Artic Circle Adventure

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UntitledAfter another fabulous breakfast with Mary, who now has 9 other guests. We head off to the airport with Jim and Lisa.
Our expected tour over the Artic Circle and onto Coldfoot has to be abandoned explains Robert from the North Alaskan Tour Company on account of its snowing and visibility is down to 200 feet - a bit low for flying. Instead of going home our alternative destination could be a native village at Beaver on the Yukon River followed by a flight slightly north so we can cross the imaginary Artic Circle line and therefore attain our official certificates. We all agree, that included another couple from Utah and pilot Pete.
Little planes can be a little daunting, we sit in the back seats so that our view is unobstructed by the wings, Lisa is concerned with being sick... so Jim choses to sit next to the pilot.
After leaving Fairbanks and sighting the University (looks good from the air too) and the township North Pole its over the Northern Slopes. A mountain slope that protects Fairbanks from a lot of bad weather. At 4000 feet we are actually fllying between the snow capped peaks. Awe inspiring. My heart is so full of.... not sure what. But it feels so great, so exciting and we are so, so lucky. I just love it.

Then over a grassy plain dotted with icy ponds of water till we reach the Yukon River which actually flows to here from the Rocky Mountains in Canada and from here to the Bering Sea.

We circle the airstrip and land very smoothly.
We are greeted by Cliff and shown around the village he explains how they got to be there in the first place, the ethnic groups that make up the population of Beaver (a hundred or so) and how they survive. All extremely interesting.
This man is amazing. The community is a subsistance community. Which in current terms means they are allowed to hunt and gather as needed for the community. He has inherited the role of chief provider for the community, a role he took very seriously. Not because of the responsibility but because he wanted to. He talked heaps about the natural flow of life in hunting and gathering and how one activity just rolls onto the next. The community certainly were working together and building for the community. A new school had recently been finished (he wouldn't let me inside because it was graduation day and all 15 kids and the two teachers were busy - fair enough I thought). The school is the biggest building and only one with inside plumbing. Many in the community were busy getting things ready for this important event that all would attend and celebrate.
Cliff, and Beavers ancestors were a Japanese tracker/trader and his Indian wife back in the gold rush days of the late 1800's. Steam paddle boats sailed up the Yukon River to supply the miners.
The Japanese bloke walked over a lot of miles from the coast and two years to get to what is now Beaver and set up a base to service the river boats. The setlement then has a Japanese background as more came and has representatives of four Native groups.

He showed us his house - log cabin. Really nice, his smoke house for preserving food and his fish wheel trap.

I don't think they get handouts so they survive off the land. Currently they are waiting for the migratory birds, mainly ducks who stop over on their way north to refuel as it were. Then the salmon should start arriving to spawn further up if they can avoid the nets further downstream (commercial fishing). In the meantime there's moose, bear, lynx and foxes to catch for food and fur to sell.
The Lynx is a mean looking, large (think the size of a labrador) cat. Its fur is incredibly soft and warm. Cliff says he only wears hisLynx hat if its below -20, other wise its too hot and then he wears his beaver hat.

He also showed us a brown bear skin pinned to the wall of his smoke house about 3 m from where he shot it which is about 5m from his front door. The skin was easily 2m tall. Only happened a couple of days ago as the bears are now awakening and removing the tapin.

Another interesting fact is the range of temperature in this area. And as Cliff remarked he could be sitting in his house in winter at 70 -> 80 degrees F. and outside it is -60 degrees F. (difficult to comprehend really - just bloody cold) In winter there is 3 -> 4 hours sunlight and next week till July the sun really won't set. So its a really good time to grow vegetables.

Farewell to Cliff and with some of his pickled salmon in hand we flew back to Fairbanks. Pete the pilot ensuring on the way that we get to see some Moose, a little black bear and a couple of mountain goats/sheep.

All in all it was a great/better than great experience.

Back at the B&B we make preparations for the next few days. What to see and so to finish here and make our way to Anchorage for the next bit.

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Comments

[Sue H]

Awesome
Awesome Maree and Des. It's fascinating to read your blogs. All's well at this end. Are you planning to put any photos up? Enjoy your next leg of the adventure. cheers Sue and Marty

[brenda]

I'm sooooo jealous
I'm soooo jealous, shouldn't be really, i had my chance to come too but no money bugger it. Glad the phone is working, it was really funny pretending to be Maree and entering the numbers into the non existent phone. Meant to ask too, shall I print these off to share with the staff? They have been asking about the trip so far and I've just been filling them in on what you've been doing. Caitlin is in hospital again, has been since last wednesday, she had no feeling in her legs and couldn't walk at all. Doctors are still saying it's a virus and it will work it's way out but were unable to do a spinal tap as Caitlin had an adverse reaction to the anaesthetic and apparently acted out the scene from the exorcist. Freaked Graeme and Amanda right out and even scared the paediatrician apparently. They'll have another go today but will put her right under this time. So that has been life here, school is great and I'm still really loving doing the acting assistant principal thing. I think i was in need of a challenge and was feeling a bit jaded but this has got me all excited again. Love you both, miss you both, keep the stories coming.

[Tracy]

FUN
Sounds like you are having a great time. Des keep away from those sleeping bears with you rumbling tummy. You don't want them to wake!! Hope you are both having fun.