Every year, I wait for a cold winter day to listen to the voices of the people who live(d) in the arctic circle and reread this article. And every year, I am again moved by its beauty.
As I sit under a warm cover and listen to the Minnesota wind howl on a below zero night, I want to say thank you to Josephine Sedgwick and the New York Times for this small piece of wonder.
Moved to Southern California from Northern Wisconsin over 20 years ago, and I don't regret a moment I've spent out here.
2
Wow. I live in the snow belt south of Buffalo and after the nth snow fall this season, I was just cursing the gods of winter for the misfortune they've sent me. Now that I've read these magical accounts of endless days of winter up north, my perspective has changed a bit. I'm inspired to look a little deeper at the beauty of the season, the glittering snow, muffled winter noises and gauzy, dappled sun. thanks NYTimes. I needed this article right about now.
4
This is so cool! Hope I can visit.
amazing
1
One entry mentions -40 Celsius.
I would point out that -40 Celsius and -40 Fahrenheit are the same! It’s the one place where the two temperature scales cross.
So if you’re talking in terms of “degrees“ all you have to say is it’s -40.
7
@srwdm. Good Point! (Pun intended). It’s such a shame the US hasn’t adopted the metric system. Everything else in our lives is base 10. Why not the dimensions of our physical world?
only above the arctic circle in August....would like xc skiing 24/7, but not so happy about some of those low temps... but it's a dry cold, right? And if you lose your sunglasses, you have several months to find them. thanks for putting winter in the lower 48 into perspective.
2
What a great example of crowd-sourced journalism. Thanks NYT, for this beautiful and moving piece.
6
Wonderful article about a wonderful place. I just returned from 70 degrees North to 47 degrees North with my heart aching for the minimalist winter landscape and long, cozy nights. Thank you, NYT.
2
I lived in Umea, northern Sweden from august 1985 until january 1987. It was an incredible experience: life does not stop in the middle of the winter, there is a lot of darkness but when there is light everything is blue. It could be rather claustrophobic but the nordic people make it cozy: candles, lights , plants inside the home and always welcome you with coffee and cake. It was wonderful.
4
Great article.. and photos..
1
In the Army i was stationed at Porsangermoen...Winter 83 - 84.....
Totally dark for months..
With the lowest temperature on the base was -53C......
Cold but EXTREMEY dry.....walking on snow was like walking on styroform...
But cars did have a serious problem...needed heating all the time...
Byt my best winter ever....
3
Thank you for this mind-expanding trip to a place on earth I could not have imagined. It's beauty and the sensitivity of residents of the farthest most north to their lives' winter wonders and challenges will stay with me always.
7
This article was wonderful -- just lovely. Thank you.
5
A wonderful peek up north sitting with my fleece, and slippers on at the 47th parallel.
4
Wonderful piece, thank you!
2
I suffer from reverse S.A.D., and winter in the Arctic would be paradise for me!
7
These pictures and this article is a refreshing change and pause from a week that was filled with political nonsense and despair, continued stories of sexual harassment, and just plain sad, depressing or disturbing news.
Thanks for the commercial break of beauty, nature, and learning what's really important in other people's lives.
11
Disappointed that this article did not include any indigenous voices... what about the Inuit? The Thule? Not surprised by this omission... just very disappointed.
8
Why were no Canadians not reported ? Most people live in the North for higher pay.
3
What a great Saturday morning read. Thank you NYT.
4
Thursday Here,...
Far out...and DARK....was stationed in Porsangermoen in 83 to 84, arrived at noon in the first days of november, totally dark...
No glimse of the sun before end of january ... about the 23th or 24th,,,,it went dark in the second week of november,,...
Fantastic, when full moon...and the lights are wisable when its no moon.... we had som quite cold periods in the two first months of 84, as low as -52-53 C, and it was about -55 C in Karasjok.....
My best winter ever..!
Very amazing in Svaldbard to.... very nice Nothern lights....we saw it 2 days in our 6 day trip...
4
'Living in Darkness'. In information terms, that's the US:
"A defiant Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Friday that he’s prepared to risk confrontation with the United States over Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria, vowing to next target a Kurdish-held town where U.S. Special Forces are stationed."
> A declaration of war against the US troops doesn't even make it into the NYTimes?
3
Thanks for publishing this!
3
The words the pictures transported me...great stuff NYT!
5
I have to confess -- Here at latitude 38 I've always intrigued by what it would be like to live in a cold climate and whether I would have the fortitude. These photos were so stunningly beautiful that I felt a pang of envy. Thanks for taking me vicariously to still landscapes blanketed by snow and to the brilliance of stars in the dark arctic sky.
4
What a calm peaceful article. Balm to the soul. And the polar bear part adds a little zing.
4
In fairness to the NYTimes, I found only one US news media that reported this:
" A defiant Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Friday that he’s prepared to risk confrontation with the United States over Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria, vowing to next target a Kurdish-held town where U.S. Special Forces are stationed."
Reality is: Turkey is too valuable an ally to stand up to.
So we'll just look the other way.
2
delightful reading. yes sunlight is almost magical. The people who built Stonehedge knew its true meaning.
3
I needed that. I'm glad I clicked, opened, and read. Felt like it spoke directly to my heart, in a good way.
9
In the high latitudes literacy is high with lots time for reading and writing as the eloquent descriptions demonstrate. Proof that The New York Times is a truly global read are all the readers from remote locations that responded and contributed to this fascinating piece.
Thank you for this temporary oasis from the rest of what is going on in the world.
6
Well I grew up in Chicago; the experience is similar. I recall when my new husband relocated to live with me there, his bemoaning the land of a thousand nights during the long winters. Of course, Chicago was not as pretty as the Arctic Circle during the cold season--gray during the day and black during nights. The only colors in the sky come from the red, blue, and yellow lights on police cars, ambulances, and fire engines.
