SCHOLARSHIP DAY 39: Cross Country Running, Dog Racing, Hearing Wolves and Scrabble

I woke up today to the news that there is a cold front moving across the western parts of Alaska, and indeed next week's forecasted sub-zero temperatures will certainly test out the effectiveness of my gloves and hat. Today, however, was another overcast day, but dry unlike yesterday, so the waterproofs went away again. My goal today was to see the dog race in Mushers Hall, off Farmers Loop Road. This can be walked to, but I took the opportunity to use the hostel bike for once, and I was glad I did, as the venue was further away than I expected.

Despite the fact that the bike made the journey quicker, it didn't necessarily make it easier. To list its malfunctions would take forever and I was actually surprised that I got there on it. The gears, rusty and rattling, made hill climbs difficult. The back breaks didn't work well, the front wheel looked like it would come off, and the stand kept hitting the pedals so the journey wasn't exactly the smoothest. Nonetheless, I made it to Mushers Hall.

Mushers Hall is more of a wooden lodge, and it lies at the start of a series of nature trails. These trails can be walked and run on by the public, although today they would be used for the dog race. However, I got a pleasant surprise when I arrived; although I was early for the dog race, I was just in time to see a cross country running race too.

The Interior Alaskan Cross Country team have been running along different trails these past few months, and today they would make use of the 6K trail at Mushers Hall. From walking it today, I can tell you it's not a difficult trail; no major elevation changes and a dense, compact grassland terrain. Although at some parts the grasses have overgrown, the constant public activity on it ensures that the trails are always clearly marked out.

The starting gun was fired and off they went. There was about 20 runners altogether, with quite a large age range which made the race very interesting to watch. The 6k race involved three laps of the trail, and along it, those competiting faced obstacles, such as this two tiered hay stack. I talked to one of the runners afterwards and they told me the bayle certainly was hard going, especially on the last lap.

24 minutes passed before the race saw a winner; Ted Alder crossed the line in 24.23 minutes which I thought was quite good considering the obstacles that faced him. He was certainly kitted out for the event, wearing running shoes (very similar to the style I used to wear when I did cross country), and a thin athletics top.

Following the cross country race, I decided to take a walk along the trail. It's a highly vegetated trail, and half way throughout, you're surrounded by boreal forest, as so often is the case here in interior Alaska. I was walking along, quite happily, when suddenly I heard howling. Soon, the singular howl became plural; it sounded relatively close, but it wasn't getting louder so I assumed whatever was making the noise wasn't approaching. Although I didn't see it, I was sure it was a pack of wolves. They're common here, and can actually attack humans, so I moved on.

This afternoon saw a race of a different kind, and one I had come here to see. Slowly but surely, cars were drawing up, and out came very excited dogs along with their equally excited owners. I stood in the field watching and listening; very quickly, the noise of 'woofing' became overwhelming. I was sure that the dogs were all having a conversation, but about what I wondered? When two dogs approached one another, they would greet each other in a special way; a technique called 'Butt Sniffing'. No joke, I've done my research. From one sniff of Dog A's hind, Dog B can tell A's gender, A's feelings and what A had for its last meal. It's apparently an effective way of communicating quickly. I noticed a lot of this happening. Before long though, all the dogs and owners had to line up at the start line and listen to the instructions.

So each owner was tied in some way to the dog, and once again, the trail was 3 laps, totalling 6K. Trudy, the organiser, attempted to explain the route, but the barking really did make it impossible for any human communication, and without further ado, they were off.

Despite the name of the hall, this event was not mushing. (Mushing is on snow.) Instead, what I watched today was something called Canicross. Once again, the hay bayle added interest to the route; some dogs decided to go around it (often ripping the tape) whilst other dogs gave the jump a go.

Ted Alder was running with a Siberian Huskey, and was in second place throughout the race, until the last 10m, when he made a sprinting finish to win. Funnily enough, he and his dog finished in 20.04 minutes, four minutes faster than his cross country running race. I told him this and he put it down to the fact that his dog was pulling him through the course.

The event was well attended, and with the race done and people starting to make their way home, I decided to start the bikeride back to the hostel. This evening has actually been a pleasant change from the usual routine. Bill and Sarah's friends, Emma, Ralph and his wife, came over and we all played three games of Scrabble. Back in my childhood days, I must confess I wasn't such a Scrabble fan, and although I didn't win tonight, it's a fun game and we have plans to play more next week.

