44 years ago to the day, I first set foot in Barrow. Having just left NYC two days prior, hitting an Eskimo village at the start of the dark season back when winters in the Arctic were really Arctic winters, I had many serious misgivings about the adventure I’d decided I needed. Clearly that didn’t last long. It took me one day on the tundra to realize I feel more at home there than in any other climate in the world. Yes, I know that’s strange but it’s true. My second day in Barrow I walked through the whole village and along the beach and I have never felt like I belonged somewhere as much as I felt I belonged there.
Weird, huh?