Valley Floor to the South, Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska

Posted by dj.tigersprout (New York City, United States) on 7 September 2008 in Landscape & Rural and Portfolio.

on arriving back into Anaktuvuk, i wasn't exactly sure what to expect. it had been 9 months since i had been there last, in the heart of the dark and very cold winter. i had decided to leave behind the large winter coat this time hoping that i wouldn't need its bulk to keep me warm, but besides that omission, i had brought basically the exact same set of warm clothing as i had had with me in the winter. i figured that if i layered well, i could be ready for temperatures down to zero degrees (-18C)... but i really hoped it wouldn't get that cold!

it turns out that although it began to snow on the mountain peaks the weekend that i arrived, on the valley floor it was a comfortable 55F (13C) degrees and partly sunny. in fact the clothes i had brought with me were way too warm -- i found myself sweating quite heavily with any sort of minimal effort on the first day -- so i scaled back and only wore a t-shirt with my warmer, insulated 'ski pants' which was more than fine. i was still 'warm' but no longer overheating.

flying through the Brooks Range i was in for a shock, visually speaking -- the isolated world of the Arctic i had known only in cold green, blue, white and gray tones was afire in reds oranges and yellows! i didn't realize foliage could be so vibrant and lush -- without being green! during the flight, i had seen quite a few grayish pine trees visible on the slopes of towering mountains, but as we neared the higher altitudes of Anaktuvuk Pass, those too dropped away completely -- there are no trees, anywhere in Anaktuvuk's vicinity, i believe it is just too far north! however, the ice desert i had experienced and known in the winter was now abloom with tall grasses and weeds -- and along the banks of rivers, their roots soaked in fresh, icy, running waters, small hip high shrubs grew w/ bright yellow / orange leaves... but that was the tallest plant to be found and only directly bordering rivers or lakes.

weather wise, Fairbanks had been mostly sunny with high and thin feathery clouds, but an hour and a half north by plane, we landed amongst a storm bank of cumulonimbus clouds, hinged upon each of the just visible rocky peaks -- however their precipitation loads were only falling at the highest of altitudes leaving the valley floor warm, partly sunny and very dry.

here is a shot of the expansive valley floor looking south, taken at a good altitude from the cargo plane as we were preparing to descend. just as in winter, the landscape looks so uniformly chromatic in color, that distances between objects seems to be short -- in actuality, on the ground, that distance is magnified many times over, and more often than not, what looks like a short, easy hike ends up being a 3 or 4 hour trek through uneven and often marshy tundra! really quite slow and exhausting work when carrying any sort of equipment or clothing! if you look closely, the river that runs through town, winds its way lazily like a snake to the south through the gaps in the mountainous cliffs. and i was able to catch a 'curl' of rain (top center) which most likely never reached the ground, at least not in any part of town... ;)

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