There are lots of exciting things going on in the Arctic now that 24-hour sun is here and our lightning-fast spring has almost turned into summer.  Inuvik doesn't really get a spring season - it seems to go from winter (snowy and cold) to summer (sunny, green and warm) almost overnight. 

Although the weather is not quite as warm yet as any of us were hoping for, there are lots of developments to catch up on, which means I'm going to need to be a more regular blogger to fit it all in!  There's the ice river breakup, the road closure with the resulting high prices and grocery shortages, and lots of activity in the local greenhouse.  But that is all for future blog posts...  Today I will show you pictures of the midnight sun last night.

Enjoy!

It's that time of year again - non-stop sun.  No more sunsets for two months.  The sun just does a wide circle in the sky and never disappears.  It's exciting at the moment, as the novelty of the light and warmth is still fresh after the long winter.  Yesterday was glorious - almost 20 degrees, no wind, and no bugs.  I had to break out the sunblock for the first time while doing some backyard cleanup and gardening.

I did take a picture of the last sunset on Thursday night - the sun went down at 2:20 am and rose again an hour later!  See pictures below, taken at 2 am.

Below that you can see the "sunrise" and "sunset" times disappear from the weather forecast.

As is the case across the rest of Canada (and parts of the U.S.), it is a COLD first day of "Spring" here.  Right now in Inuvik we are at minus 20 Celsius (minus 4F).  Although that is not much colder than usual, it feels like the snow will never disappear.  This long winter is starting to make people a bit... shall we say... touchy?  Over-sensitive?  Moody?  Cranky?  Bad tempered?

A colleague of mine warned me last year about "March madness", which has nothing to do with basketball. Around this time of year people start to go a little crazy and grumpy.  They are sick of the winter and get a bad case of cabin fever.  They want to go outside without fear of frostbite.

Unfortunately, I am no exception.  Although I am doing much better this week, the previous two weeks were rough.  Little things would bother me and I couldn't let them go.  I'm usually a positive person, but nothing would shake me out of my bad mood.  I did not enjoy my own company, and I'm sure no one else did either!  Luckily I have come back into happy territory without permanent damage or the need for meds.

On the bright side of March (and it is very bright!), the sun is shining and we know that warm weather will follow in due course.  Soon we will have more than enough sunshine.  In some future post I will discuss the effects of 24-hour darkness vs. 24-hour light ... some like the light, while others (including myself) actually prefer the dark of winter.  Sounds crazy, I know, but I'm sure you'll hear me out.

As I don't have any photos that really go well with this post, below are some pictures of a dog-sledding trip I took on Sunday (my third time!) because these beautiful Siberian huskies are guaranteed to get you in a good mood.

And a picture of the sun on the snow-covered trees in my backyard for good measure.

It's been a while since I gave an update on the sunshine and temperature situation in Inuvik.  In summary, the sun is back with a vengeance!  We get almost 12 hours of sunlight a day, and that is increasing by an hour a week.  Today the sun rose just after 9 am, and will set just before 9 pm (see today's forecast below).  Before you know it, we'll be in 24 hour light again. 

I wish I could tell you that the sun meant things were warming up.  But noooooooooo... We've been in the minus 30s for so long, I can't remember what wearing shorts feels like.

As I'm trying to focus on the positive, I will put some pretty pictures below of some sun scenes around Inuvik in the last week.  Enjoy!

As Canada (and the northern part of the US) is in the grip of a deep chill, I have to stop myself from laughing maliciously when I hear weather forecasters blame the "Arctic air".  Sorry about that -- we didn't do it deliberately.

But this topic reminded me that it's about time for another weather / sun update.  In summary ... bloody cold!  It was -42C this morning, even though it's "warmed up" to -40C now.  And you can see in the image below that the weather icon says "Freezing Fog".  

The sun theoretically rose at 11:53 am and set at 4:19 pm, but we didn't see much of it today as it was so foggy.  And even if it would have come out, I refused to go outside at lunch!

That said, cold though it is, the ice fog is very pretty (see photos below).  I would have taken more pictures on my walk to work, as it was eerily beautiful, but didn't want to take my gloves off, and didn't want my camera to freeze!  I'm sure a true photographer/adventurer would have sacrificed some digits for the shot, but I need all my fingers for my job.