SCHOLARSHIP DAY 38: Fairbanks Annual North Forest Sports Festival

'Rain, rain, go away. Come back some other day..."

I've always understood the first part of that rhyme; the part where you're asking precipitation to move on. But then, why do you ask it to return another day? Waking up to the pitter patter of rain on the rooftops this morning, I had this feeling that it would be of the persistant kind rather than the odd short sharp shower. So, out with the rain-gear again. It's nice for the waterproofs to make an outing; they haven't had an adventure in what feels like weeks!

Today was the annual Fairbanks North Forest Sports Festival, and in it's 15th year, a pretty special day for the organisers I'm sure. In good sporting spirit, despite the rain, all the pre-registered competitors turned up and seemed to enjoy themselves. The first part of it was held in the Fairbanks Experiment Farm, opposite the Botanical Gardens where I visited last week. From the roadside, I could see a small crowd of bodies, all huddled together, using only a small percentage of the rather large field.

As I got closer, I got more of an insight into the theme of this festival. It's name, yes, was 'Sports Festival' but this was a festival like no other I've seen. In true Alaskan style, all of the events involved wood in some aspect, and what I thought would be a quick 'have a look and leave', turned into a day event. The first event I visited was one involving a large hacksaw and the idea was to chop this large piece of wood in the fastest time possible. One person would push and one would pull; each trying to keep a steady rhythm. The couple in the photo below did it in 1 minute 55 secs, which I thought was very good considering the fact it didn't look very easy going. Later, however, another couple did it in 47 seconds. I think they won!

Among the other events taking place, was an axe-throwing competition. You would have to throw this axe at a target and how close it landed would determine how many points you scored. It looked very dangerous to be honest; throwing an axe in the air. Back in England, the activity wouldn't even be thought about. Oh how I don't miss Health and Safety! Another activity involved rolling a large tree trunk using these funny looking sticks.

The last event for the first half of the festival was what I would call: 'Log throwing'. The idea was to throw this large log as far as you could, to your partner, who would then throw it back to you.

These were all very original ideas, and made the first half of the competition exciting to watch. The second half was taking place at Ballaine Lake (a good 30 minutes walk away for me) so I set off for it, ready to meet the competitors at the water's edge at 1:00pm. Part two's events were certainly more adventurous, although after the morning's action, I wondered whether you could get any more adventurous. The rain was still up to its usual tricks, and standing around waiting was not a comfortable one, although the situation was made more enjoyable with a free BBQ and this warm, orange coloured drink that I'd never had before. I can only describe it as drinking hot Fanta.

So, without much delay, the afternoon's events were started, and the first event on the list was a popular one. Each team would be given one relatively large log, a couple of matches, an axe, and a container of water. The task was to boil the water only using the equipment provided in the fastest time. From watching each team, I noticed each one had their own method; some were just chipping off as much kindel as they could while others were more methodical with the axe. Joe and Ethan won, creating quite a large fire, which would be later used for spectators to warm thermselves up to.

The last event of the day, equally as popular, was 'burling'. This involved standing with a partner on top of a tree trunk, floating on the Ballaine Lake, and trying to roll the tree whilst maintaining balance. I was astonished- literally- by the numbers who wanted to do this, risking the very strong possibility of falling into a very cold lake. (It was only about 6 degrees C today.) I was even more gobsmacked when I saw those wearing just shorts. After the event, I asked one competitor whether it was something he regretted, and on the contrary, he enjoyed it. He also said that the lake wasn't as cold as he originally had predicted. A very hardy man indeed.

For some, the Sports Festival was four or five hours of laughter with family and friends, whilst for others it meant beating last year's time. For me, it taught me a lot about diversity. Every event, furthermore, used wood in a different way. It demonstrated creativity and thinking 'out of the box'. I've always thought the world was a varied place, but then when you think about how many uses a simple resource like wood had today, the planet seems even more diverse.

Sarah and Bill, once again tonight, cooked up a real treat. Salmon, with Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes, followed by real strawberry icecream for dessert. As a young boy, I can remember hating sprouts; today was probably the first time for years I'd ever eaten one whole. They're actually pretty nice, and it's shocking to think I've missed out all these years!

