Seriously, I’d love to visit the high Arctic. Utqiaġvik (formerly called Barrow) is the northernmost point of the United States, dangling on a small peninsula on the northern edge of Alaska. The sunset the other day was the last they’ll see for a few months, so it’s cold, remote, and dark, the kind of place I wouldn’t mind living in. The population size is about the same as the place I live in now.
I’m never going to get to visit it, though, so I’ll have to settle for the Utqiaġvik Sea Ice Webcam. You too can visit that website and observe the slow progression of darkness and ice in the Arctic. Well, maybe — right now it’s continuously dark.
You can also check out the sea ice radar and see what the ice is doing. It’s a little more lively than the town.
But is it adequately supplied with spiders?
That may be one shortcoming. I predict, though, that there are some house spiders inside people’s homes — they’re tough.
My brother-in-law was stationed in Barrow, AK when he was in the army in the ‘60s. After suffering a case of frostbite, he put in for a transfer to somewhere warm. They sent him to Vietnam.
The photos reminds me of the view of Iqaluit, Baffin Island, Canada from the 747 window. My fight from SF to London landed there due to some unexplained emergency. The flight attendant called it “Frobisher Bay” which was Iqaluit’s name at the time. There was an ambulance on the tarmac after we landed. We spent 4 hours on the ground as they refueled the plane, so lots of opportunity to look through the porthole at the lights of the airport and little town. They refueled the plane using a 10- or 12-foot ladder in the back of a pickup truck. We took off with a shuddering roar as I suspect the runway was a wee small for the plane.
You might find this youtube channel by “Cecilia Blomdahl” who lives outside a small town on Svalbard island way north of Norway.
it is mostly about what it is like to live ther.e. Not as bad as you might imagine.
Here is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpqt5_ZS0i8
marvz@5,
But watch out for the armoured bears!
Isn’t that where they filmed “30 Days of Night?”
#3, Big Boppa — Oh, man, that struck a chord with me. The old watch out what you wish for aphorism. When I was in the U.S. Navy, I was coming off of sea time and was looking forward to shore duty. They cut orders for the 2nd MarDiv at Camp Lejeune. I thought it must’ve been a mistake because though it was technically shore duty, my future unit was scheduled to go on a Mediterranean ‘float’ two months after my scheduled arrival. It took me all of two minutes to decide that I wasn’t re-upping to spend the next 6 months at sea with a boatload of jar heads.
Yes, it’s where “30 days of night” was set (a pretty good vampire movie; the sequel, not so much). I guess it has really bounced back from the near total extermination of the human population.
Yes, there are spiders in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska, though spider populations are lower than in warmer climates due to the harsh conditions. Common species include wolf spiders, jumping spiders, and orb-weavers. Most Alaskan spiders are harmless and play a beneficial role by controlling other insect populations.
The dark loses to the light, 66:83.
It is roughly as far north as Swedish Lapland. The reindeer/caribou will decouple from the 24-hour cycle during the darkest phase, as it serves little purpose. I assume they navigate mostly by smell, sound and starlight/moonlight.
Birger, more like they navigate by smell, sound, and psychedelic haze.
(Yes, I know it’s purely folkloric, but still)
Baffin Island is crawling with spiders.
Those places are also buzzing with mosquitos, so there’s a rich supply of spider food.
Been there, done that. But I’m not idiot: I went there in midsummer. All three species of jaeger were nesting, three of the four eiders, ivory-billed loon, etc. Didn’t even encounter any mosquitoes, just some rather large and attractive chironomids. If you go, dress warmly (even in midsummer) and take your waders.
I’ll have to pass – I have trouble with my moods and energy levels even during the relatively modest changes in day/night length in the northeastern USA. Months of unending night and then months of unending day would probably wreak havoc on me.
uut’ kee ahgh” vik