At play where the midnight sun holds court
Rusted cans poke out of the sphagnum moss, their visibility diminishing year by year as they become swallowed by vegetation. A few yards distant, beyond the willows, lies a pile of spruce poles. Brush grows amongst the pile, but the square arrangement is still discernible. A former cabin. A former home. Its logs now in … Read more
My bed was covered in gear. Sleeping bag and pads, big puffy jacket, light jacket, puffy pants, stove, kick wax, gloves, mitts and all other sorts of related pieces were sprawled out. I was going on a ski trip. The idea was to head over to the Glacier River, travel up and over to the … Read more
The pain stopped me in my tracks. A jarring sensation went up through my lower legs, from my shins on down. I thought again if it was worth it. Should I just turn back? No. I told myself once again that I wouldn’t be mentally weak. Almost reluctantly, I continued on stumbling over tussocks toward … Read more
Note: This is a work of fiction. However, some of the writing was inspired by real events. As the rain fell, it was absorbed into the sod roof. The water worked its way through the various layers of sedges and moss before finally dripping on the floor of the cabin. A layer of spruce boughs … Read more
Dubbed by many as “the run” on the Haul Road, the Atigun-Sagavanirktok float offers intense boating through the northern reaches of the Brooks Range and onto the North Slope. I had wanted to do the trip since arriving in the country. Something always seemed to be lacking, mainly a partner or time. In late August, … Read more
Over 60 years ago, in 1956, the post office in Wiseman, Alaska was closed. The building still stands today, near the entrance to the community by road, with its logs rotting away into the ground year by year. Ducking underneath the shrunken door, one finds a jumbled mess inside. Dust covers everything, the counter, old … Read more
On a rise above the lake, I watched as the duck turned. I had been sighted and it started paddling to the opposite shore. It was early June and I was out duck hunting, hoping to get something before the season ended. I had made my way south of the mountains to flatter country, where … Read more
Born in early summer, the hare had witnessed the onslaught of predators from above. During these warm months, goshawks, great horned owls and golden eagles among other birds had perched high on the spruce trees, scanning for the slight movement that would signal a tasty treat. Staying within or close to willow thickets, the young … Read more
October Ice pans float down the river. I walk across the rocks, frozen in place, out onto the ice attached to shore. The ice is stable. It’s already a few inches thick and sufficient enough to hold my weight above the water flowing below. I move cautiously towards its edge, stopping a foot and a … Read more