SCHOLARSHIP DAY 37: Dicky's Arctic Circle Video, Field Trip meeting, and "First Friday"

Before addressing today's events, I want to share a special video made by Dicky. He was one of my fellow hostellers who went up to the Arctic Circle with me, last weekend. Here he publishes a montage of some of his favourite landscapes. You can hear a bit of our 'car conversation' halfway through too!

The music chosen is a bit like Dicky; always happy and curious, ready for any adventure.

The hostel is becoming extremely quiet now, with departures happening every day it seems. Chris, my room buddy from Germany, has gone to Anchorage for a few days, and I think I'm the only one upstairs tonight! The nights are drawing in too, with 6 minutes being lost each day.

I'm currently reading a book by Bill Sherwonit called Living with Wildness: An Alaskan Odyssey; it's a fantastic read and for those, like myself who have a passion for the outdoors, it's especially good. He really does encapsulate what wilderness means for him and how nature has enriched his life. With nothing on the itenary until about 2:00pm, I decided to sit back with it, and let Bill tell his story to me.

In less than two weeks time, I will be heading north again with a couple of geomorphologists, specifically to the Brooks Range, where we shall be studying features classified as 'frozen debris lobes'. I think I've mentioned them before. One of these lobes is very close (less than 70m in fact) to the Dalton Highway and the Trans-Atlantic Pipeline, so potentially this will cause a lot of expensive damage. Today was our 'pre departure meeting'. Finally, I met Margaret Darrow who is leading the project, and discussed what kind of measurements we are going to be taking. This project is I reckon at PHD level and beyond so I'm not that worried that I didn't understand everything, but I reckon being part of a contemporary issue such as this, will stand me in good stead for the future. I might even get my first acknowledgement into a scientific paper (even at the age of 18!)

Today was a big day for Fairbanks, as the city held it's monthly event called First Friday. Being the first Friday of October, Fairbanks art and craft was under the spotlight. If you're a local artist, this is the event to exhibit your work. If you just enjoy looking at art, this is the event to view other people's efforts. The problem with it, is that it's only on between 5:00pm and 8:00pm, for some reason, and with so much to see, you really have to plan carefully. I started at the university where there was and 'Snow and Ice' gallery.

It was held in the International Arctic Research Centre, and displayed lots of great photographs of the cryosphere, although the number of glaciers certainly outweighed the rest. I saw a similar exhibition in the Royal Geographical Society Headquarters in London, funnily enough on the day of my scholarlship interview. Glacier photos are not just beautiful to look at, but they can be used to compare retreat.

Outside, I was given indication of just how many miles I was from home. But at least I knew the direction. Funnily enough, I thought England was in the opposite direction, but then my instincts were never always 100% accurate.

I had to very quickly board a bus and get to downtown to reach the other exhibitions before it was too late. On the way, a lady on the bus doing a survey, asked me whether buses on Sundays in Fairbanks would be a good idea. Knowing what it's like to have to walk in sub-zero temperatures and the fact that it will soon get colder still, I opted for 'yes', and joined the 9 others that had apparently voted for the introduction of Sunday buses. From peeping at her tally chart, only one had said 'no'. This was probably the bus driver!

It was overwhelming to see the amount of art in the city, but not only that, the quality of the art. Some of it was inspiring. I started in the Morris Thompson Visitors Centre, and worked my way South East. Although it wasn't necessarily part of the exhibitions, I noticed a large aeroplane hanging from the ceiling. I hadn't seen it before, and being my favourite colour, it looked like something I couldn't miss on my many visits here. However, it seems that it has been there for years. Puzzled by how I missed such a focal point all these weeks here, I left the centre and headed to see more of the First Friday exhibitions.

Most of them were being held in the main mall, (if you can call it a mall). It's a two storey building with a number of different shops, but tonight they were all tailored to be showcase galleries. I saw some really lovely artwork and got speaking to many of the artists. Free food was being offered at the entrance-way of every shop, and like any tourist, I took advantage.

What amazes me is the quality and diversity of art and craft here in Fairbanks. I spoke to a lady called Dee Carpenter; she paints to relaxes, with calming music in the background. It's her hobby, and yet the excellent quality of her work suggests hours and hours of solid effort. Not being an artist, I wouldn't know just how much effort it requires, but from my discussions tonight, it seems to me that the artist gets as much pleasure from producing them as the viewer gets from looking at them.

