The Arctic is alive and blooming for those 3 1/2 months, the sun & the moon are each clearly visible in opposite ends of the sky. All day long. Yes it is just the most fantastick adventure - on a daily basis.
Camping, hunting, exploring, beach-combing, fishing & no system to tell you.. .. you have to be in a certain place at a certain time of the day or week or etc.
(chuckle) .. it is a 'dream' come true !!
But. by the same token, in the winter time - the dark months, we STILL GET LIGHT each and every day ! but it is very short as in about 1 1/2 hour. light enough to read a newspaper outside but we never get 24 hours or 30 days or 3 1/2 months of pure darkness. that is a myth !
Probably the most effect that Majik is seeing from Redoubt is delays in supplies coming out of Anchorage. Redoubt is about 100 miles south of me and we have had one light dusting about 10 days ago. Nothing to sneeze at really. Barrow is around 800 miles north of Redoubt and the majority of ash has fallen to the south thankfully. 350 miles north in Fairbanks, the only effect they are seeing beyond late mail delivery is a line of airplanes from time to time when it does blow.
Majik. I have been dying to come up to your area to do some photos but am stuck taking care of family and usually can not get away for more than a few hours at a time. One of these days though I would like to head to Nome, then Shishmaref, Brevig and Teller, up to Barrow and as many of the villages that I can. Northern part of the state is so different from South Central.
Mt. Redoubt in Alaska is located south west of my location, by a distance of about 600 miles (give or take).
The only way that volcano affects us is; flights in / out of Anchorage.
Whales have been spotted in Pt. Hope. A phone call from Rex Rock to the President of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission in Barrow, Eugene Brower was made yesterday to confirm sightings of the migrating whales.
Guess whose crew we are on ?? yes ! Eugene & em's !!
It will take about 4 days for the whales to make the 300 mile trek from Pt. Hope to Barrow and then .. far beyond, past Kaktovik !
Day #9 of physically being out here, working on the trail, as I have said, we have reached open water, now to go backwards and widen the trail, and smooth it all out, chop down the high spots, fill in the low spots. This trail will only be as good as the amount of work that is put into it.
One of out digital cameras got ruined last night on the way back into town. the worst place to be is riding on that sled, and Mark was standing up on the back of the sled. and he took a bump, rather hard enough so as to make contact with the corner post and his front pocket. He has a new sony 10 megapixel the size of a I-phone !! That camera, we purchased two of them, just to try them out. The cost ? (chump change). 200 each !! with 8 gig memory flash card(s)..
Why such a cheap-o camera for something as important as this ? Just to prove you do not need a cannon or nikon ! Just to prove you do not need to spend 10,000 dollars to submit a photo essay or documentation in a professional manner with outstanding quality and results.
Currently, we are 5 miles out, the ice has broken at least twice, the temps got colder and we are now on 10 feet of good solid ice, We should be setting up camp site w/tents here, shortly I assume.
Well Carl, if you ever make it to Barrow, then just come on by, Our door is always open !! (maybe that's why our house is so warm !! )
Open water, at the lead opening, the warm water, the steam, creates quite a dramatic effect !!
We are 5 miles out, it is very cold here, the wind is too strong, icebergs are floating by - about 20 mph !! - they are moving & crusing, this is quite the place to be, .. ..
I will show you sights, very few are able to record and photograph. !!
For the last few days, it has been too cold, and much too windy,
So we wait, whales should be here any day,
A few days ago, Rex Rock - Whalilng Captain from Point Hope called the President of the Alaska Eskimo Whalilng Commission to inform him.. whales are migrating past the point in Point Hope !!
Images will be forthcoming, right from inside the umiaq !!
This caribou was found frozen in place on a site inspection on the North Slope. That is some cold weather.... temps were down in the -40s F and wind chills to -70 to -80.
Caribou froze standing still at -80 with wind chill in Kuparuk, AK.
What an incredible photo essay/story you've logged for us to enjoy. The tales are wonderful.
Does it ever get above freezing up there, even in July or August? (It sounds like it doesn't even get above 0 much).
You mentioned that they would post stakes-or poles, so they would know where the edges of the ice were from trip to trip. Does that mean that you can tell if the ice is shrinking like global warming suggests, or is it about the same as you've always experienced?
Well Kelly thanks for spending the time, there is a sister thread in the people section (archives) - Eskimo Models @ 30 below zero.
The stakes are put out there, in a straight line for miles, so we can see (from land) if they have shifted from the original location. The currents are very strong, the wind is vicious at times, especially out on the ocean ice.
We are still breakin trail, for our crew, gong from one end to the other and back again in each direction widening it so we can safely bring the skin boats down to the lead. the amount of work, is incredible, long hard days, outside all day long. Some days it is too hot , some days it is too cold, chuckle ! Yes in the summer time it does get above zero.. too far above zero for my liking, if it gets any warmer up here,, I am leaving for the northmost portions of Greenland. (only joking ) No I am not. We left Kotzebue , because after spending two summers there,, it was brutal, too hot as in high 80's with no wind, high humidity. I can't take anything above 50 degrees and I need the wind in my face, or somethng just doesn't feel right.
The last two summers here in Barrow have been nice, but even in Point Hope the summers have been too hot, but lately. just about right. I would be very content with 20 below year round !! it is a fabulous day, you can't get cold, no matter how long your outside ( as in days, not hours). This cold, doesn't penetrate, it just gets on you and it is extremely refreshing and crisp !!
AMAZING, simply AMAZING!! thank you so much for posting this incredible collection of takes & images. I work as a doc in the Rosebud reservation in S Dakota, It is so imperative to gain the trust of folks there to be able to be welcomed to sacred and special "closed" events...
good for you!!!