I miss those long winters. Raised in them, you become synced to the seasons biologically. Winter was the time to retreat, restore yourself, prepare for the brief period of warmth & light that would charge your batteries & catapult you into a manic hyperactivity.
In short, you didn't have to go to the Arctic Circle to find out what it's like to live in cold darkness for six months out of the year. Next time, try the Windy City.
2
And, statistically, Cleveland is even colder and snowier-- and quiet beautiful in winter.
1
Howz that Vitamin D coming along?
As a lover of warmth and light, I can't imagine anything more soul rending that no light and/or very cold temperatures. Yes, I agree the images are beautiful, but then I am warm in my Austin area home!
1
It is a lovely experience to step outside of myself and get a glimpse of life from other people's perspective. It is poetic how this simple article is thought provoking while simultaneously brightening my day.
5
Having been extremely fortunate to travel a lot, got a desire to see the Canadian Arctic. Found a guy who led a group of 6 people to travel down the Hanbury-Thelon River system in canoes for 10 days. We were the only 6 people visiting the area that summer and no one lived here during the winter. We flew in a twin otter float plane with out canoes inside the aircraft. We had to land on a just thawed lake and headed down the river system. The ice was still on the river and the Cariboo and wolves were beginning their annual migration. Wolves would walk through our camp sites. The only dangerous animals were the barren ground grizzles and only if your surprised them. They were following the Cariboo and harvesting the old and sick. I have seen the migration on the Serengetti and it is very similar with lions predating on the Zebra and Wilderbeast - Gnu.
Fishing was great with the best fish being the fast growing pike and the slow growing trout being so tough it was hard to eat. My favorite places are the rain forest and tropical reefs - life has evolved to it's most complex level in these places. See them if you can.
4
Simply Beautiful! It touched my soul.
4
Wonderful depiction of a'world' we feel is at the confines of space and time, and where the life-giving rays of the Sun we take for granted may not show up for months at a time. Depressed, anyone? How about standing in awe of the aurora borealis, an amazing show of lights? Thank you for this insight.
2
I fell in love with a Discovery Channel series called the Last Alaskans bringing us into the lives of families who live in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. I marvel at one sitting in the snow to watch the first sunrise at the end of the dark weeks. I wish we could douse all of the lights a few times a year on clear nights so those of us who live near cities could see the night sky.
1
My wife and I went to Tromso, Norway last December. It's about 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and when we landed there at 1:30 in the afternoon it was very dark. Each morning there was some twilight for about 3 hours, but that was it for light. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and while it was rainy and cloudy most of the days we were there, we did get to catch a glimpse of the northern lights one evening. Even though it was dark most of the day, people just went about their lives and jobs and didn't seem to be bothered by it. We don't like the heat, so while everyone else is heading to the beach in the winter, we prefer to head to places that have snow and cold. Oh, and since Tromso is on the Gulf Stream, it was usually warmer there than back home!
1
I lived in the arctic and Alaska for 10 years. I try to describe it to people now that I live in the lower 48 who can't fathom the long nights. I miss the cold crisp clear Interior Alaska winters - dark is relative - the grey of a Pacific Northwest winter is more oppressive than the glorious light and dark skies of the arctic. Watching a sunrise go into sunset is beautiful and inspiring thing.
3
Christy - could not agree more. My first winter back in the PNW after having lived in Alaska for more than 15 years and this gray soggy dreariness is harder than the long dark winters of Alaska. Miss the snow, the quiet and crisp bluebird days of the far north! There is nothing like that beautiful pink hue of Arctic light. I loved this NYT piece so much!
I remember a July trip to Alaska many years ago. We stopped at the visitor's center near I believe the Byron glacier, some many miles outside Anchorage and were quite miffed that the center had closed early. Obviously, it was only 4 or 5 in the afternoon based on the afternoon light and shadows, and the center stayed open until 6 pm. We thought to look at our watches, and realized it was actually 10 pm. The summer light of northern climes had deluded our sense of time. That was as big a wonder to us as the glacier itself.
1
So, some of you are going to think that this is out of left field, but a few of you know. I am a practicing astrologer and I focus mostly on the birth chart, as opposed to transits.
We usually think about "what is your sign?," meaning one's Sun sign, but the ascendant is the point on the horizon where the sun would be rising at the time of birth. (So, if you were born at sunrise, your ascendant is exactly the same sign and degree as your Sun sign.)
Because of the earth's 23 1/2 degree tilt (always in the same direction) in the Northern Hemisphere the most common ascendants are Leo, Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio, and the least common are Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, and Taurus. The further north you go, the more extreme it gets.
The house system that makes up the birth chart wheel also becomes more aggravated (wish I could provide you with graphics). But if you're born north of the Arctic Circle, it puts the birth chart in an untenable situation, since certain signs and houses cease to exist in their birth chart.
Astrologers scratch their heads attempting to deal with this conundrum -- and there's lots of discussion and debate as to what to do about it. Luckily, not that many people are born north of the Arctic Circle, but I was just struck by the one contributor's notation that lots of kids are born between August and November (for obvious reasons). Time of year irrelevant for this, I would love to try to do their birth charts and confer with other astrologers about it.
What a wonderfully romantic collection. I hope the same is done for the summer.
If you want to learn more about life in the Arctic circle, go to Netflix and watch the series, Life Below Zero...astonishingly beautiful for sure but also chronicles the challenges of living in such a harsh environment.
1
What a wonderful article about Winter nights!! I was awed by the spirits, thoughts and perspectives conveyed by the writers who live in the Northern part of our world. Nature is powerful and amazing and it was inspiring to read the comments about how the natural world affects them. An A plus for the New York Times reporters.
1
Excellent article. Loved the photos!
