Summer is fairly easy. Other than the sun never setting, it is pretty similar to other parts of the USA. The big difference is that you are a lot more affected by the wilderness, including large animals like moose, mosquitos, and bears.

Winter really sucks. Everyone has good Arctic gear to keep warm. Cars either need to be plugged in or left running to keep from freezing. Snow keeps piling up and doesn’t melt for a while.

There is a strong sense of community and helping out neighbors because it is the only way to survive out there. People leave their doors unlocked, in part because people may need to escape a large animal mentioned earlier.

That said, there are a lot of weird people in Alaska, mainly as it is a good place to find manual labor jobs that don’t require a background check. There is also a massive male-female imbalance.

When I lived in central Alaska, I saw summertime temps of up to 90F (32C) and wintertime temps down to -55F (-48C).

Summer was amazing; endless sunlight. 23.5 hours during the Summer Solstice. Want to play sports at 2am in broad daylight? Easy.

Winter was also amazing, but with the serious understanding that venturing outside without the proper life safety equipment (proper cold weather gear and communication with someone about your whereabouts and route), you could die in about an hour. But those Auroras… a stunning, and gorgeous midnight sentinel dancing above your head—absolutely worth it.

I miss it.