Winter is Late!

This picture was taken this past Saturday afternoon on my way over to school for a couple of friendly Volleyball games.

The day, October 20, 2018, was warm and beautiful. Almost warm enough to not even need a sweater. This is highly unusual this late in the fall.

If you look at the hills to the middle right, you'll see there is no snow. None at all.  Usually by now, they should be covered in a blanket of while.

Check the lake out!  It is totally liquid with no ice.  None at all. By now, it should have a good layer of ice, thick enough to walk on.  When the lake has a layer of solid ice, it becomes the shortcut for the village.  You use it to get to the post office faster, the store, even the part of town just across the lake.

The best thing is that a frozen lake makes it faster getting to the clinic which moved to the edge of town closer to the airport in case a medevac is needed.  Since the lake is not frozen and it has not been cold enough to even ice it, the river is still flowing nicely. 

This means men are still traveling by river to other villages, or they go certain spots to hunt because they can.  Someone is always dropping some fresh meat off with my neighbor almost every weekend. The kids are out on the basketball court till dark because its perfectly clear. 

As you can see, it looks like its fall, just like anywhere else.  Don't misunderstand me, we do have fall but its usually about a month earlier.  This is how its supposed to look in mid September not so close to Halloween.  If this continues, I'll get to see all the trick or treaters without all their winter gear.  I might actually see the costumes.

When I moved her 13 years ago, we had snow by this time.  In fact, we'd get several feet of snow over the winter and it often didn't melt till the end of May or early June.  We used to see the first bits of snow by mid September, now its October usually and this year?  Who knows. 

Many argue this is anecdotal evidence of global warming.  I don't know.  I do know that even when I lived on Little Diomede, one of the most remote islands in the United States, locals commented the ice was forming later than normal.  Ice was important because it provided a landing strip for a couple months in the winter but the later it formed, the shorter the season for airplane service before the helicopter started again.

I'll let you know when winter arrives.  Have a great day.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.

  It snowed Friday night while I was asleep.  It wasn't a heavy snow fall, just enough to cover the ground so we could cheer.  Winter may have finally arrived. 

A couple weeks ago, it got cold enough to freeze the lake solid enough for people to start walking across it but it warmed up again so the lake melted.  This is the first time I've seen the lake totally liquid on Halloween.  Usually its frozen solid.

When it snowed Friday night the lake started freezing again but it didn't freeze very deep yet.  I saw some children running on the ice and it made a funny sound as they raced across the ice.  The sound was kind of a whooshy tingy sound. 

No the ice is not quite thick enough because it made the sound.  When the ice is frozen solid, it sounds like any road as you cross it.  I wait till the elders tell me its safe or I watch for the snow machines and ATV's to start crossing it regularly.  If those heavy machines make it across, you know its safe.

The kids have this thing where they want to be the first one across the whole lake.  Its like a badge of honor.  Unfortunately, its also extremely dangerous because the water is so cold a child could find it hard to get their breath when they fall in.  They do not think of the little ones who may follow them out.  The police make regular trips around the lake yelling at the kids to get off.

Once the ice is solid, you'll see dogs pulling small sleds, kids ice skating, snow machines with sleds whipping around the lake trying to throw kids off while the kids hang on for dear life.  Its a popular game out here.  Furthermore, the school will crack open the skies so students can practice cross country skiing. 

The new P.E. teacher is already talking bout skiing to the next village over but he'll have to wait till all the waterways are frozen or he won't make it.  It also takes a few hours because you can't go very fast.  A few years ago, a teacher did it.  I think it took him about 4 hours to go 18 miles. 

Have a good day everyone.