I have learned so much .. from this culture, so much so, I never want to leave it.
It is not all of what it could be, there is always someone, to twist the knife in your back, Although I live in an eskimo community full of the greatest people, there is one person in this town, that is soon to be kicked out of this village, for the manner in which he insults the natives on the internet.
This is a white man, who is a self proclaimed expert of the arctic who hasn't even been here 10 years. he is the mistake sheriff if any one posts any infomation about barrow or whaling. He makes up bold face lies and makes vain attempts to change the truth by lying. This is one of the main reasons I moved up here, to get away from white people that have this GOD almighty self righteous attitude.
Moving on to prove a point about photography, Creating professional images DOES NOT REQUIRE: a top of the line brand name camera.
BEHOLD.. .. the tiny toy camera(s), used to create these images !! My point is well proven beyond dispute, you do not need to spend huge amounts of money with a myrid of X-tra gadgets to produce professonal quality images.
Believe it or not- this toy is capable of producing a movie of one hour in duration !! @ 320 X 240 - Lol.. wait... till the camps are set up, and we sit around for story time. I will do my best to provide you hours of side splitting laughter. The humor level is very 'high' out here on the ice, it is just themost exciting time of the entire year ! These next 8 weeks or so.. what ever it turns out to be, shall be full of awesome images depicting the Inupiaq way of life never before seen up close and this personal !!
I got lots more images to post.. I am so glad you all enjoy the images for what they are and I will do my best to keep 'text' to an absolute minimum!
Believe it or not, this camera has photoshop built into it !! Most of the filters are present to enhance images, it can even put a smile on someone's face that refuses to smile !!!
Monday, April 20th. We are waiting for a phone call from our captains, (when they get off work). Beluga whales are beng harvested in Point Hope today. We should be setting up camp out on the ice tonight. photos will be forthcoming shortly - day by day- out on the ocean ice pack.
We have a huge hole to fill out on the ocean ice. It is getting thin in some places.
Some of the crew members are not showing up for work, (chuckle) two crews - 16 people - ten are missing !!
These images should illustrate plainly why you could never get a bob cat out here.
There, on the far left, is the captain, everyone is equal out here, everyone does the same work. There are 'NO LEVELS'. Everyone is treated the same (with respect). Everyone works, no matter who you are.
More images from breaking trail, the folder name BT-x is the day number of when this work was done. So far, we have 15 days of images of breaking trail !! Only a few have been posted so far.. continuing onward, through the ice
yawn ! long day ! adiga (good) Tavra - that's all!
This is long hard days of nothing but work, with no pay, we need your help, each crew, cuts its own trail - 8 crew members plus the captain !!
and.. .. the boyer !!!
Steam, from open water is visible miles away. Look at the bottom of the clouds!
Check out the huge Polar Bear Mittens, lying on the ground, nearby, when your hands become frozen up! Three pair of mittens is what the Captain uses. Proper protection is needed or you are in for some hurting for certain. This is not like a construction job where you are allowed to go inside to warm up after 1/2 hour, We are out here for the full day, long days of 12 hours or more, we eat out here, we stay out here, working hard.. .. for no pay.. .. just the right to eat !! - and no one complains !!
The next pile(s) of ice, to be chopped up, spread out, smoothed out, fill in the low spots, chop down the high spots
Scouting up ahead, to see which path to take, A lot of planning goes into making this trail.
Temperatures, what do we experience out on the ocean ice. These temps just might surprise you !
20 below zero with 30 mph winds = 53 degrees below zero
40 below zero with 30 mph winds = 80 below zero !!
When you are surrounded by ice on all sides for many miles, these temps out here can get quite uncomfortable. The slightest bit of wind, and you notice it, you feel it, you better be dressed correctly !!
Find the people.. .. how many can you see / count ? Lets find 'waldo' !
The barren frozen beauty of the arctic is all around us. Spend time out here, then you might understand, if you are warm enough and comfortable. if your not, it is the most miserable harshest place on the planet !! Imagine that.. .. this is where we get our food, for thousands of years, but we have to really work - to gain access !! Constant thanks is given for that which we receive from the creator of all things.
Imagine that .. .. some people pay money to go to the gym - to work out !!
This was day six, it was extremly cold as in 40 below w/ 30 mph winds or stronger. It was a long day, all the captains are very happy with the progress that has been made. We are more than six miles out on day six, but the wind broke off about two miles of the ice, back and forth on the trail, widening it to bring the skin boats and other supplies.
Just look, at the massive amount of ice that has been removed here, talk about hard work, for many hours on end.. .. just to eat - that is the only reward !! These crews, are in top physical shape to stay out here, day after day. This is the easy part, .. .. wait !! watch and learn what really goes on.. .. you would never have believed this, and the amount of work involved unless you have seen it with your own eyes, then you can get a small feel and indication of the massive amount of work that is done. for MILES .. .. .. .. .. !! 'let that sink in for more than ten seconds .. ' !! Everyone is smiling, happy, and no one complains.. well that is much differenet from the people I have worked with in construction.. it is constant complaining from people that are receiving money for doing all their work. what a difference in cultures. This is what keeps me here in the Arctic - People that are content and happy with no complaints, full of thanks and praise all day long.
Everything that man does.. .. .. is for his mouth !! (King Solomon) !!
the heat you need, is in the tools you are using !!
This was day six, and it is wicked cold, the worst ever !!
Just look at how people are dressed, it is brutal - that wind will cut you up on exposed skin (face)
frostbite is an understatement, the skin bets burned, it turns black and takes 3 months to heal properly.
just like a razor blade was dragged across your skin, that is what that wind is like, it hurts !
Break time - miles and miles to go.. .. .. day after day .. .. .. !
