At play where the midnight sun holds court
This is the second post in a series of posts about our southwest trip during Winter ’22 with our 6-week-old daughter. The rest of the posts can be found in order below: New Beginnings and Horizons To the Desert We Go Around San Rafael Swell Hole in the Rock and National Park Foibles Above the … Read more
Scrunching the sheets into a ball, I place the paper in the stove between the parallel logs. Once the gap is filled, I cover with strips of cardboard and top that with charcoal remains from the day before. More logs go on top, each layer lying perpendicular across the one below. With the flick of … Read more
In 1967 at the age of 51, Dick Proenneke decided to leave the industrialized world behind and take to the wilderness, with the aim to test himself in the harsh environment of Alaska. After scouring the state to find an ideal location for a home, he settled on a plot on Twin Lakes, in what … Read more
In the 1960s, oil was discovered in seemingly endless quantities in Alaska. The state had it made and perhaps there were many that thought that this would be the end of any energy worries for the state. Yet, somehow the opposite occurred. Far from freeing Alaska from its dependency on fuel sources, oil strengthened the … Read more
We crept along the road scanning the willows for movement of any kind. Brody and I were out hunting once more, this time in search of ptarmigan. Their white feathers provide perfect camouflage in the winter season against the backdrop of snow. It would be easy to miss them if we sped along, but even … Read more
Living in the Arctic provides for a different life than that found in almost the entire developed western world today. Full time living, if one is to do it without great expense, calls for an in-sourcing of many activities and a step back in time. Utilities must be provided for by one’s own initiative and … Read more
The following is a work of fiction Snow clung onto the spruce trees. The ground was a blank canvas, without evidence of a track or the slightest disturbance on its surface. Over the past two days, snow had fallen continuously, blanketing the area with a foot and a half of fresh snow. Trails and tracks … Read more
Since humans have arrived in Alaska, they have trapped animals. For much of that time period, native Athabaskan and Inupiats lived in small groups and used methods with natural materials that evolved over time. In many cases, trapping was often a necessity. In northern regions of Alaska, where brush and vegetation is minimal, animals can … Read more
The calendar reads spring, but in the far north winter still holds its grasp upon the land. Nights are frigid, with temperatures occasionally plunging past 30 below zero. Two months ago, the sun returned, jumping above the horizon and providing a few moments of light, without offering any sort of warmth. In the interim, the … Read more
Growing up in suburban Chicago, there aren’t many 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 hunting. That was no issue. For most of my life, hunting was the furthest thing from my mind. Our food came … Read more