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| Fireworks over the sea ice to welcome in the new year |
Upon my return from NY, I’ve been greeted by some of the coldest weather in Nome history. We hit the record for the most consecutive days with temperatures below -30 degrees (it’s been 12 days and counting; the previous record was 9 days in a row). It’s the first time in 13 years that Nome has experienced temperatures below -40 degrees. It has been far colder than usual for January, and it hasn’t registered at zero degrees or warmer since December 23rd. Wind chill temperatures have consistently dipped to -60 degrees. Water and sewer lines are freezing up all over town, some of which are frozen all the way into the city, with no hope of thawing out until summer. Yes, this means that the people living there can no longer flush a toilet or run a faucet for the next 6 months. Even more seriously, there have been cold-related deaths already this year, with one man found frozen on the beach less than a mile from my apartment. In short, this kind of cold is no joke.
While I am fortunate enough to have a warm apartment with running water, I now have some firsthand experience in how destructive this cold can be. My poor truck succumbed to the extreme conditions, and could not be started. Although it was plugged in, the battery and engine heaters alone did not keep my truck in working order. Existing in Nome without a vehicle is not an option for me, as I must drive 4 miles into work each day, and it’s $22 round trip to take a taxi. So began my mission to save my truck. I am forever indebted to my friends from KNOM, as they were with me every step of the way in the many trials and tribulations of resurrecting my vehicle. We had no luck with a traditional battery jump. The cold makes everything extremely brittle; a few wrong touches broke off a backdoor handle, and the plug that runs to my battery heater. The KNOM boys knew just what to do, and helped me replace the plug; we MacGyvered it with a hairdryer, q-tips, and frozen electrical tape (this had to be taken inside and sat on like a hen’s egg to get it warm enough to use). After a day of working…replaced plug? Check! A truck that starts? No dice.
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| Working on my truck, inexplicably cold |
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| Pointing to my tears on his coat - no success! |
On the second day of operation zombie truck I cajoled a friend into driving me out to the school to borrow the battery charger. Over the course of the day I went from not even being able to identify this piece of equipment, to being able to operate it correctly in all of its many settings and functions. Maybe not the most impressive feat, but hey. I spent the day in and out of the cold, charging and recharging my car battery, hoping each time that my truck would jump back to life. I was so confident that my efforts would work, but alas, my truck remained dead as a doornail. Disheartening to say the least.
As if all of this weren’t enough, doing these things in -30 degree weather was no easy task. My fingers could only be exposed for a few seconds before they lost all fine motor coordination, and began to hurt. My face was so cold that my mouth would not form coherent words. My lungs stung from breathing in the cold air, as if I had just run for miles at a full sprint. My feet were painfully cold after 20 minutes outside, even though they were snug in boots rated to -100 degrees. My eyebrows and eyelashes were frosted over, and I kept having to take breaks inside to warm up (any exposed skin will be frostbitten in 10 minutes); there was a difference of 110 degrees from inside my apartment to the world just outside my arctic entryway. Insane.
On the third day my truck rose again, not in fulfillment of any scriptures, but thank the good lord nonetheless. Temperatures had risen dramatically to -17 degrees, a justifiable heat wave that was just enough to take the bitter cold edge off of things. After one last four-hour stint on the battery charger, I went outside, said a little prayer to any higher power that would listen, and cranked the key. So ensued the most beautiful sound I have ever heard; my truck’s engine groaning to life! I can’t explain the sheer jubilation I felt, it was as if I had won the Super Bowl. I ran victory laps around the block, I hooped and hollered, and knelt down like Tebow to thank all that is good in this world. It took me a few minutes to come back down to reality, and realize that I should unplug the charger, let my truck warm up a bit, and take it for a spin. Never before have I been so excited to take a joyride around the limited road system of Nome. Even thinking about it now brings a joyful tear to my eye. Straight up miracle, that’s all I can say.
Ever since this somewhat traumatic experience, my truck has been dependably starting, and hasn’t let me down again. It’s amazing how something so downright mundane and expected could be so exciting and gratifying. I mean let’s be honest. Trucks normally start when you turn the key, right? But all rules are off when it’s -40 degrees outside, before factoring in a wind chill. I keep asking myself, why do people live here? Why are buildings positioned in ways that require vehicles for transportation to them; no vehicle should be expected to function properly in these temperatures! The folks of Nome are defying the laws of nature living and thriving here. It’s truly amazing, inspiring, crazy, and a bit foolish. Go figure, I’m one of them.
My truck started up just in time for the workweek, but my tryst with frozen vehicles was far from over. I was on the first shift of the first day back to work, and was on the clock a full hour before any of my teacher counterparts. I was tasked with picking our new batch of students up from the airport, however there was one big problem parked in my way; our 15-passenger van was encased in 3 weeks worth of ice and snow, to the point where no door could be opened. Over the next hour, I single-handedly (and I admit, begrudgingly) fought open this vehicle with nothing more than a pitcher refilled with lukewarm water and a heat gun.
I had not worn arctic gear appropriate for being in the elements for an extended period of time, as I never anticipated “unfreezing a van” would become part of my job description. Try as I might, much of the water I poured on the van evaporated or re-froze immediately, making the task just plain Sisyphean. My thin cotton mittens and jeans were frozen solid from wayward water that was hastily dumped from above my head. Miserable. After what seemed like a lifetime I finally broke into the front driver and passenger side doors, however the main doors allowing folks into the back of the van remained cemented shut. Time was up, so I picked the students up in three groups, each of which had to enter through the front passenger side door, dragging their luggage and climbing over all of the seats (and each other) to get to an open seat. Cue teenage angst and grumbling. This job is certainly pushing me to my limits.
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| Newest group of junior high students |
One saving grace of this week was a surprise meteor shower. I began my Wednesday morning shuttling students to and from the rec center for their morning workout, and was witness to a glorious show of falling stars. I brushed the first one off as a simple trick of the mind, but the light show continued. What an incredible and rare treat; I guess one upside of it being dark out until noon is that I was able to enjoy this phenomenon all morning long!
I have become familiar with a few more subarctic specific occurrences this week. I added a new word to my vocabulary: hoarfrost. This is when ice crystals build up in a thick blanket, encasing everything in a crystalline frost that looks like snow. This frost is so intense, that it even forms a new layer over the snow. Snow that frosts over, are you kidding me?! I’ve also become leery of touching anything metal. The air is so dry here that touching a doorknob delivers an electrocution-grade shock. Alright, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but dang it hurts! Each morning I’m careful to pick up my feet so that my wool socks can’t build up a charge. Even so, it’s guaranteed that when I reach my hand to open my bedroom door, a visible blue arch of electricity jumps from my finger and yowza!
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| Hoarfrost built up on a car door handle |
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| Growing frost crystals on snow and branches |
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| Frosted over snowbank |
The mixture of extreme cold and dry also provides the perfect conditions for a magic show of sorts. Step 1. Boil a cup of water. Step 2. Bring the cup outside, and toss the water into the air. Step 3. Be amazed, because it's frozen before it hits the ground. And actually, most of the water will just instantly disappear into the atmosphere. Another fun trick? After survival swimming each morning, the students and I walked from the pool back to the school. Our two-minute trek across the parking lot resulted in completely frozen towels and bathing suits. After leaving these items outside for longer, they mysteriously became unfrozen and completely dry. Sublimation in rapid action. Strange things happen when it’s this cold out, let me tell you.
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| After being slung over my arm, my towel stands up on its own! A video made by a family in my district, enjoy! |