SCHOLARSHIP DAY 36: Music at One, and Boreal Permafrost Walk

I woke up to the news that earlier this morning, a moose was wandering around outside Billie's hostel, around the tent areas. I don't think it was trying to make a reservation. Moose are common around these parts, as I'm sure I have said before, but they usually stick to the vegetated areas, rather than around buildings.

I wasn't up though to get a good peep at it; the day, furthermore, didn't start as well as it could have done. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough pancake mix in the box to make a good stack; in fact, I just managed one and had to result to 'Apple Jacks' and 'Fruit Loops'. These two cereals I don't recall the UK having, and although I am open to try new things, I would have preferred the extra couple of pancakes.

As a result of this breakfast tragedy, I felt more peckish at lunchtime, so just before going to the 'Music at One' concert, I decided to buy a small cinammon raisen bagel from a small coffee hut very close to the university. I keep walking by it, and have up to now, never committed myself to purchasing, but the warm bagel I had today was very much enjoyed. The lady on the counter, it seems to me, is looking forward to the arrival of winter, and more specifically, the snow.

I realise this post, so far, has only involved food and so I will make a conscious effort to move on. My first engagement of the day was to go back to the Davis Concert Hall, where the 'Music at One' concert was to take place. I went to one of these last week, and was very impressed by the young talent. Once again, there was a myriad of performances, from the marimba to the flute. Perhaps one of the best performances was the Bassoon and Piano number, although equally enjoyable was the tuba performance that I managed to grab a photo of. Apologies in advance for the blurred image.

Following the performance, my next important job was to buy another packet of pancake mixture, and as often is the case, I came out with more than I expected. There was a bunch of bananas on the reduced shelf which will do nicely for my banana splits at night times, and at 64 cents, I thought them very good value. And yet, here we are again, talking about food!

Outside the supermarket, this caught my eye. It's amazing to still see some colour, especially vibrant red. I returned to the hostel, deposited my shopping, and decided to make use of the lovely afternoon it was turning out to be.

There's a Boreal Forest I haven't explored yet, North East of the hostel, that borders Creamers Field (the place I visited yesterday.) What makes this particular forest so special is that there are so many features related to permafrost. I have tried to select only a few of the main ones.

First of all, the striking thing about this forest is the sense that a natural disaster has happened. Great  Birch pines lay paralyzed on the ground, and all the result of ice wedges. Ice wedges are found within the permafrost, and basically are cracks in the ground which have filled with ice, over the winter time. When the ice wedges melt, the overlying soil begin to slump, filling the ice free trough, and consequently the forest vegetation collapses.

Later on the walk, I came across an ecotone. This isn't necessarily a permafrost related feature, but it hardly comes up in A Levels anymore, so I thought I would give it some publicity. Ecotones are the transition zones between two ecological enviroments, where plant and animal communities intereact. Here, is clearly an ecotonel; this time between a Boreal forest (Spruce and Birch) to a grassland habitat, with only a dense shrub layer.

I made my way along the trail, back into the Boreal forest, where I came across a Thermokarst lake. So what happens here? Well, an area of the forest suffers wildfire, and soon the shade that trees were providing the ground with, disappears. The lack of shade on this bare land now increases the temperature of the soil, and eventually warms the permafrost. This leads to a thawing of the permafrost, giving rise to what is known as a Thermokarst lake. In the summer, this area would become a rich hydrosere, supporting an array of all sorts of wildlife.

For weeks, I have been remarking on the autumn fall colours. Leaves turned golden coloured a couple of weeks ago, and nearly all have fallen to the floor, to create a humus. But there's always one isn't there, as I noticed, as I was making my way through the forest.

Last but not least was the sand dune. In the middle of a Boreal Forest? Yes. It's not necessarily noticeable without a close study and it's not the typical sand dune you would find on a soft rock coastline or in a desert. After the last ice age, loess (wind blown) deposits of sand and silt built up in many areas across Alaska. The university sits on one, for example. The dune I walked on today was less elevated, but Spruce tree trunks were larger, and roots were more developed suggesting more ground stability.

I very soon made my way out of the forest and hiked home. As this post started on the theme of food, I might aswell end it along the same line. As I arrived back, another meal was waiting for me; this time, a Chinese meal composed of Chicken and Rice. I even got a fortune cookie! Gastronomical effects tomorrow, I'm sure, will make me regret this! Tomorrow looks to be a pretty busy day aswell!

