Acquiring Wood

Scrunching the sheets into a ball, I place the paper in the stove between the parallel logs.  Once the gap …

In Praise of Dick Proenneke

In 1967 at the age of 51, Dick Proenneke decided to leave the industrialized world behind and take to the …

Energy in Alaska

In the 1960s, oil was discovered in seemingly endless quantities in Alaska. The state had it made and perhaps there …

Out of Reach

We crept along the road scanning the willows for movement of any kind.  Brody and I were out hunting once …

Forgotten Luxuries

Living in the Arctic provides for a different life than that found in almost the entire developed western world today.  …

A Frozen Slog

The following is a work of fiction Snow clung onto the spruce trees. The ground was a blank canvas, without …

On Trapping

Since humans have arrived in Alaska, they have trapped animals.  For much of that time period, native Athabaskan and Inupiats …

Spring Equinox

The calendar reads spring, but in the far north winter still holds its grasp upon the land.  Nights are frigid, …

Becoming a Hunter

Growing up in suburban Chicago, there aren’t many opportunities for hunting.  The metropolitan area is filled with human activity and …

Rotting Away

Rusted cans poke out of the sphagnum moss, their visibility diminishing year by year as they become swallowed by vegetation.  …