This was the perfect antidote to an article I just read that had my eyes rolling, about New Yorkers who need anti-depressants and therapy to make it through the winter. Thank you!
1
I served on a Coast Guard cutter that spent every other month at sea on a fixed "station." ONE STATION WAS JUST A DEGREE SOUTH OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE. WHEN WE WERE THERE IN MID-WINTER, SAY FOR FEBRUARY, AT BEST, THE SKY WOULD TURN GREY FOR AN HOUR OR SO.DURING THAT MONTH, THE NUMBER OF MORALE AND DISCIPLINARY PROBLEMS WERE WAY ABOVE NORMAL. OFFICERS AND MEN WERE CURT AND SNAPPY WITH ONE ANOTHER. GLUMNESS PERVADED. IN JUNE,SAY, ON THE SAME STATION, THERE WERE VIRTUALLY NO MORALE OR DISCIPLINARY PROBLEMS. EVERYONE GOT ALONG WELL. SMILES AND LAUGHING ABOUNDED.THE ONLY AMELIORATING FACTORS IN WINTER WERE THE AURORA AND THE WAY THAT AURORAL ACTIVITY AFFECTED OUR RADIO. OFTEN WE COULD NOT HEAR THE NEAREST BASE IN ICELAND OR NEWFOUNDLAND BUT WE COULD LISTEN TO TAXICAB CALLS IN NEW ORLEANS OR POLICE CALLS IN SEATTLE OR COUNTRY MUSIC STATIONS IN GEORGIA.
1
Spending at least part of the polar night in a place like Tromsø is highly recommended. It is truly like a trip to another planet.
The quiet that comes from the effect of layers upon layers of ice and snow muffling all sound; the clear, crispness of the air; the thrill of seeing wild reindeer roaming free; the spectacle of the aurora; and the weird, floating feeling of barely being able to tell what time it is without a clock, all contribute to the utterly surreal experience of the polar night. Subtle changes in indescribably beautiful shades of blue are the only way tell if you are at the beginning, middle or end of the short periods of "day" that occur between the much longer spans of utter black night.
The experience of being in Tromsø in the dead of winter did not leave me yearning for warmer climes. What it did was make me yearn to return...and then push on to Svalbard!
1
Last January (2017) I travelled by ship (Nordkapp, Hurtigruten) from Bergen to Kirkness (Norway). I wanted to observe how people were able to live within the Arctic Circle. I saw the Northern Lights. Small ports had libraries, super markets and Salvation Army Thrift Shops. The contrast was educational for a person from South Africa. Another trip ticked off my BUCKET LIST. I type this (on my iPhone) sitting next to a trout dam in North Eastern South Africa just after our (southern) summer solstice.
These voices and especially these images are so lyrical, timeles, at times poetic. They reminded me of Tomas Transtromer, the Baltic poet, who captures some of the hushed essence of the world that is depicted here. One enormous fascination was the map--the realization that these places are attached to parts of the world - and their culture and politics - that are so far apart. Yet at the top of the earth they come together.
1
I loved this article, it transported me to lands I may never see and made me long for a peaceful beautiful place to live. I smiled when I saw the photo of what I guess is a reindeer peering into someone’s window. Thank you to all of the people who shared their perspectives on coping with darkness. Wonderful report, this is why I subscribe to the NYTs.
1
I grew up in NJ and suffered terribly from SAD through the grey, winter days. Somehow, looking at these photos of stunning natural winter beauty, I think the winters would be more bearable.
One year (after I had moved to Florida), I spent Thanksgiving in Belize and ran into several people from Alaska during my trip. They all said the key to surviving winter was to try to take breaks in warmer climates and to enjoy summer to the fullest!
1
"When the sun comes back, I know. I know at the exact moment. Everything stops and I marvel at the way it changes the whole world." --Madrigal Brown
So many are currently preoccupied with achieving "mindfulness." This is the real thing.
2
Thank-you. This is most extraordinary! What a relief from most news stories. I love it! Photos are great. Thinking of a winter trip to the arctic.
1
Enjoyed reading and watching this article. My mother, who has never been to a Scandinavian country, often wonders what it would be like in Norway and Sweden during this season. Now I can show her.
Fantastic story. I feel cozy just reading it.
Very fine article by Josephine Sedgwick. I almost got to study in Oulu, Finland, the closest I got to the Arctic. One of the researchers there spoke of possibly hearing the aurora. Whether hearing it is true or not, Josephine's intriguing article makes me imagine standing alone on a quiet evening, er, day, or whenever, and hearing those northern lights.
There is something magic about a cold, snowy darkness. I salute all of these fine people.
8
That was a great read on a Saturday morning. It reminds us that beautiful human feelings and experiences are universal. Thank you.
33
Given the fractious divide of the American people, aren't we all looking for a little 'kos'?
17
the opposite of the Swedish term - SISU.
Interesting read
Not much doscussion about bolting for South Beach or Cancun
Scandanavia well represented but was hoping to gather more insights from Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples and Tribes
7
The photo in the video about living above the Arctic Circle shows a house in Kiruna, Sweden that is most likely the house my mother was born in. We visited there once in December and the sun never rose above the horizon, but the light was spectacular for few hours and then just stars.
16
Thoroughly enjoyable (in 70-degree January) to read about experiences so different from our own.
12
Such a sweet article. Never thought too much about it, although I am glad to have read this excellent contribution to human understanding.
21
I almost forgot - thank you NYT for including the map. My grade school geography days are beyond rusty. The map nicely and clearly illustrates where all of the countries lay in relationship to one another. I forgot how far north Alaska was in comparison to Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Thanks for helping remove some of the rust from my brain. I do believe I am going to purchase a globe on a stand today, assuming I can locate one in a store.
39
It's actually a view from the top, as if you were looking down on a globe. So, for example, Fairbanks is at approximately the same latitude as Trondheim, Norway.
