Monday, November 17, 2008

Snow has fallen...

Winter has been around a while up here in Interior Alaska. The snow adds a dimension to the Interior that simply doesn't exist in the summer. While a lot of folks dread the onset of winter there is an odd group that looks forward to its arrival.

With winter comes reprieve from the famous Alaskan mosquito and a reprieve from the also famous summer work season. For many tourists it doesn't seem like there is a lot going on in Alaska but the brief summer is often a brief period of hard work for the locals. Construction, road maintenance, tourism, fishing, and all the support services that cater to those industries experience a brief but powerful surge in the summer. Hours are long and the work can be hard so winter is often seen as a respite from work.

I believe that Alaska is truly a place where one must adopt the flow of nature and the seasons in order to adequately survive.