We are moving through January and the sun is beginning to come back. We are now seeing the sunrise at 10:30 and then set at around 3:30. The sunlight is changing at 6 mins/day, so it won't be long until the days are feeling more normal again. It is obvious to me that the sun is supposed to be a big part of our lives, as it seems universal that people start getting tired and cranky by this time of year. Due to the extreme cold up here (pushing 40 out of 60 days at -30F or colder) and the high energy costs, most people live in smaller homes. This leads to severe cabin fever and even divorce! You haven't tested your marriage until it is too cold to do much outside and you just hang out together through the meat of the winter in a small cabin!
We are starting to plan the upcoming season and we have a lot of events planned. In February I will be going to Dawson, Yukon, to compete in an oldtimer hockey tournament. In March, Dominik and I are going to fly to Manitoba to visit family, and then I get a free trip to Jamaica at the end of March! In April we have an oldtimer tourney in Honolulu, followed by an oldtimer tourney in Anchorage. Busy season! Dominik is doing very well competing with the older kids in hockey and Yanik is really a natural at Taekwondo. We are looking forward to camping in Denali this year and also doing a fly in hunt of some kind. We want to go up into the Brooks range again for the hunt. In July, we will be traversing the famous Chilkoot Pass. This is the pass where the miners crossed into AK during the gold rush. It is a 3-4 day trip and it is about 33 miles. I'll take lots of pictures!
Sounds like good times :) It's so nice when the sun returns! I saw the sun for the first time yesterday on a snowmobile trip to the highlands with two friends. It was fantastic! (here is a picture from when it had just gotten below the horizon again: http://netrex.deviantart.com/art/Joatka-After-First-Sun-194510967).
ReplyDelete