Thoughts on minus 50

When spilled water freezes to the floor, when a child cannot roll up her sleeves, because there are too many, when plants are freezing on the window sill, when the propane gas turns to gel and the propane bottle and the generator move inside to warm up, I know the outside temperature is close to minus 50.

While my range of motions shrinks and my lungs wince, the mountain vista is usually breathtaking: clear air, sharply outlined mountains tainted in orange light, and frost covered trees that seem to ignite in silver-cold December sunlight (up on the hills in a distance and out of my reach of course, because we are without sunlight for a total of 3 ½ months).

Mountains in the distance (26.12.2013)

Mountains in orange sunlight (26.12.2013)

Frosty Math: -35 + 17 = -18

It never fails to astonish me how rapidly the temperature changes here at times: We went to bed at minus 35 degrees and woke to a balmy minus 18. Hardly any wind was noticeable. And the night sky (the darkness extends well into our days at this time of the year) was still clear except for some hazy ice fog over the river.

Addition: By the end of the day we measured (a shocking) minus 5 degrees.

Cold river, November 21, 2013

A pile of wood on an arctic winter day

At minus 35 degrees (Celsius that is) a pile of wood looks like the manifest promise that the cold can do us no harm.

The river ice held, and at these temperatures it is unlikely that it will move again before breakup.

Beautiful firewood (November 21, 2013)

Thursday-Update

The river-ice just stopped here last night. We are doubtful whether it will hold since it is rather warm with only minus 8 degrees. If the ice moves again, big blocks of ice will make for difficult traveling with the snowmobile this winter.

The river a few hours after the ice stopped (November 14, 2013)

Anya loves to play outside. Her current favorite: pulling her toboggan everywhere. I offered to pull her (so we would get home faster), but no, she wanted to pull. Back home, she tested her slide again.

Anya enjoying the balmy temperatures while playing in the snow (November 14, 2013)

Winter has arrived!

For the past three days, the Yukon River has been carrying ice. As the temperatures are dropping, the ice sheets are getting bigger.

Yukon River, ice, the boat (on the shore), and a sunny day on the other side of the river (November 7, 2013)

Ice sheets on the Yukon River, (November 7, 2013)

Yukon River, ice, and a sunny day on the other side of the river (November 7, 2013)