A time for Alpen Glow

The height of Alaskan winter is a desert of darkness. North of the Arctic Circle on the solstice, one is soaked in perpetual darkness, with a loss of a sense of time. South of the Arctic Circle, one may experience a brief oasis of daylight –a few paltry hours of warmth-less sunshine before encroaching darkness. Although during the dark winter months the sun barely trudges above the horizon it is in these moments when the Alaskan sun is truly at its peak. It contrasts starkly from the tropical sun, which at sunset quickly dives below the waves and plummets palm tree-lined shores in darkness. Meanwhile the Alaskan sun dallies along the edge of snowy peaks and bathes the wilderness in alpine glow for hours. The frozen tundra is invigorated in a new life of pinks and orange, often as an appetizer for the northern lights show that will follow later on that night.

The alpine glow this past winter was particularly memorable. After a warm November full of snow-less landscapes and freezing rain, the arctic floodgates swung wide open throughout December and January and allowed welcome cold temperatures and clear skies. Although these cold spells have not caused any wide-spread records to fall, they were a welcome change from the record setting July heat and ubiquitous fires that uncharacteristically lingered into last fall. For most, temperatures below -20 are something to be dreaded. For Alaskans, it is a feeling of a return to normalcy-of frostbite and scarves.

For hikers, it is a return to silence. Trails that are simple under summer’s gaze can quickly become arduous under bitter winds and steep snow drifts. Few hikers will trudge through knee-high alpine snow when it is -15 F and far from help. One summits alone, accompanied only by the tracks from the previous hiker. Often the only sign of life is the unwelcome flush of the ptarmigan- a pigeon-sized bird that waits until an unsuspecting hiker has nearly stepped on it before fluttering its wings in chaotic flight. A terrifying trumpet for any hiker who is on alert for a moose or bear! As the sun has slowly returned over the past months and silence is slowly turning towards spring Alaskans face an uncertain future. However the lessons of a silent solstice remain - we must continue to search for beauty and resiliency in this new uncertain silence.