Frozen Morning / Return of the Moose

On a chilly Alaskan morning, the moose finally returned to the Hay Flats below our house. They've been absent from view since September. Likely pushed into heavier cover during the hunting season, they have finally gained the confidence to return to the open flats to feed in the surrounding treeline, and consume the concentrated minerals in various icy pockets in the frozen wetlands of the Hay Flats.


Watching the moose on the flats, while awaiting the sunrise over the Chugach Mountains.


Chilly temps have returned, if only temporarily. The colder weather feels more appropriate for this time of year, even if we are still lacking our desired snow depth.


But the recent fog has left plenty of frost on the tree limbs.


Sunrise is almost here...


Frost on our deck rail in the foreground, nearing sunrise over the mountains in the background.




10:24 am, the sun peaks over the mountains.

In Utqiagvik (formerly known as Barrow), their last view of the sun was five days ago. It set there at 1:43 pm, and won't rise again for another 65 days. Above video shows the last day of official sunrise in timelapse, courtesy of our UAF Geophysical Institute (Sea Ice Webcam), audio added.


Sun beginning to warm up the backside of the house.


Looking down on our hanging plants from last Summer, now frozen in place hanging off our deck rail.


On chilly mornings like this, we see a ~1 or 2 degree dip right after the sun appears (don't know why it dips, but it always does), then a rapid warm up as the sun's warmth covers the flats.


Capturing Jolene, capturing the sunrise, off our bedroom deck. These mornings are special to us, because our days are normally a hustle-and-bustle time, too busy to be able to watch a sunrise, even on weekends due to the kids' sports and other activities. So a slowdown over the holiday weekend provides us a rare opportunity to enjoy a slower pace, and appreciate the often-overlooked miraculous details of the world around us.