[irrational]

> He barely took photos on his phone before he moved to Alaska; now, he has about 10,000 of them. Most of them are in the same place, just different seasons. The long grasses change colors — red, pink, beige. That makes the mountains look different week to week. And then there’s the sky. Because of the ice crystals that form in the atmosphere during the long winters, “sun dogs” appear where it looks like there are three suns in the sky. Most fantastic might be the aurora borealis, which can make it look like the sky is swirling, shooting fingers down. “It will make your insides feel funny,” Mustang said.

I wish he would post his pictures somewhere. I’m sure a lot of them must be fantastic.

[grecy]

I lived in the Yukon for 4 years, it truly is magical and hard to believe. I drove a few hours south to get into Coastal Alaska, and ~8 hours North into the Arctic Circle which I did a dozen or so times, summer and winter.

-40 is a magical thing, and it's like being on a different planet.

I didn't post all my photos and adventures, but what I do have can be seen here [1]. I've never lived anywhere with more hiking, fishing, camping, biking, hunting, snowboarding, back country snowboarding, winter camping, remote wilderness, white water paddling and all the rest. Unreal.

[1] http://theroadchoseme.com/salmon-fishing-with-bears-in-haine...

(I didn't tag the posts too well, you'll have to click "Next article" at the bottom of each one to keep seeing more adventures through all the seasons)

This might be my most "out of this world" Christmas (and I've had a few!)

http://theroadchoseme.com/mendenhall-glacier-juneau-alaska

[seanmcdirmid]

I’ve experienced -35C in Harbin during a winter (2005). My digital camera battery kept dying, it made taking pictures of ice sculptures (including a full ice bar) really hard. What is weird is that Harbin is super populated and not that far north (it’s a couple of degrees south of Seattle).

What was weird is that the bus I took from Changchun had a digital thermometer up front where you could see it fall from around -25 to -35 during the trip.

My mom was born and raised in Alaska, but Ketchikan is closer to Seattle in climate and distance than anchorage.

[cactacea]

> What is weird is that Harbin is super populated and not that far north (it’s a couple of degrees south of Seattle).

Latitude has quite a bit of influence on climate but insolation isn't the whole story. Winds generally blow east to west at those latitudes. Harbin's air flow is from the interior of Asia, vs the North Pacific for Seattle and Ketchikan.

Seattle - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_climate

Harbin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humid_continental_climate#Hot/...

[seanmcdirmid]

Oh, totally. Siberian blasts are no joke.

[discobean]

Been following you for ages. Don't know if you remember but I saw your jeep parked in Tassie when you went hiking for a few days and we were travelling around there at the same time - I sent you the pic with my grey one. Keep it up!

[grecy]

Haha, yes, I remember very well!

Thanks for the kind words.

[irrational]

That "inside the ice cave" picture is unreal.

[mixmastamyk]

-40 and winter camping… does not compute.

[grecy]

The best way is with a wood stove inside the tent. Yes, it's very common.

You can go fancy with an "Arctic Oven" like this: http://theroadchoseme.com/liard-hot-springs-winter

Or old school with a wall tent like this: http://theroadchoseme.com/haines-pass-camping

[spondylosaurus]

How do you mitigate carbon monoxide buildup? I was always told that stoves in enclosed areas are a no-no, but clearly you survived to tell the tale, so there must be some safe way to do it :P

[teh_klev]

Look up "hot tenting" on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hot+tent+winter...

[jamiek88]

those tents typically have chimney holes!

[werdnapk]

I camped in -42C or so (every degree matters at those temps) once and slept in a quinzee which is basically a snow fort build from digging out compacted snow. The temp outside at night was -42 and the temp in the quinzee was about -20. Coldest night of my life.

[hef19898]

Nice! I just simply cannot bring myself to do it... Not even in winter in our garden! Coldest night I ever passed, with the kids nonetheless, in a tent was just so slightly above freezing.

You do get to nice places so if temperature is no issue for you!

[grecy]

> was just so slightly above freezing

It usually feels much colder near freezing because of the humidity.

Once it's past about -30 it's extremely dry, and it feels much less cold. I'm much happier at -20 to -40 than just above or below freezing. Also snow just wipes off and you don't get wet.

The coldest day of my life was snowboarding in Juneau, AK. It was only -30C or so, but it was really, really humid. I was wearing everything I wear when it's -45, and I was freezing all day. I mean I couldn't feel my feet, hands, face and then had to constantly do pushups and jumping jacks to try and stay mobile.

[mixmastamyk]

How can it be humid at -30?

[j-a-a-p]

Did some camping (with only sleeping bag) at -40C, works great. The original plan was to build an iglo, but we learned too late that snow does not stick below a certain temperature.

Luckily we had a snow storm, so soon after tugging in we were covered by an arms length of warm and insulating snow (I remember being worried to not being able of to keep my breathing tunnel operational).

[rmason]

I've lived my entire life in Michigan and I've seen -20 F more than a few times. Once I had a 1995 Ford Ranger and when it got that cold the speedometer would stop working. It was weird driving around for a couple of days with no way of knowing how fast I was going. Then the temperature would get above zero and all of a sudden just like magic the speedometer would be working again.

[grecy]

When it gets good and cold (-48C / -55F), even your tires will freeze flat on the bottom and won't be round.

The first minute or two of slow driving is actually bumpy until they warm up a it (even really, really high quality winter tires do this).

Also strange things happens like the plastic around your gear shift shatters, CV joint covers just tear, your seat is frozen solid so your head is on the roof, etc. etc.

[foobarian]

That's pretty great because -40F = -40C :-)

[singleshot_]

Check out “outdoor boys” on YouTube for a crash course.

[DANmode]

Pictures don't do a lot of those scenes justice.

The enormity and clarity of what are multiple depths to a lens just can't be captured in a still.

[hunter2_]

The aurora is a notable exception. Long exposure is key to gathering enough light for detecting vibrant colors. I suspect that pupil dilation (via diagnostic eye drops, MDMA, etc.) could help, but I haven't tested this hypothesis.

[patall]

If you have a good storm and are far enough up to the pole, you do not need long exposure. Aurora was already famous before photography.

[Tronno]

Aurora colors are visible to the naked eye. I've seen it myself.

[hunter2_]

Likewise, but I meant as vibrant as in photos.

[irrational]

Yes, but I will never drive the road to Prudhoe Bay, so pictures are the nearest I will ever get to seeing it.

[jaystraw]

When my mom came up here to visit, her first time to Alaska, I don't think her phone left camera mode. I didn't have a smartphone when I moved up so never had that problem, but boy I still try sometimes.

[KennyBlanken]

The irony of taking lots of pictures of a place that is rapidly being destroyed by the industry you're delivering supplies to.

[q87b]

It's true, this article is about oil drilling supplies.

Humanity is doomed. :(