SCHOLARSHIP DAY 35: My first visit to Creamers and my night of mushrooms!

Waking up at 9:00am is now pretty much the norm for me, so it wasn't any surprise today to go downstairs and find the other hostellers had left, perhaps for early morning flights or their morning university lectures. Sarah and Bill, however, were still in the kitchen and presented to me a present: a tripod that was left by Jack, a young man who has been travelling around Alaska recently. He obviously didn't need it anymore, and so now it will accompany my travels, especially on nights seeing the aurora, where a tripod is most certainly needed for the best photos. Thankyou Jack!

Today was a gorgeous day, meteorologically speaking. A bright blue sky, with only the odd cirrus cloud to break it. With temperatures quite high (15 degrees C) for this time of year, I decided to make the most of it and make my first visit to 'Creamers'.

Creamers is not high on the list of Alaska's native cultural pursuits, but it does offer the visitor the chance to escape the hub and vibe of the attractions and allows them, without a fee, to relax. It's basically a bird observatory, which in the height of summer, homes birds that have migrated from all around the world: South America, South Africa, Phillipines and India; the list goes on. But Creamers is not a building where you can see birds caged up. On the contrary, it's flat farmland, composed of about 10 or more separate polycultures. Visitors can take a pair of binoculars, stand, and watch the birds or they can walk their dogs along the many nature trails. There are so many trails, and I decided to explore the 'Farm Road Nature Trail' today. Despite its name, this walk was totally through arable farmland.

I couldn't believe how flat this land was; the landscape looked just like the ones from my English home county of the Norfolk Broads. One large flat farm, with just a mountain range in the background to break the horizon.

Creamers Farmland practices as many sustainable farming techniques as possible, most of which are common in England. Crop rotation is one such method; shallow rooted plants are replaced by deep rooted plants to promote nitrogen fixing and to rebuild soil fertility. A way of doing this is tillage; a farming method that involves digging and overturning the soil. I could easily spot these different polycultures.

Apart from arable farming, Creamers also has a dairy farm. Visible in the distance today, but I will go and visit it up close sometime in the not so distant future. Milk is one of my favourite liquids, as those who know me well, will know, so visiting a dairy will be a real treat.

Just in front of the dairy, you can see a large wash of green; a shallow rooted plant called Bird Vetch. It's an introduced species to North America as it's only native to Europe and Asia, and so here in Alaska, it is an invasive weed. Constant intensive management is required to get rid of it, but herbicides are not sustainable, so Creamers has chosen to leave it be.

At the end of the trail, I had a chance to visit the Alaskan Bird Observatory; a small, wooden hut that stages a shop and a few offices. I got the feeling they are in the progress of transforming the shop into a Raven musuem for this coming Friday's 'Raven' exhibition, because my quick circuit of the premisis didn't turn up anything of major interest, although out one of their windows I spotted a red squirrel chomping on a nut. Cute as it was, I have many photos of them now, and so didn't go out of my way to get my camera.

I haven't yet played around with the panoramic function on my camera, but today's walk through Creamers inspired me to start. Here's my first attempt.

Back at the hostel, I lunched al fresco. It was certainly warm enough, and I spent a couple of hours reading the latest Alaskan news. Norm Phillips, the Mayor Candidate who I spoke to a couple of weeks ago, did not win getting only 45% of the public's vote. Instead, Luke Hopkins was re-elected for another term.

My only other item on the itenary this afternoon, was to go to the 'Mushroom Talk' at the university. Mycological expert, Gary Laursen, talked extensively about his fungi explorations on islands around the Antarctic. Using the full latin names for those he found, I couldn't possibly list them here, but rest assured he has a fountain of knowledge about fungi. I particularly enjoyed his anecdotes from his trips; getting 'caught short' surrounded by King Penguins, finding Magic Mushrooms, and getting his fungi samples stolen by Terns (seabirds.)

I arrived back to the hostel to yet another generous offering from Sarah and Bill and appropriately it was a mushroom dish: mushrooms, tomatoes, rice, chicken, and brocolli.

DANIEL'S WEEKLY VIDEO DIARIES: Fairbanks, Alaska on 2/10/2012

SCHOLARSHIP DAY 34: A trip to the North Pole (but not as you know it!)

