So for anyone keeping track, yes that shoveling snow count just went up again. And judging by the rate at which it is piling up outside right now I am guessing it will once again jump up tomorrow. Ah springtime in Alaska! I’m not really complaining. I think when you move to Alaska you pretty much know what to expect. Snow in April should come as no surprise, and if it does well – you obviously did not pay too much attention in Geography class. At 61.22˚latitude Anchorage lies further north than Stockholm, Sweden; Oslo, Norway and even Helsinki, Finland. We are actually only about 3˚ latitude south of Reykjavik, Iceland. I say again - "Iceland." Point being, we are up there.
And yet, I have to say, I love it up here. The beauty of this state is truly beyond words and although the winters are cold, they are by no means unbearable. The coldest we have every personally witnessed was -32˚ two winters ago. Yes, there is a negative sign in front of that 32, and yes, that is cold but honestly once it gets below zero you’re really not going to be hanging out outside for very long anyway so in a way it doesn’t really matter how cold it gets. The girls go out to recess until -10˚ and snow pants and winter “gear” are necessities the majority of the school year. Both Hubby and I grew up in upstate Pennsylvania so cold is kind of in our blood. I love living in an area with prominent seasons. The difference in Alaska is not so much the intensity of the winter season as it is the duration. Winter arrives in early October and lasts through well….what is today? Still snowing. So what else is there to do but watch it fall. The beauty of a long winter means one day waking up and finding out it is already May or maybe even June, and when you’re already kind of wishing away a year any surprise that denotes the passing of time is a welcome one.
There are 4 seasons in Alaska: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction. =0) I think we are in the still winter season. But it does make for a beautiful sight with the sun shining on the fresh snow. For a moment it hides the ugliness many people refer to as "break-up".
ReplyDeleteYea - I thought break-up was upon us, but apparently not so much. I actually like a fresh dusting every now and then during that process to kind of "pretty" things up :)
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