Winter to Spring – April 2026

We made it through winter. Seriously. We made it through. It was a winter for the record books (and I wish I was just saying that or exaggerating, but no it really it was). We broke records this winter of ‘25-’26 (yes, I was going for a geezer moment there- indulge me in this, I just lived it- thank you kindly). 

This winter is going into the record books as the all-time coldest winter since temperatures started being recorded in Fairbanks (1904!!!). Being heralded as a sub-zero marathon of a winter, we spent 152 consecutive days below freezing, with 31 days of those at or below -40F. That would be the fourth highest amount of -40-degree days in a single winter. 72 of those 152 days were spent at or below -20. It was WILD to experience that’s for sure. Sadly, yes sadly, we only tied the record for the latest “first day above zero”. On top of that, we got 92.6” of snow, which is the 12th snowiest winter on record. 

All that to say…winter was not terrible. It was a thing to experience. 

When we moved up here, I said I was excited to experience an “Interior Alaska” Winter. I wanted to feel it all- from the darkness, to the frigid harsh temps, to the snow; I wanted the full experience…and I got it.From Winter Solstice Celebrations, to eating dinner with a moose, to seeing both light pillars AND The Northern Lights, to experiencing extreme cold and Ice Fog, to going dog mushing. Winter offered a little bit of everything and I honestly loved every minute of it. So, let’s break it down and talk about what life and the weather looks like now.I’ll pop some pictures in so you can experience some of it too.

First off, the darkness. Yes, it’s true we get down to the point where we only have about 3 hrs. and 30-45 minutes of “daylight”. Yes, that is INSANE to experience…and yet it’s also so cozy. We break out the sun lights first thing in the morning to help us get up and go and re set our circadian rhythm. At night we cuddle up on the couch with all the lamps and cozy lighting you can imagine and hunker down. Life moves slower, more intentionally. There isn’t any “let me just run out for this” and yet you never really feel stir crazy. The Northern Lights are OUT and out constantly. We could see them some nights from our windows and would just lay and watch them. We have fireworks in the dead of winter- in fact the Winter Solstice Celebration is one to experience and to remember.

When the daylight comes, most of the time it is full sun. If it’s sunny it’s a dry cold and it’s bearable. Bundle up in all your layers and go outside for 5-10 minutes. It resets you. You may only see that sun for 3 ½ hours, but you’re seeing that sun. It’s incredible. 

Then there’s the snow. Yes, it’s a lot of snow. Yes, it compacts on the road and for 4-6 months you’re driving on compact snow mixed with gravel and ice and no pavement. Yes, it means you have to get used to how your car handles in those conditions or look at getting different tires. BUT it’s beautiful. It’s white. It’s pristine. It’s crisp. It’s literally like living in a snow globe while it’s snowing. The amount of time I spent in my window seat just watching big white flakes come down…unreal. The snowblower was definitely a necessity just for the sheer relocating purposes of all the snow. It was wonderous. 

Finally, there’s the extreme cold. I will admit- there are times when this feels brutal. I did hit a brief period where I just wanted winter to end. I was tired of the cold, I wanted to wear dresses again, and I just wanted to be able to get out. Thankfully this only lasted, at most, two weeks and right in the middle the worst of the cold broke and we started to see more reasonable temperatures. The thing to note about Interior Alaska is it’s very dry.  So, the cold is very dry. Which, in turn, makes it very manageable. Am I saying I want to live at -40F forever? Absolutely not. Am I saying, that -40 is wild to experience and I’m glad I got to? Absolutely. 

Something I will forever remember is that with -40 temps, comes the fog. The frozen fog. This thick, can’t see half a foot in front of your face fog that doesn’t let up. It’s like being in a horror movie, but in a cool way because you can only experience it by being here and experiencing it. We had several days of this (and in hindsight probably contributed to my winter irritation when it came back around for a second go) and it’s not something I will be forgetting anytime soon. 

So, now that winter has “passed”, what does it look like? Well…almost the same. We still have snow everywhere, though our big berms are being taken down as part of the snow removal efforts (to ease and quicken clean up), the roads are, for the most part, pretty clear to drive on (so no more driving on hard pack snow and ice), and the temps are very slowly rising…though what would have felt warm this time last year is now very different. We’re in the low forties for our highs every day and its very much a “leave the jacket inside” temperature at this point for us. I’m not quite breaking out all of the sundresses, but I’m in some sort of long sleeve dress almost every day OR a jeans/tee/sweater combo. I’ve been known to utter the words “I’m so flipping hot today” several times over the last couple weeks. We’re starting to see some {dead} grass, which is a comfort, and our daylight hours are extending noticeably (as I’m writing this, we are well over 14 hours of daylight). There is a lightness around- like everyone is coming out from the winter hibernation, fresh and ready to start again. Life is coming back, and you can feel it from the longer days to the warmer temps, to the smile and lightness afoot in everyone.

