Alaskan Nights

 

 

Days are short and night falls early during Alaska’s winter months. However, it’s not all bad, because there are those special moments when The Northern Lights dance through The Big Dipper, and if you’re living in The Great Land, as the Aleut's call it, you’ve just been given a free ticket to the greatest show on earth.

And there are nights when a full moon lights the evening sky to cast long shadows across winter’s fresh blanket. Occasionally, you’ll hear a wolf howling in the distance and feel the cold chills rise on the back of your neck. You’re not frightened by the wolf, or its howl. But, you are suddenly aware of something mysterious, wild and ancient.

Then there’s the silence that comes with winter. I’ve stood in the moonless night, with a cup of coffee in my hand, as the mercury dropped to forty below zero. There was no wind, or breeze as I stood in the darkness observing total and absolute silence. It was both eerie, and beautiful. Reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel’s, The Sound of Silence.

Alaska, I’m still missing you, and though you were not easy, I will always remember you as good.

 

- Cameron Dockery