Alaskan lifestyle

On Friday, at 3pm, I meet up with Andrew. After several days of email exchanges, I met him for the first time the day before. He offered me to come with him and his friends for a week-end. We buy some stuff. We pass by his house to pick up warm gear: from glove liner to down jacket, not to forget -10°C down sleeping bags. We take material to cook and eat, to melt snow, skis, games, swimsuits (you'll see...).

At night, we arrive at the cabin. It is a 6x6 meter room with a wood stove, a massive table in the middle and six wooden bunk beds. No electricity: we warm the cabin with the wood stove and we cook on it. No running water: we melt snow and toilets are outside. 11 people and 5 dogs are going to spend the whole week-end in this space. Nice atmosphere. I try to concentrate on conversations since the US slang is slightly different from the UK slang I am used to and because it is not really my time (still a bit jet-lagged). Dogs are also very happy!

On Saturday, cross-country skiing is on the programme. We plan 14 miles (approx. 20 km). Getting dressed takes ages! Every detail is important. Then we can go. The sun is there, as it is everyday for about 6 hours a day. It doesn't go very high on the horizon, but it gives incredible colours during the (never-ending at this latitude) twilight.

Tacit rule: each of us goes at his/her own rhythm. We can't stop too much, neither too often, otherwise we freeze and it becomes hard to get warmer. At the middle of the distance, we make a stop in another cabin where we can light a fire and eat what America can best offer as junk-food. We could almost see the level rising in our internal calorie-meter. Awesome! We can eat whatever we want, we know we are going to burn all this before getting back to the cabin tonight.

We set off again. Landscape is hilly, with snow and a lot of fine pines. Outdoor temperature is about -40°. No need to ask whether it is expressed in Celsius or Fahrenheit: at this very temperature, Celsius is equivalent to Fahrenheit. Being warmly dressed and moving continuously are the keys to avoid turning into ice. On the contrary, the body is so hot compared to outside that it produces condensation that freezes on external surfaces (e.g. clothes, eyebrows, eyelashes, etc.). At the end of the day, my fingers hurt, most likely because of the constant temperature changes.

Dogs hold out pretty well wearing little coats and kind of socks. My computer stayed home. But my camera surprisingly hang out also quite well, whereas it is not recommended to bring it out in negative temperatures (from 30°F). Eventually, it made good pictures. At the end of the day, I have to admit that cross-country skiing is way better than what I experience 15 years ago. I am not totally convinced that I was faster than a hiker, but I arrived before it was pitch dark!

We cut some logs for cooking and warming up the cabin. To do so, we went along the frozen river. My left leg will remember that the edge of the river are less frozen... Fortunately I had a spare pair of socks. For diner: chili con carne and peanut butter balls (that was killer!).

In the evening, we took the cars to head for the Chena hot springs. What a surprise when the tenant confirmed: “55 below”! Personal record from Kosovo broken by almost 20°C. Back to business; here comes the moment when we need our swimsuits. You have to run a few seconds half naked to reach the outdoor pool. The water temperature is about 40°C (about 100°F), which means a thermal amplitude of 90°C (155°F). Fortunately, the outdoor temperature is not 10°C, otherwise we would have ended the same way the lobster do in a pan!

We don't feel cold in this hot water. We could stay for hours. Andrew notices that even if we gained like 50°F it would still be 5 below (-20°C). The air is very wet around the springs and in this temperature, hair freezes quite fast when it is wet. Wonderful white hairstyle possible! Unfortunately, with the condensation, the camera didn't work. Anyway, relaxation after a sportive day is just perfect. We could then head back to the cabin and wrap ourselves up warmly for the night.

On Sunday, after a brunch made up of eggs, bacon and ginger-stout cake, it is high time to take care of the vehicles. In those temperatures, they also suffer. General warm-up is highly needed before even think of starting the engine. Gas doesn't freeze but oil becomes thicker than honey. Vehicles are plugged to a generator. That will warm up the engine and the battery. Another solution is to burn charcoal under the engine. An ultimate alternative is to warm it up with a blowtorch. It takes about two to three hours, but it is quite fascinating for someone who's interested in cars.

Back to Andrew and Anna's, we realise that the heater is off. Inside temperature droped below 0°C. The cat is so freaked out. I'm sure he saw himself turning into Popsicle. Poor Dobby! Anyway, emergency measure: turn the heater on to avoid the explosion of the pipes.

That was a fun week-end with a bunch of nice people! Not even here longer than a week and I already experienced a lot of the Alaskan winter. Tomorrow, I'll write on the my programme for the coming days, or most probably on the options ahead.