Freeze Up is on the Way

The last three mornings there has been frost. Today we awoke with a light dusting of snow. The ground is beginning to harden and ice is forming on the gravel on Shore Avenue. Freeze Up is on the way.

Freeze Up is a Arctic term used to describe the process in which the rivers and ocean turns to ice. Out on the tip of this peninsula, we will spend the eight months of winter surrounded by ice and snow. The ocean ice normally thickens to about five feet deep. Some years it has been as thick as 10 feet. The many lagoons will be frozen, as well as nearby Swan Lake. The old fashioned, outdoor, ice skating rink near the Club will be used.

Fewer people have been venturing outside in the last day or so. Yesterday I saw a couple and young child dressed in down jackets and wool hats. When Rick and I went out to dinner, I noticed an occasional four wheeler pass by. The drivers wore heavy jackets, hoods, gloves and sometimes ski masks. The others had ruddy complexions. Frost bite will be possible soon.

As winter sets in, our virtual shopping carts are filling up with bulk foods, vegetables and meat. Fred Meyer Alaska ships to the Bush and so does Mr. Prime Beef.  Last Friday night we saw a large cargo jet taking off around sunset. Once a week they make deliveries to Bush cities like this. The rush to replenish the winter stockpile is on. The University of Alaska-Fairbanks offer shopping tips to teachers moving to the bush.

I had willed myself not to think about temperatures dipping below freezing so soon. I refused to think about people in other parts of the country who are basking in Indian Summer temperatures, sitting by a pool, or hanging out in shorts on the beach. But yesterday the bitter arctic winds and freezing temperatures sent my body into cold spasms. Disbelief crept in. Today I move forward, accepting the fact and the change of wardrobe: down coats, thicker gloves, long johns, wool socks, and soon winter boots.

As I look out the window, the reality of winter sinks in. Snow flakes dust the ground. Children all bundled up play excitedly in the parking area. The tundra is in the hazy distance and white patches can be seen. Otherwise it's quiet.