It's Dark in Here

Just how dark it is, and just how dark it could become is all in your perspective. When you live in the extreme northern (or southern) latitudes there can be a dramatic and quick change in the amount of possible daylight that each day brings from season to season. Fall to winter especially can be disturbing to most folks, add in the daylight savings time with its striking fall back change in the evening and this could send a person right over the edge.

Let’s talk latitude. Anchorage is at 61° 13’ 5” N latitude and Fairbanks is at 64° 50’ 16” N, the three degrees difference might not sound like it would matter much but it does. In fact this adds up to a difference of one hour and 44 minutes more possible sunlight in Anchorage on winter solstice, which again might not sound like it would matter much but truly it does, believe you me, it does. Also take into consideration that a full hour of this difference is in the afternoon making Anchorage the winner of this race.

Let’s talk perspective, most Anchorage residences (in my opinion) do not have a true sense of what living in Alaska is all about; in my time here I have met many folks who have called Anchorage home for 30 plus years and they seem to have a skewed perspective of the state in which they live.

If I had a nickel for each time I heard some mamby pamby Anchor-town resident complain about how dark it is or just how dark it is going to be at winter solstice, I’d be a rich person as the saying goes.

But given their perspective and the fact that they think they live in Alaska on the edge of nowhere, in the dark, I’ll throw them one bone of agreement, as it is their perspective, and I cannot necessarily take that away from them. But do keep in mind that only a handful of these Anchor-town folks that I am talking about have visited Fairbanks, once, in the summer time, so their point of reference is vastly slanted. From my perspective this is paradise compared to the cold and dark of Fairbanks or Barrow for that matter, so I am enjoying the amount of sunlight allotted me each day in Anchor-town and I quietly roll my eyes at others piteous grumbling.

Happy winter solstice everyone! Bask in the glow of the sun and the warmth of the love you share!