After having a relaxing day yesterday, after my visit to the North Pole the day before, it was great to be offered to go to Daniel's leaving meal. Daniel (another one) drove us to the Arctic Circle; he's a lovely gentleman, and although I've known him less than a week, it feels like I've known him all my life. His leaving meal was to take place at Pike's Landing, a lovely little establishment along the Chena River. Inside, it looked like a typical Norfolk pub that I have had the pleasure to dine in over the last 18 years; log burner, rustic tables and 'nice' music. You know what I mean!

Today, I said goodbye to Daniel and decided to spend my day at North Pole. Not 'the North Pole' though. It was about a half an hour journey on bus from downtown Fairbanks, and according to fellow hostellers, is certainly one to visit if you have time. I've also purchased a monthly bus pass now, and although it is $36, it should save me at least $60 on bus fares this month.

North Pole is a small city, smaller than Fairbanks, and is 1700 miles from the real one. Most housing is wooden and rustic, with the occasional house made out of concrete, aswell as the main plaza offering Safeway as a shopping option and a hotel for those staying the night. Fast food outlets are unmissable; McDonalds hits you just as you enter, with Pizza Hut and a burger bar only a few hundred yards away. The first interesting feature that caught my eye were the lamp posts, which reminded me of candy canes.

These traditional Christmas candy canes were just one of the many festive decorations that North Pole has to offer. I suppose being called what it is, it feels obliged to remain festive throughout the year. As I continued my explorative walk, I realised the city was serious about its festive theme. These hung from every post on 5th Avenue.

The lamp post decorations were only a taste though of what was to come. Indeed, the main highlight of the city was the Santa Claus Village. You can't miss it; the attractive wooden building is set behind two very large statues of Santa. Although the name uses 'village', most of the buildings are Christmas themed shops. As I entered, I realised I had stumbled upon a real treat. Red and white warm woolen winter wear were stacked ready for the Christmas shopping rush, large furry toys for kids were packaged in preparation for the season, and Christmas trees everywhere I looked. The shopkeepers were dressed up perhaps to look like Santa's little helpers, and perhaps most seasonal of all, traditional Christmas tunes were being played in the background. I try not to listen to Christmas tunes if I can help it, but I couldn't help but wander around the shop, humming along.

There was not one bare wall in the shop, for each face of the building was covered in children's letters to Santa. I spent some time reading them. Comparing them with what I remember putting in mine all those years ago, you can see just how the world has changed, even over the last 15 years. This was especially the case in terms of technology. Whereas I was asking for books and fluffy toys, many on the walls today were asking Santa for Wii games, Acer Laptops, and Play Stations.

Outside the shop, was another Reindeer farm, but it was somewhat smaller than the one I had seen near the university. I noticed on some of the Reindeer patches of blood, but signs on the fence seemed to acknowledge this and notified visitors that this was common for the time of the year. Reindeer grow new antlers which is something I didn't know until today.

SCHOLARSHIP DAYS 32 & 33: Arctic Circle Adventure-The First Snowfall, Wonderful Scenery, Fireworks, Northern Lights, and 3am when the car broke down in the middle of nowhere!

It was to be one of my biggest adventures since I arrived in Alaska; myself, Daniel (another one) and Dickie had planned to drive to the Arctic Circle. The circle is easily accessed from Fairbanks in a car, and although the journey stretches about 200 miles, the majority of it runs along the Dalton Highway. It's a journey full of such great geographical diversity; heading from suburban Fairbanks, through the boreal forest, over many different mountain ranges and finally across the tundra. I love journeys like these, and this one was particularly great as Daniel and Dickie encouraged me to tell them all about the landforms and the processes that formed them.

The plan was to reach the Arctic Circle, pitch the tent, light a fire, set off some fireworks, before watching the Northern Lights. The next day, we planned to drive back to the hostel. As always, what you plan to do never quite happens- however, none of us could have predicted what was about to come!

Fairbanks and quite a lot of northern Alaska had experienced the first snowfall of the winter the night before, and quite a lot of the journey towards the Arctic Circle offered fine views of snow-capped mountains and snow-smothered fir trees. More snow flurries were forecasted for the night, but we left the hostel at 11am in dry yet overcast conditions.

