Here in Fairbanks, there are two seasons…winter is one, and the other is road repair.  16 degrees below zero is the average low during the winter.  Highways must wait until the snow melts to be repaired.  As two lane highways become one way roads, delays are common.

We  are less than 300 miles from the Arctic Circle, an imaginary line which defines the circumference of the Arctic Circle.  This marks the area where the sun shines for 24 continuous hours on June 20,  decreasing gradually to a little more than 2 hours of daily sunshine on December 22.  From Fairbanks, we boarded a plane to fly over this region. We followed the Alaskan Pipeline during most of our flight.

Part of the 800 mile long Alaskan Pipeline required its own bridge.

Because permafrost is drilled for the pipeline, vertical supports are required.

An hour after departing Fairbanks, we landed in Coldfoot, a once thriving gold mining town that now boasts the title of the “World’s Northernmost Truck Stop”.  The population of Coldfoot is 10.  A short van ride took us to Wiseman, where 14 self-sufficient residents sustain themselves on the land. One of the most prominent is Jack Reakoff. Jack, who is 57, has lived in Wiseman since he was 13.  He shares a cabin with his wife and two year old daughter.  Skilled at thriving in a harsh environment, he says he is most challenged by political and recreational threats to his natural environment, which he tries to protect by serving on several committees.  His biggest personal challenge during the long winter months is coping with his body’s depletion of nutrients due to lack of sufficient sunlight.

An original log cabin used during the Gold Rush. Now, this is home to a Wiseman resident.

Jack is holding a leg of a moose. Sitting prominently on the table is a sheep’s formidable weapon, it’s horn.