Arctic Village – Where the June Sun Never Sets
©Bert Gildart: On a June night 22 years ago, Janie and I hiked to the top of a small knoll just outside of Arctic Village, Alaska, and watched as the sun dipped toward the top of the Brooks Range. It was the longest day of the year, and was here dramatized by the fact that we were about 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, that imaginary line that circles the earth and represents the point of longitude where the sun does not set in June or rise in December. That one point of longitude occurs on just one day and is called the summer — or the winter — solstice.
But this far north above that point the sun remained well above the lofty peaks of this magnificent mountain range, meaning, of course, that it never dropped below the horizon. It fact, it never even came close to touching even the highest of the peaks in the Brooks Range.
Arctic Village -- where the June sun never sets. Multiple exposure, and note that sun on the far right is actually beginning to rise.
From the day we first stepped foot in Arctic Village we were overwhelmed by the work of the people who have managed to carve out a living and by the beauty of the area. In fact we were so enchanted that we returned year after year – most recently a few years ago to cover the World Eskimo Indian Olympics.
Alaska, and the Arctic, continues to hold a fascination for us and we are right now trying to work out our plans so we can soon return. Who knows, but this could even become a family wide adventure. We want to again climb to the top of that small knoll, build a small fire as we did 22 years ago and watch as the midnight sun dips toward the Brooks Range, but never quite touches them.
It was – and is – a sight to behold.
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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS TWO SUMMERS AGO:
*Entertainment at Bannack, the state’s first capitol
MUST HAVE BOOKS FOR EXPLORING GLACIER AND MONTANA
4th ed. Autographed by the Authors
Hiking Shenandoah National Park
Hiking Shenandoah National Park is the 4th edition of a favorite guide book, created by Bert & Janie, a professional husband-wife journalism team. Lots of updates including more waterfall trails, updated descriptions of confusing trail junctions, and new color photographs. New text describes more of the park’s compelling natural history. Often the descriptions are personal as the Gildarts have hiked virtually every single park trail, sometimes repeatedly.
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Montana Icons is a book for lovers of the western vista. Features photographs of fifty famous landmarks from what many call the “Last Best Place.” The book will make you feel homesick for Montana even if you already live here. Bert Gildart’s varied careers in Montana (Bus driver on an Indian reservation, a teacher, backcountry ranger, as well as a newspaper reporter, and photographer) have given him a special view of Montana, which he shares in this book. Share the view; click here.
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Glacier Icons: 50 Classic Views of the Crown of the Continent
Glacier Icons: What makes Glacier Park so special? In this book you can discover the story behind fifty of this park’s most amazing features. With this entertaining collection of photos, anecdotes and little known facts, Bert Gildart will be your backcountry guide. A former Glacier backcountry ranger turned writer/photographer, his hundreds of stories and images have appeared in literally dozens of periodicals including Time/Life, Smithsonian, and Field & Stream. Take a look at Glacier Icons
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