Thank you for this piece NYT! It was beautiful. As my mother gifted me DNA from the Scandinavian countries I feel like I belong to the northern parts a bit. Though I've only ever, actually, been to Scandinavia once in my life.
3
Eric,
Time to set a trip to Scandinavia -- sooner rather than later. A beautiful experience that I've enjoyed many times, both summer and winter.
Not sure what I enjoyed more - the photos or the comments from the various residents. Both told amazing stories. Thank you NYT for sharing this wealth of beauty with the rest of the world.
30
Thank you so much!! Beautiful and touching! I too love the winter darkness and don't get near enough here in Kansas City!!
4
Thanks for all this beauty! Lifted my spirits from the horrible political news!
26
Beautiful! These are the pieces that only the Times does. Enjoyed this so much.
17
I read " living in darkness for months at a time..." So we know what it has been like to live in the US for the past year.
7
Great images. The folks who submitted thoughts seem to know how to make the best of their circumstances. Having grown up at the Arctic Circle, I also know that many people struggle with the darkness; depression, suicides and drinking are common. I am glad that I grew up in such a unique and beautiful place. Although I no longer live in complete winter darkness, I still like the idea of slowing down a little during the cold months. To pay attention to the seasons this way, similar to other animals and plants, feels like a good thing to do.
43
Wonderful article! Thank you readers for sharing your winter lives, now I want to experience it!
23
Best article in the NY Times for the last year!! Finally, some news of the world that is positive, accurate, well documented photographically and completely unrelated to something stupid Trump said, did, or looks like!
36
I'd have recommended your Comment, but you used the T-word.
12
Yes!
4
Amen!
I want to move up there.
12
Hooray for the New York Times. I have been one of your subscribers for twenty years, and this article is one of the best. It made my heart sing to see the beautiful pictures and feel the robust nature of the people in the winter lands. Many thanks and keep up the good work!
45
What great insight to a place few of us really know. Makes Phoenix look really good in winter.
2
Only if you have no imagination.
12
21st of January is the official "Sun Day" in Tromsø, Norway. Then you can see the sun at noon for a few minutes between the mountains. Today I saw half of it, at around 12:30. The last time I saw it was in the middle of November. In Tromsø everyone celebrates by eating "Sun Buns". Tromsø has about 75000 inhabitants, and close to 100000 Sun Buns. All the schools take some time off and serve Sun Buns to all the kids. I've lived North of the Polar Circle for 14 years now and I've gotten used to it. One experiences and feels the season in such a special way. In just four months we will have Midnight Sun, from about 24th of May to 24th of July.
3
Great feature. More like this!
14
(to NYT: edited because the previous had an error)
21st of January is the official "Sun Day" in Tromsø, Norway. Then you can see the sun at noon for a few minutes between the mountains. Today I saw half of it, at around 12:30. The last time I saw the sun was in the middle of November. In Tromsø everyone celebrates by eating "Sun Buns". Tromsø has about 75000 inhabitants, and close to 100000 Sun Buns are being made for the Sun Day. All the schools take some time off and serve Sun Buns to all the kids. I've lived North of the Polar Circle for 14 years now and I've gotten used to it. One experiences and feels the season in such a special way. In just four months we will have Midnight Sun, from about 24th of May to 24th of July.
37
We were in Anchorage in July a few years ago. The flowers were huge, the upside of 21+ hours of daily sunlight. As someone there said, "We have the same amount of sunlight as you, just distributed differently."
Exactly! On the down side, much of the sun in the summer gets lost on us as we have to get some sleeping time.
Thank you for this beautiful article.
16
I found myself asking - did the NYT seek out these farflung individuals in the story? Or are these all people who were reading the news and volunteered their stories when an invitation appeared? I enjoyed their comments on their region. Now I wonder, what sort of news is most interesting to individuals living at a distance from big city life? Thanks for introducing me to these people.
24
Speaking as one of the people in the article who publishes "the worlds northernmost alternative newspaper" at 78 degrees latitude north, here's the news from Longyearbyen:
icepeople.net
the map is inverted. Russia should be to the left of Alaska and Barrow is at the top western point of Alaska not Anchorage
1
It's a view from the top. Scroll down!
10
So lovely and fascinating
10
The literature about the Arctic is also fascinating. Try Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez, or Sarah Wheeler's essays or anything about the polar explorers. Wonderful stuff for winter reading. And thank you NY Times...love your photo essays about real people and places.
25
Thanks, just checked out Arctic Dreams...
4
Excellent! It is fascinating!
How can someone live "between Tromso, Norway, and Sisimiut, Greenland"? Does she live in or near Iceland? Do you mean that she splits her time between those cities?
3
Lovely. Thank you.
5
Beautiful!
4
My perfect Alaskan's vacation. Take the Anchorage train to Fairbanks in winter and go through Denali in the snow and silence. Then go to the Ice Sculpture Festival in Fairbanks in February with the aurora overhead at night, slide down the ice slide lit with colors, see 20-30 ft ice block sculptures by the hundreds, go out to Chena Hot Springs later when it's 20 below, & sit in a hot spring at 102 degrees, see the North Star directly overhead and the constellations circle it around it, while your wet hair freezes into icicles as you are toasty warm. Arctic paradise. Dress warm.
43
Your comment made me miss my old hometown of Fairbanks. Chena Hotsprings and the steam of the water rising into the sky and snowing back down upon you.
1
Well done, NYT
16
My, my, my...simply stunning and surreal.
19
What a stunning and welcome relief from the rest of the news, which makes me think Tromso might prove a perfect place to be right now.
46
I used to work on oil tankers hauling crude oil from Valdez Alaska to Hawaii. There is a definite lesson in that trip in winter time that the world really is a sphere. I'll stick with the sunny parts.