Happy New Year from the Arctic - 2013 is here!  I can't believe a year has passed since I moved to Inuvik.  After a relaxing two-week Christmas holiday in BC, I flew back north on January 4, exactly one year to the day that I moved up in 2012.  This place sure feels like home! 

Once again, I arrived just in time for the sun to return after a month.  Yesterday (Sunday, January 6) was the first day that the sun came over the horizon.  Unfortunately, it was overcast, so we didn't see much sunlight, but it will be coming back fast.  Today it was up for an hour.

Inuvik celebrates the annual "sunrise festival" with a number of activities, including:


FRIDAY, JANUARY 4

6PM-9PM                            A Taste of Inuvik                                                              MSC Community Hall
Come and enjoy a plate or two of food prepared by local restaurants and chefs in Inuvik.  $5/plate

 
9PM-12AM                         Old Time Dance                                                                MSC Community Hall
Jig the sun back to Inuvik with a traditional ‘Old Time Dance’ featuring James Rogers and the Delta Good Time Band

 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 5

10AM-2PM                         The Sunrise Community Pancake Breakfast         Royal Canadian Legion
Sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary and the Town of Inuvik, please come on out and fill up on the sunniest eggs, the fluffiest pancakes and yummiest bacon ‘n’ sausages this side of the sun!
 

12PM                                    Snowmobile Parade to Jim Koe Park                       Gathering Point: Inuvik Boat Launch
Rev up your decorated snowmobiles and join in the full-throttle parade through the streets of Inuvik to Jim Koe Park!  Prizes for best decorated machine!
 

12PM-4PM                         Sunrise Snow Park                                                           Jim Koe Park
Bundle up the kids and bring them down to our Snow Park activity day in Jim Koe Park.  Sliding hills, games, snowcarving competition, heated tents, big fire and concession foods!

 
6PM-7PM                            The Sunrise Bonfire                                                        Roads End Golf Course
Come out to the REALLY big fire down by the golf course.  Concession foods and drinks and a great social atmosphere.


7PM                                       The Return of the Sun Fireworks Finale                 Roads End Golf Course
Come help the Inuvik Volunteer Fire Fighters celebrate the return of the sun with our annual fireworks extravaganza!
 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 11

730PM                                  The Lights with Jay Gilday Community Concert                  Igloo Church
Presented by CBC Music and Canadian North, Juno-award winner and music superstar Lights will be performing with Yellowknife’s Jay Gilday. Donations to the Food Bank and Children’s First accepted at the door. 

 
I didn't make it to the bonfire this year (see last year's blog about this) but I did see the fireworks on my walk home.  According to the news, it was a good event.  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2013/01/06/north-inuvik-sunrise-festival.html
 

Even though I wasn't in Inuvik for Christmas, below are some pictures of the pre-Christmas activities that take place in the North.

Tonight is the longest night of the year and we're in the midst of a month of 24-hour "darkness" up here in the Arctic.  Which is a bit misleading, because the darkness isn't complete.  For about 4-5 hours in the middle of the day, we get quite a bit of light, as the sun is just below the horizon.  Of course, it is dark the rest of the time, but then we get to enjoy the moon and stars in the daytime.  :) 

So on the shortest day of the year, I took the following pictures around 2 pm.  Enjoy! 

The sun has disappeared from the Arctic sky, and won't be seen for a month. Yesterday we saw our last sunrise and sunset (at 1 pm and 1:30 pm respectively).  The next time the sun will peak above the horizon will be around January 6.

Below are some pictures I took yesterday around 1:30 pm.   

 Below is what our weather forecast will look like for the next month - lots of moons and stars!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... the Arctic is gorgeous.  Although you usually think of snow, ice, and -40 temperatures when you think of the North, the best-kept secret is summertime.  Temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees, sun, blue skies, flowers, and almost no humidity. Wow.  I know this is still my first year here, but the summer has seemed nice and long, and it's only the beginning of July!

It took me a while to realize that today is the 4th of July.  It's a special day, and not just for Americans...  It marks the 6-month anniversary of my arrival in Inuvik.  Exciting!

I just couldn't resist posting some of my favourite pictures of the blue skies we've had recently - the clouds are amazing here.  You can't understand what expansive is until you've seen the Arctic sky stretching overhead.  It does the soul good.