitely when I moved south to Fairbanks. I was driven out primarily by loneliness, a lacking sense of community and a lacking of meaning in my day to day life. The experience started out with … Read more
I push past the cottonwood and willow shoots. It’s been about three years since I’ve been here. A little over four since I had cleared the area. When I first moved into the cabin, it was hidden amidst a jungle of both willows and cottonwoods after years of neglect. Trash was strewn across the lawn … Read more
This is my most recent article for Alaska Magazine, printed in their September 2020 issue. Here is an excerpt from the essay: “ Growing up in suburbanChicago, I had few opportunities for hunting. The metropolitan area is filled with human activity and development. Even though there are small parcels of forest, those are off limits to … Read more
Beyond the forest, waves crashed on shore, while within, drizzle from the sky above trickled through the canopy and down to the shrubs and mosses of the forest floor. On the beach, the stones shed the droplets, the water coursing down through them to meet the crashing waves and return to the sea. Within the … Read more
The wind whipped along the ridgeline, gusting across and ferrying the few loose flakes into the valley below. Up high among the tors, the light and the terrain made one think of winter. The soft pastels lit up the horizon beyond the mountains as the sun shone its last light for the day. Snow covered … Read more
Wood lays haphazardly stacked next to the woodstove, ready to provide service in the battle against winter’s cold. Inside the stove, the fire burns. A bed of hot coals sit beneath the logs radiating their warmth to the exterior surfaces. I have run a fire continuously since the beginning of October, when the cold settled … Read more
I kicked steps into the wind blasted slopes, each one sending tufts of floor down to the valley below. The snow was shallow, my steps often punched right through to the rocks inches below. Without an ice axe, I traversed towards the pass with some trepidation. There were large rocks scattered below, not enough reason … Read more
The sun struggles to rise over the horizon during the day. Minutes after noon, it finally yields its light over the mountains, shining across the valley below. The cold that had settled in the valley throughout the long night begins to dissipate, the mercury slowly rising towards zero. Snow adorns the spruce boughs and ice … Read more
The sound of the logs popping and crackling reverberated off the barrels. Inside, the fire burned brightly, the flames light playing out through the vent onto the snow. As the fire built to a climax, the 55 gallon barrels glowed red, radiating intense heat to anyone that was cold enough to stand nearby. In two … Read more