4
I loved this. What a beautiful article to start a Sunday.
13
Buzz Aldrin's words come to mind - magnificent desolation.
8
It's not desolate, it's teeming with life and beauty. Bright, clear and crystalline. You either adapt to AK, or you leave. Lots to make your heart soar.
8
I prefer to think of it as an "elemental landscape". Minimalist and magnificent.
Wow.
7
Wow!
5
If there is heaven on earth, this would be it. But you may want to stock up on garlic, in case of any encounters with vampires on their winter vacations.
4
Inspiring. True. Original. It's like observing life without the filter of the journalist. Thank you.
13
sounds like heaven to me. I hate the sun.
5
Me too!!!
spectacular when the northern lights come out to play, the long sunrises and sunsets, just don't get dropped into the mid-day dark suddenly. Also, the west coast of Northern Norway is ice free and far warmer the similar latitude in Alaska, which is effectively a frozen hell in the winter.
1
These simple and clear impressions give dignity to our relationship with the universe and remind me of a poem by Gregory Corso:
“Last night the night at its nightest
the moon full-mooned
a starless space
as sure as snow beneath snow is whitest
so shall the god surface the human face”
13
Wild. Beautiful. Strange.
5
Pretty Cool! ;)
4
Loved reading all the comments. It seams that you find ways to celebrate what you can, endure the hard parts and rely on family, friend ad community to provide "kos".
Thanks for an insightful story/set of comments
12
When people talk to reporters, they expect that what they say will be printed and so what they say is what they want people to read. I asked a motel clerk north of Denali what the winters are like. She said that everyone leaves, thre's not much top do, it's always dark, and it's pretty depressing. She knew I wasn't go to publish her comment, so she told me the truth.
3
Loved this article/included video about the Polar nights.
2
This was beautiful
4
That picture of some people skiing in the middle of the day reminded me of "My Cousin Oskar", a video about a man ranting that Americans are lucky to have Daylight Savings Time.
3
These are the stories that keep me as a NYTimes subscriber, not the ugly vicious political stories, not seeing Elizabeth Warren on the electronic cover ad nauseam, these well written, informative stories.
2
Surreal- like heaven!
3
I like how the resilience of these people shines through, even though the sun’s rays do not. With the proper attitude and frame of mind, anything can not only be tolerated, but also enjoyed. “There is no bad weather, just bad clothing”, I love it!
23
Wow...stunningly beautiful!! It looks so peaceful; the idea of slowing down and celebrating coziness makes me envious. We "southerners" need to relax a bit more and do more of that...
12
I used to live in Yokon, canada. these are beautiful places.
4
Life can be like this within your own skin. Some seasons are like the darkness is complete and you need to actively attack it and remind yourself that it will end. Others are relentlessly bright like a new love or 24 hour sunlight. It too will soften into a glow.
I’d love to spend one year above the Arctic Circle just to experience the extremes. Doing so without having friends or family with you might be too daunting though
8
I would love to experience this and it’s reverse in the summer.
4
Fly to Fairbanks in February to the Ice Festival and Chena Hot Springs outside of town. (Fares cheap in mid-winter!) If the weather is clear, the pilot will circle the peak of Denali a few times, highest in Western Hemisphere. Take best gear, Parkas, boot and gloves. Enjoy.
4
A beautiful way to begin my morning. Thank you for sharing.
23
At least some of us would cherish a chance to see the
"northern lights" but struggle with how, where and when to make the trip. Any suggestions?
4
Fly AK Air to Fairbanks for the Ice Festival in February, go out of town to the Chena hot springs (google) on the same trip. Hotels are all less than $100.
3
February is often beautiful, and for the northern lights, you need go no farther north than Anchorage, though you may want to. February will be quite cold, but the pink under-lighting of the sky in the afternoon is what I remember from that month in the years I lived there.
Really nice, but i need the sun every day, if you didn´t born there, I think is too much hard, to live these places. Thanks for your news.
5
This was more interesting than I expected it to be, I read each one and by the end knew I've missed out.
And please do this again in peak summertime!
32
Oh my god! What a beautiful expose.
"When the sun comes back, I know. I know at the exact moment. Everything stops and I marvel at the way it changes the whole world." Madrigal Brown, Alaska
My heart leapt at some of the gorgeous descriptions these people gave when describing their special lives.
Thank you New York Times...Please give us more like this...we need it...our souls need it.
79
Very enjoyable photos & article -- thanks for sharing!!
It would be fun and educational to maybe see photos of Antarctica sometime too -- thanks again -- very nice!!
5
Granted, summers are shorter in the Arctic.... But be mindful of the expression, land of the midnight sun." The opposite of articles winter darkness occurs in the summer.... the sun never sets!
A pit stop of about a year very early in my father's banking career was Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, which is just 5 degrees latitude outside the arctic circle... and where I was born.
My mom described the summer nights brightness in Fort Simpson as being equivalent to about 7pm in lower latitude North America. The sun would drop to the horizon, and then begin to come back up. She simply taped tin foil to my bedroom window, to help facilitate proper sleep.
My home for the past 13 years is northern Alberta. By no means is it the arctic, but at 56 degrees latitude North, the long winters are mitigated by early sunrise (4:33am) & sunset (10:22pm) on the summer solstice... Practical btightness is much longer. A dry climate, without extreme heat, humidity, or rainfall makes for extremely pleasant summer months, and seems like a fair trade for the long winters.
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From here on Galveston Bay it looks absolutely beautiful.
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I greatly enjoyed this, wish it was twice as long at least.
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What a delight! And what a way to come to an understanding of this exotic locale.
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We just returned from two weeks in Iceland and Sweden in search of the northern lights. We didn’t see them in Iceland, but we did see lots of Icelandic Horses, who apparently love living 24/7 in the kind of cold weather one would consider it cruel to leave an animal out in where I live.
