The Difficult Aspect

At one time I lived in Alaska, and whenever I tell anyone that they inevitably ask me, "How could you stand the cold?"

The cold wasn't the difficult aspect of living in Alaska. You get used to cold. Humans can adapt to just about any climate.

The difficult aspect was the dark.

My ancestors hail from North Eastern Europe, so you might think I'd have a genetic disposition to the cold and dark winters. I do not. The cold is okay, but the dark...the dark can drive you batty.

I lived in a brightly lit apartment the last few years I lived in Alaska, but artificial light just didn't do it.

The middle of winter in Anchorage (or Fairbanks - I spent one ugly winter there) is the the extreme definition of winter. It is cold and dark, and seems endless.

When the sun begins to spend more than 4 hours a day in the sky, it is heaven. By the time April rolls around, such as depicted in the photograph above, it is a joy to remove all the layers of thermal protection and to enjoy the feel of the sun on your face.

Alaska is a beautiful place, but the dark of winter...there's a reason cold and dark are the go-to allegories for depression.