Cold weather is setting in all around. As fall has ended now the tundra has lost its color and being replaced by a blanket of white on the mountains and frozen ground. The days are in the the lower single digits and the nights getting in the negative teens. The coldest day thus far has been -23 F. It only lasted for a brief period, but gave a glimpse into what to expect this winter. I have learned that when the air "sparkles," due to the air itself freezing you need to prepare yourself before you take a deep breath.
The time for bringing the fish is long over now as the river has been frozen for a few weeks. ATV's have been replaced with snow mobiles. It's so mesmerizing to watch the changing landscape and listen to the howling wind blowing across the tundra.
I have made up my mind not to say when I will post another blog, because clearly the "every two weeks" never happens. A lot has happened since my last post other than the weather changing.
For one, my parents came and visited for a two week period it's been over a month now, time sure does fly. They seemed to really enjoy their visit as they finally were able to put names with faces and see/understand things I have been talking about. The hardest thing to explain is how the tundra is to walk on. Both my parents got a first hand experience of this. My mother in particular got close and personal with the tundra as she rolled around in the sponge like ground a few times when she stepped in the wrong spot, or got "stuck" in a mud hole unable to move as the water and mud pulled her foot deeper into the sludge.
The second notable event was when the other 5 teachers and myself had inservice at the nearby village of Shungnak. It was right after the snow had started to fall a lot the day before, so when we woke up that morning we had a good 8 inches on the ground. Not a great deal for up here, however we were to be taking ATVs for the 8 miles journey over tundra. It was that interesting time between ATVs and snow machines. We all set off at 7am, after being stuck twice myself, and 1.5 hours later we finally arrived. It was a blast! The snow decided to pick up mid morning, so we ended up leaving the in-service early so we would not be snowed in. Most teachers hate Saturday in-service, but if everyone could be that that adventurous, you wouldn't find me complaining.
The most recent event was this past weekend. I volunteered to be a chaperone in the village of Ambler for a wrestling tournament for other nearby villages. It was a good experience since it was with some of the middle schoolers. It let me see another village and get to know students I would not have gotten to other wise. Ambler has just as beautiful scenery as Kobuk, I enjoyed my short time there.
Dog sled preparation has begun. I have been helping a fellow teacher with her dog sled team. The snow is not yet deep enough for the break on the sled to hook in the ground, so we attach the dogs to the front of the ATV to get them in running condition. I am rather excited to start running them on the sled soon! If it is going to be this cold, bring on more snow!
Finally, I have internet in my apartment. It runs about as bad as dial up use to, but after two months of phone calls, it's rather exciting!
It is now less than 50 days until I visit home for Christmas! Excited to see those I have been missing.
FOR THOSE MOVING TO BUSH AK:
I have been slowly getting gear together for this winter and have the following items to take me through the winter. I will write a more in depth review on the items later.
Parka: Trillium Parka from Canada Goose 625 down
Mid-layer for Upper Body: MicroTherm StormDown Hooded Jacket from Eddie Bauer
Base Layer for legs: Nike Pro Combat, Compression Tight
I obvious have several other items to layer in, but these are my favorite or biggest purchases thus far. The parka is only rated for TEI 3, I wanted something for myself that might be practical after I move from the bush as well. If you want a more enduring parka I would suggest Canada Goose's Expedition Parka rated at TEI 4.
