Arctic Vista
An Arctic Vista
You have all day and all night to take it in. But there is no night, just a different light. A territorial view from the tundra that changes as the earth rotates through space, always facing the sun. You are mere feet above sea level and have 360 degrees of unobstructed view. Every slight turn of the head brings different vistas into sight. Colour Peak, Crusoe glacier, Striae Hill, Hidden Ice field, Little Matterhorn, Kanguk Valley, Bastion Ridge, Expedition Fjord and Queen Elizabeth Island. High up on the hill side, Musk Ox can be seen grazing. A Lapland longspur lands to show off its catch. Only the lowest slopes are covered with the thinnest layer of soil, the life-giving minerals mixed with the slow decomposition of organic decay to provide a foothold for Arctic tundra. Waking up in the morning, it did not matter what time it was. You had all day and only your desire for rest determined when you slept. The time you carried on your wrist, merely provided a reminder that somewhere else, it was dark.
You did not know what the weather would be like. It did not really matter. Sometime during the day we would see fog and clouds wrapping the mountain peaks, or a shaft of light penetrating and illuminating – a clearing of the air to let us see Arctic blue sky – its own unique color.
Perhaps it’s a little colder in “the morning” but that could happen in the middle of the day as well. Our routine would start with beverages, for me a powdered juice followed by a hot cup of dark roasted coffee. But that’s just to get us going before we ventured off, exploring the hills – each footstep unveiling a different viewpoint. None of it ever appears the same. The only difference is where the shadows moved.
Waking up to a world that does not know time. The only difference is the location of the sun- always above the horizon. Timeless processes leaving their mark without regard to light – streams moving across the outwash to change the layout of pebbles in their path, carrying the concretions formed by chemical adhesion to some artifact buried deep in its core. My watch says it’s close to midnight and a fog bow forms with the sun’s light waves are diffracted to expose a white arch in the sky. It’s time for rest. Into our tents we go, eye shades to create a Its time for rest. Stepping out at three in the morning (driven by all that water we took in) and the mountains and skies around us lit up to expose the Arctic Vista.
A note: There is one thing about vistas. I tend to associate it with a broad view. But it is also component parts. Looking at the panorama the whole is pleasing to the eye. The colors, mountains, streams, and hill sides create an image which sucks you in. Drill down. Look at the detail of what is there. Each segment, every cliff, slope, mountain top, river valley, moraine – all include exquisite detail, and each segment screams out to be seen. Patterns, colors, and textures hide in the detail of the panorama. Cracks and gullies split the landscape. Scree slopes and talus cones smooth the rough edges. Waterfalls and rivers provide flow across the vista.
Read MoreYou have all day and all night to take it in. But there is no night, just a different light. A territorial view from the tundra that changes as the earth rotates through space, always facing the sun. You are mere feet above sea level and have 360 degrees of unobstructed view. Every slight turn of the head brings different vistas into sight. Colour Peak, Crusoe glacier, Striae Hill, Hidden Ice field, Little Matterhorn, Kanguk Valley, Bastion Ridge, Expedition Fjord and Queen Elizabeth Island. High up on the hill side, Musk Ox can be seen grazing. A Lapland longspur lands to show off its catch. Only the lowest slopes are covered with the thinnest layer of soil, the life-giving minerals mixed with the slow decomposition of organic decay to provide a foothold for Arctic tundra. Waking up in the morning, it did not matter what time it was. You had all day and only your desire for rest determined when you slept. The time you carried on your wrist, merely provided a reminder that somewhere else, it was dark.
You did not know what the weather would be like. It did not really matter. Sometime during the day we would see fog and clouds wrapping the mountain peaks, or a shaft of light penetrating and illuminating – a clearing of the air to let us see Arctic blue sky – its own unique color.
Perhaps it’s a little colder in “the morning” but that could happen in the middle of the day as well. Our routine would start with beverages, for me a powdered juice followed by a hot cup of dark roasted coffee. But that’s just to get us going before we ventured off, exploring the hills – each footstep unveiling a different viewpoint. None of it ever appears the same. The only difference is where the shadows moved.
Waking up to a world that does not know time. The only difference is the location of the sun- always above the horizon. Timeless processes leaving their mark without regard to light – streams moving across the outwash to change the layout of pebbles in their path, carrying the concretions formed by chemical adhesion to some artifact buried deep in its core. My watch says it’s close to midnight and a fog bow forms with the sun’s light waves are diffracted to expose a white arch in the sky. It’s time for rest. Into our tents we go, eye shades to create a Its time for rest. Stepping out at three in the morning (driven by all that water we took in) and the mountains and skies around us lit up to expose the Arctic Vista.
A note: There is one thing about vistas. I tend to associate it with a broad view. But it is also component parts. Looking at the panorama the whole is pleasing to the eye. The colors, mountains, streams, and hill sides create an image which sucks you in. Drill down. Look at the detail of what is there. Each segment, every cliff, slope, mountain top, river valley, moraine – all include exquisite detail, and each segment screams out to be seen. Patterns, colors, and textures hide in the detail of the panorama. Cracks and gullies split the landscape. Scree slopes and talus cones smooth the rough edges. Waterfalls and rivers provide flow across the vista.