In Sweden we flew from Stockholm to Kiruna and then took a bus to Abisko, Sweden, where we stayed at the Abisko Tourist Station in Abisko National Park. On the 4th night there we saw the most spectacular light show imaginable. The entire sky was lit up with dancing flames of green for almost an hour. It was -22 celsius but worth it.
During the day we took the train from Abisko to Narvik, Norway and saw the kind of landscapes that make you think you are living in a magic world of snow and ice. Reindeer are as prevalent here as the horses were in Iceland (Hella, 2 hours from Reykyavik). In fact, we did that train round trip 2 days in a row due to both the comfort of the train and the beauty of the dimly lit landscape. On one trip, the train had to wait almost an hour for the Norwegian police to come remove a drunk person from a tunnel. The conductor gave everyone free hot chocolate to drink while waiting. There’s nothing so cosy as hot chocolate on a train in the snow and knowing it’s below freezing outside.
Driving through Kiruna looks just like the photos in this article. It is a magical place. They are getting ready to move Kiruna to a new location. Some NYT reporter should tell that story
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The Arctic Circle is a frigid wonderland of ice, snow and borealis, that is a truly unique place on Earth.
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Very good article, thank you for it. Not overblown, just real life. I also liked the "bad clothing" comment, brought a laugh as I grew up in North Dakota with many cold days and nights; days were short, but nothing like this of course.
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I lived in Fairbanks for 18 years, outside of town in the hills. There are no words to describe the intensity of the Northern Lights, the billions of stars, the crunch of snow at 40 below, the moose hunkered down in our back yard, the gifts of the Indigenous cultures: the profound beauty of it all is, as i stated above, beyond words.
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How beautiful. I imagine it takes a special type of person to live through the darkness. The sun is just rising here, and the birds are chirping. I would truly miss that.
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What beautiful places and how wonderful to hear perspectives from NYT readers living in the real north. It must take a lot of coffee to tolerate the lack of sunlight.
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The photos are truly amazing and apparently so are the people. Thanks NYT for this sketch of way north living.
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This was wonderful! Thank you to everybody who contributed.
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Stunning photos. But then realizing that it really is always dark - that's daunting.
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Beautiful photos and sentiments. It almost makes me want to try it for a winter. (Then I go outside in windblown 20 degrees F here in NJ and think, "Well, maybe not...." But oh, those photos!
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Just have to learn how to dress for it. Not hard.
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This is a beautiful story!
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I always thought I lived "up north," but I guess not. Your photo essay was just beautiful. The writers (and Times editors) captured something close to indescribable -- and what great photos from the readers. When I got to the end, I wanted more.
Thank you!
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Absolutely delightful! Carry on!
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A fascinating story which reminds me of my Scandinavian roots, short winter days and long winter nights.
One slight correction: The winter solstice marks the midpoint of the long winter night for those above the circle, not the beginning.
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This was so beautiful. Thank you.
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On a first visit north of the polar circle in the winter I was surprised by the unexpected brightness. Chalky white snow everywhere reflected every ounce of light, and a single streetlamp could lit up a whole landscape round-the-clock.
Whereas 1,300 kilometers further south in Sweden a snow-free January night on the countryside is pitch black.
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Wonderful, beautiful, poetic.......photos and quotes simply compiled, as subtle as the hushed landscape itself. Thank you for this mid-winter treasure!
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Gorgeous pictures! I love the winter, it's my favorite season.
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Wonderful photos and narratives!
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Beautiful pictures are equal to the dreamy images the readers describe - the blues, greens, the crazy quiet, the cozy kos, a close encounter with the northern lights. Thank you.
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I can only remember how gloomy it was here in NJ this winter, where we at least had sunlight. It may not be the darkness that drives people's spirit to unfathomable depths.
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This is magical. The photos; the words; the sentiments; the descriptions of life that few of us will ever experience. Thank you New York Times for giving me this insight.
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Thank you for a fantastic presentation of and from fantastic people living above the Arctic Circle!
I live in the very south of Sweden and spoke yesterday with a man in Lulea.
He had lots and lots of snow outside while I'm starting to enjoy early springflowers coming up as it's 40-50°F outside and 9 hours of daylight down here!
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All very poetic responses to be sure: but yet the undertones and actuality sound perfectly awful.
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Fascinating to hear these perspectives. I grow weary of NYC winters, but this makes me think I might enjoy Arctic winters more, not less!
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Truly beautiful. I wish every child on earth could experience this in person.
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In the early 80’s I was in the USAF at Eielson AFB near Fairbanks. One November night, as I was driving to base from Fairbanks, I saw the Northern Lights, bright green, moving across the sky. They were mesmerizing, and I pulled over to get out and watch. As I stared upward over about 30 minutes in the freezing cold, the Lights increased in intensity and moved faster and faster, and as this happened, they changed color from green to red. As moments passed, they grew more intense, moved faster and changed color to bright white! When they finally faded and I looked around, I saw many cars had stopped and people had stood, like me, in the cold darkness to watch this amazing phenomenon.
I consider it one of the most memorable events of my life.
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Like in the photo with the man off his snow mobile, many times you just have to stand in awe, fortunately, several times a season. Unpredictable, still or moving, lines or curves, green or colors. They say they are the spirits of the ancestors, & I tend to believe them.
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Wow, such a beautiful and sweet story, thank you. And here I was complaining about it getting dark here at 5!
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Our family spent four days above the Arctic Circle this last Christmas holiday, as part of a ten day trip in Norway, during which we ice skated in Oslo, drove dog sleds in Uppdal, skied at Vangslia, and chased the Aurora Borealis outside Tromso. The entire experience was magical! Despite the direct absence of the sun, the "polar twilight" provided more than sufficient ambiance for outside activities, the Christmas lighting was abundant in cities, and the Northern Lights will flicker in my dreams until we return.