Our jouney along the Dalton Highway towards the Arctic Circle followed the route of the famous Trans Alaskan Pipeline; the reason for this is not for tourism necessarily, but to allow engineers to easily access the pipe if a certain part of it malfunctions. The highway cut through dramatic mountain ranges like the White Mountains and the Ray Mountains, and reached significant altitudes at various points, allowing for a photo stops. Typical cryospheric phenomena were evident; buckling in the road, pingos, ecologic lakes etc. We were making very good progress in the car, even after stopping off in a layby (called a turnout here) for some lunch; a strawberry jam sandwich.

Halfway throughout the journey, I got my first ever sighting of the major Yukon river. The Yukon is one of the most largest rivers in North America; its source starts in British Colombia (Canada) and it flows all the way through the Yukon territory, Alaska and it empties into the Bering Sea. It's total area is more than 25% larger than Texas. And there we were; Daniel and Dickie skipping stones whilst I surveyed the meander point bar, under one of only four bridges that transport motor vechicles across the Yukon.

By now, we had travelled some considerable distance, and the car's exterior was certainly evidence of that.

As the Arctic Circle got ever nearer, the topography became more dramatic. One stretch of the highway was called the 'Rollercoaster' because there were steep climbs and descents, much like this one.

From the top of one of these climbs, we got a great view of the rest of the highway and a zig zag pattern in the pipeline. It's a common engineering method, that allows the pipe to contract and expand upon diurnal temperature variations.

Very soon after the 'rollercoaster', I noticed the vegetation was changing dramaticallly. The boreal forests were disappearing, making way for smaller shrubs and grasses, until finally, a tundra wilderness. The tundra stretched out for miles, and we stopped by some granite tors for the best views. It had obviously snowed quite a lot here, making the inhospitable tundra landscape perhaps even more inhospitable.

At 4:30pm, we finally arrived at the Arctic Circle. Each one of us wanted a photo by the sign, a popular photo stop for the tourists. Apart from the sign, there was nothing but wilderness, but we took a fairly quick walk around the forests, holding a knife in one hand and bear spray in the other. These forests are full of bears, and although they are going into hibernation around now, we didn't take our chances.

Later on, when the sun had set and the three of us were alone at the periphery of the Arctic Circle, Dickie was dying to let off the fireworks he had bought from Anchorage a couple of days ago. This would be the first time I've been part of the 'lighting' procedures rather than just a spectator. It all went pretty smoothly; 27 fireworks were let off creating noise and light in the air that I reckon could have been heard and seen from miles away.

It was about 10:00pm by now, and we set off for the journey home; a journey I will never forget. Nothing was out of the ordinary to begin with; we packed away our things and set off, south, towards Fairbanks. About 2 hours into the journey, we got glimpses of very faint light; the Northern Lights were about to put on a show for us, so we prepared our cameras and wrapped up warm. We now estimate the temperature was about -10 degrees C (yes, there was a minus in front of that!) and for sure, we could feel it! I did my best to block this out, laying myself down on the road behind the car, and gazed into the night's sky. This is what we saw.

What happened after that will be something I will never forget. From watching the lights, we saw that the car fuel gauge was on the last 1/8 of the tank, and with the best part of 150 miles left to go, we knew there was trouble ahead. Having said that, we optimistically continued on, but eventually came to a sudden stop, in the middle of the Dalton Highway. In the middle of nowhere, in other words. At 3am.

With a parking layby in 1500 feet from where the car had made it's last effort, Dickie and I decided to push. Even with gloves on, the task was very uncomfortable, and after pushing for about 10m, we gave up. Soon after that, we had plenty of ideas: walking to the nearest gas station, 20 miles away, pushing the car a mile every hour, and calling the emergency services. In the end, we decided to get the attention of passers by, but at 3:30am, these were few and far between. We did eventually stop someone, a truck driver who was quick to warn us that we were at least a hundred miles away from Fairbanks.

He went off to buy a can of gasoline, which meant more waiting, but eventually he returned and before long, we were on our way. The next thing I knew we had reached the hostel, and at 5am, there was only one place I was going to. You can probably guess.

After the drama of day 32, I decided that the rest of day 33 would be spent at the hostel. It's still pretty cold outside, but my exhaustion has got the better of me, and I will continue my adventures tomorrow.

SCHOLARSHIP: Excursion Notice

Just to let you know I'm off on an excursion to the Arctic Circle today and so my blog of days 32 and 33 will be published together on Monday night.