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I absolutely love these photos. The residents there truly live an enviable life up there in the far north. It reminds me a lot of that show "Fortitude." It's a place that I definitely would like to visit some day ( but not without a Canada Goose Parka of course).
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Where I live here in NYC, I don't have the sun shining into my windows for 10 weeks every winter. Yesterday, the 25th, I had a sliver of sun at the very top of my windows, for a minute or so.
Such delight! So bright! I can empathize with those who live in the dark and twilight for so many months each year.
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Every day there is more sunlight! Now it's coming in both living room windows, for maybe 5 minutes, and starting to peek into the bedroom windows as well.
The corollary is that I can now see how dusty this place is...
Thank you for sharing. This is so lovely. There is such an inner strength that comes from living in such places.
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Great descriptions that show the visceral connection to life, nature, survival and human warmth and connection in a cold place and beautiful place.
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Magnificent! Winter is this viewer's favorite time of year, indoors mind you (an indoor tabby here), and stirs the imagination to heights of lightness. A cousin at 19 left New York for Alaska, and built a fishing industry. His second wife was from Kodiak, and they have three daughters, all grown now, who returned to this region near The Big City, while visiting The Green Valley on The Hudson.
My paternal grandmother was from Denmark, and my French mother was astonished to be handed a flaxen offspring. Every year I received the same letter, expressing her surprise, and the History of Denmark has been one of ongoing interest.
Her husband, whom she described as her greatest friend in life, was a most reticent man. There is reason to believe that his great-aunt, Desiree Clary, never was quite happy when she became the Queen of Sweden and Norway. She tried to stay in Paris near her sister, Julie, once the Queen of Spain, the happier of the two. A family person, the climate may not have suited her, and she did not quite fit in at Court.
Look at these extraordinary photos, and read these testimonies. Dawn is a favorite moment of the day but the view is not as breathtaking as the ones seen in this 'Night That Last for Days', offered by Josephine Sedgwick and fine contributors.
Forwarding the above to 'Austria', who visited Stockholm recently, she will enjoy this viewing of Babette's Feast in time for breakfast.
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Years ago I worked on Lougheed, Graham and Melville Islands in the Canadian Arctic at about 78’N. You could see the glow of illuminated ice crystals above a town or an oil rig from 60 miles away. When flying south I’d always pick a window seat on the right side of the aircraft. With eyes closed I could see and feel the sun as it rose in the trek south.
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This was so lovely and soothing. I listened to the voices reading twice and then went and read the text. So uplifting, especially for someone like me who feels the waning of the light in winter as painful. Reminded me to rejoice and Rage less at the dying of the light.
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This is spectacular in every way. My father was Norwegian and we have at least one ancestor from the very far North. Something about this resonates in ways I didn't expect.
Thank you so much to our fellow humans of the North for sharing, in words and photos, the stunning beauty of your midwinter homes.
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Amazing photos! Would love to experience (for a week!).
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The light is just stunning. I always thought "dayless days" were relentless darkness, all black 24/7. I would love the long hours of sunlight in the summer.
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Very cool and interesting. Thank you. Shared this with my circadian sleep disorders network. Some of us too feel the minute differences when winter and summer comes, the distance between the sun and our planet, The light changing.
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As a native Floridian who, after 10 years, still struggles with the short days and, to me, bitter cold of Boston, I cannot even imagine...The pictures are beautiful, but they capture a split second; I cannot comprehend enjoying days of darkness and cold
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That was a wonderful read! Thank you, and for the marvelous photos as well.
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Captivating – thank you! It can seem eerie for the unitiated, truly calming yet energizing in a way, too. Would be good to have a few fuller day-in-the-life-of stories as well.
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Fascinating. Thanks to all who took the time to contribute thoughts and images. What an interesting window into a lifestyle that is very different from mine.
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Stunningly beautiful and insightful, my dad was stationed above the Arctic Circle during the Korean conflict of the 1950s so I grew up on stories of the boreal winter. What a shame that human activity is creating a thaw in the permafrost all over the Arctic part of our world...
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the excerpts read like poetry; and the short film was a meditation. thank you.
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The photographs are stunning, especially the Norway: "December light." If there is one thing I hope to witness before I leave this life, it's the aurora borealis. I've never seen a shooting star either, but every picture I have ever seen of the "Northern Lights" night show is breathtaking and always so unique, different and magical. I hope to see this celestial pageantry one evening.
I will also never complain or moan and groan about the cold and a few winter days or weeks again. Wisconsin and Chicago winters are "warm ups" in comparison to what folks in the Arctic Circle endure. Talk about a hearty and tough crowd. WOW.
My favorite line in this article was "We go outside and smell the snow." People never believed me when I tell them that I can smell snow in the air. Thank you for validating my sense of smell. Smelling snow is right up there with smelling rain. If you ever saw my nose, you would know what I mean and why I have a keen sense of smell.
Thank you for sharing such lovely photos and enchanting stories. What a nice portal into the weekend.
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Thanks to all who contributed to this lovely and fascinating article!
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Being able to see a totally different environment gave me a new sense of awe. Every sense came into play darkness, the visual seeing light as the best day of the year. Each had a unique and powerful experiences of their environment and expressed it in magnificent poetry. Congrats
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Many thanks to your readers for sharing their experiences. There's three things I marvel at; the nothern lights, a star-filled night sky, and the pastel colors of the sky in the gloaming. Thank you so much for these stories and photos.
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This was simply wonderful! Here in Columbus, Ohio, I always think that people spend too much time complaining about our relatively mild winters. It was great to see these positive observations from those one would think would really have something to complain about! But they don't. I do hope they take vitamin D supplements, however!
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Wonderful feature and fantastic photos. I couldn't live in this kind of environment but that doesn't take anything away from those who can or wish to.
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Wonderful. Thank you so much for this project. What great examples of human resilience and how people somehow navigate are able to navigate to what really counts in life.
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Truly beautiful. This makes me appreciate and understand even more my solitary life in a small log cabin deep in the woods of North Carolina mountains. Winters are work, but also times of quiet contemplation by the fire, as well as moments spent out on the deck staring up into the vast night sky, so full of brilliant stars. I relate to many of these thoughts shared here; many thanks for this.
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Such extraordinary beauty! I found the sharing of these lives to be very interesting. This article is well written - as I felt that I was right there with many who spoke. Thank you. I really enjoyed this.
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Breathtakingly beautiful. I've never lived above the Circle, but spent two winters in Iceland. Winter was an amazing, magical time.
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What a terrific piece! Thanks to all involved. Photos are amazing. I loved this. Thumbs up to Cozy.
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My wife and I lived with the Inupiat people of northern Alaska during the 1960s. We traveled with them by dog team, camped in snow block shelters, and danced to the beat of skin drums. To them - and to us - the arctic is a land of beauty. In 1974, we traveled by dog team across 1200 miles of the northern wilds enjoying the hospitality of native villagers along the way. Thank you for your article.
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I often contemplate my fellow humans living far up north. I read all the books I can about the early explorers at the North and South Pole. No matter what the beauty, I could not withstand such a life. I love the light and warmth of the Sun, and I find winter a very difficult season to deal with, even as far south as Nevada.
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Wonderful article, photos and comments. The closest I have been to this sort of thing is January in Anchorage. Ice skating at an outdoor rink at 5 pm at -5F. Nothing like the experience of the writers but pretty intense for a native Californian. The outdoors became a profound presence that demands very careful attention: stepping outside becomes a life or death matter. Where else in the inhabited world do we need to maintain that sort of focus on nature?
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Incredible photos and thank you for sharing your experiences living in the dark over the shortest days of the year. Along with the cold and isolation, living in the north is not for the faint of heart!
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Kind of sounds not too different than living on a street with endless traffic and noise. Adaptation is the key to everything’s survival.
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Very cool piece, both visually and aurally.
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The way that snow reflects light in a million different fashions always gives me goosebumps.
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I live in south Florida now (ugh), but I grew up in the Midwest and lived there for many years. When I tell people in Florida how much I miss those cold, dark winters (nothing like above the Arctic Circle, of course), they look at me like I have three heads. They don't get it, but this article from points even farther north captures the magic of winter perfectly....and now I want to visit the Arctic in winter.
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This is absolutely beautiful. Thank you to those who shared their photos and thoughts. I hope to see that part of the world some day.
4
Presently Live In South East Arizona. I grew Up In Colorado. I've Lived In Halifax and Toronto Canada. I've Also Lived In New Hampshire New York(south of Buffalo In The Snow Belt). Finally Gillette Wyoming And Worland Wyoming. I Got Tired Of Pushing Snow To Get Out Of My House. I Sometimes Miss All The Beauty Of A True Winter Wonderland.....But I Can Always Go Visit Snow. This Story Took Me On An Adventure Of Winter Wonderlands Loved By Others. Thank You
2
Our family were so lucky to visit the arctic circle; December 2014. During this trip I was struck by how Nordic and Scandinavian people living in the arctic seem to have such an ingrained understanding of entitlement. They clearly understand what the earth is offering, and what can be taken away. They are such a wonderful, educated and logical people, and they live without fuss. They endure darkness and carry on. This remarkable environment has shaped their values and we are all better off to have them.
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Wow, puts so much in perspective. This was breathtaking! Loved the video element.
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I loved living in AK, the Aurora is a very fair compensation for darkness. I remember taking my garbage to the street one morning, looking up & being stunned by the brilliant lights & stars, & looked around my street, & saw everyone else by their bins doing the same, breathless in crystalline beauty, and a wolf howled, magic.
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I moved to Lulea, Sweden in early October. We've had quite a bit of snow this winter and it's quite beautiful. The snow completely changes the sense of darkness; it reflects the smallest light makes the night a welcome space. It also absorbs sound and brings an incredibly peaceful silence to the outdoors.
Lulea is just below the Arctic circle so the sun was just skimming the horizon in late December. It's now already quite a bit higher and the days are getting longer. Keep in mind, in the Arctic you only have 26 weeks to go from 24 ours of daylight to 24 hours of darkness. So we gain or lose about one hour every week.
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Gorgeous. Thank you. I watched it several times.
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My mother is Swedish and used to tell us about the midnight sun and how you could sit on a park bench and read a newspaper in the middle of the night. She never talked about when it got dark super early in Stockholm in the winters. I would love to go and experience this, it sounds otherworldly and the images are stunning.
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We need more articles like this. Pictures from across the globe into distant lives that remind us of what a marvel it is to be alive. Stories that bridge this distance and bring us all bit closer. These serve a quiet yet vital role in reminding us of our shared humanity.
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Apparently, life in such latitudes makes photographers of people. I gasped at the first image, and sighed that I didn't lead the kind of adventurous life led by Weronika Murray - obviously a professional photographer on wintry assignment for the NYT. But as I scrolled through the photo credits, I realized: nope - just another day in Tromso for these talented shutterbugs!
3
This is one of the many reasons we subscribe to the NYT. A wonderful article.
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Even the long dark nights and frozen surroundings of the Arctic fail to dampen the zeal of life that manifests itself in multiple forms and colours reinforcing the eternal truth that the whole cosmos is one and infinite in expanse.
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Lovely, thank you.
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How absolutely beautiful and poetic these images are. "There is no bad weather: only bad clothing." So true!
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