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Anchorage – March 2026

We decided that we needed to travel for Spring Break. We didn’t travel over the winter holidays, choosing to spend our first winter hunkered down (which was the correct answer), but we were desperate to travel over Spring Break. With the timing of Spring Break being the same time of the start of the Iditarod, we decided that we had to go to Anchorage and Willow to see the ceremonial and official starts. 

The Iditarod is a dog sled race that honors the Iditarod Trail- which was used as a point of contact for Nome with the rest of the world, most famously in 1925 Serum Run to give lifesaving serum to the community of Nome in the middle of a diphtheria epidemic. This was not the first time there was a serum run, this was the most famous and was run completely by mushers (the dog sled teams). This initial run was 674 miles and was run as a dog sled relay (if you’ve ever seen Balto or heard the story, this is the history). The Iditarod race exists as a way to ensure the culture of mushing AND preserve the Iditarod Trail. 

The first time the Iditarod was run was in 1973 after many years of dreaming of the race. With The Iditarod, there are also many other dog races across the region, one of which we’ve seen (the Yukon Quest Alaska). There are two different trails, a northern and a southern route, which alternate years. At every stop the dogs checked and tended to, the mushers and kennels keep the dogs health and wellbeing as the utmost priority. In fact, this year (as I ca say this as the race is winding down as I’m writing this), several teams dropped out just due to animal health- not even major health problems, just general needs. 

It’s incredible to see these teams, the care they give, the dedication to both the dogs and the history, and how the community really comes together to celebrate and honor this tradition. 

There are two “starts”- a ceremonial and an official. The ceremonial start is just that- ceremonial. It’s a short race, but a chance for the teams and community to honor the history and give a little “send off” to the teams. The second start, the “official” start takes place at Willow, on the lake (which is fully iced over), and is very much a “party”. Fans bring out entire picnics, ice shanty’s to stay warm, snow machines, and we even saw some fire pits as well! The atmosphere was just one of joy and excitement for all these teams to finally take off after the lead up training. Both were incredible to see and be a part of and if you can make it to both I would! 

Anchorage lights up for the full week leading up to the ceremonial start, there’s the Fur Rendesvouz, several other expo center events, a fur auction, the snow carving competition, Running with the Reindeer- it’s a fully packed week. I was super excited to be able to be down there and be a part of the fun, and for us to just experience this event as a family. It was also super fun to then follow along with our favorite racers and the one’s we were cheering- we even had ridden with a team prior that was racing.

Once the excitement with The Iditarod concluded, we still stayed a couple days in Anchorage just to see the area a little bit. Unfortunately our days mis matched  with when some of the things I wanted to see were open and the weather didn’t work out (time of year wise), but nevertheless we made it work. We walked through downtown (ish), wandered into the Ulu Factory and stopped in to both the Alaska Public Lands Information Center and the Anchorage Museum. Our second day we visited the Alaska State Zoo, and The Aviation Museum.

The Alaska Public Lands Information Center is located inside the Old Federal Court Building, which is still an active courthouse. The museum breaks down the different animals, ecology, and issues that exist within Alaska. It was really interesting to walk through and there is a short video to watch too (which changes, but was about the 1964 Earthquake when we went there). 

The Anchorage Museum covers everything from art, to ecology, to history within Alaska. There is a discovery center that allows kids to get hands on with different concepts- volcanos, wind speed, earthquakes. Then the second and third floors are devoted to history and art work. It was a really great experience and we spent almost an entire afternoon wandering the rooms of the museum. 

The Alaska Zoo is small, but mighty. You can expect a pretty good variety of animals, both zoo and rescue. It’s definitely intended to be visited in the Spring/Summer, but we were able to get some pretty good views and animal action on the day we visited. It should be noted, if you visit in the “off season” there aren’t very many food/snack options, nor are there any inside options (though the inside portion is a year round situation).

We also went over to the Aviation Museum. This covers aviation history for the entirety of the history of Alaska. There has actually been a lot of pioneering in the state of Alaska when it comes to aviation and a lot of interesting history. The museum also touches on the battle at the Aleutian Islands- which is some World War 2 history a lot of people don’t know about. Alongside that, the museum itself is situated right next to the airport, so you get to see the standard flight airport, AND the water planes taking off and landing. It was really cool to see.

On our final morning we took the coastline drive out of Anchorage- over to Beluga Point, along Turnagain Arm, and over to Whittier before heading to Seward. 

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6 Months In

We have lived in Interior Alaska for 6 months now. Which, honestly if we hadn’t moved with somewhat regularity, would be very hard to believe. The time has gone by so fast! 

I was asked this week if I felt like we were “settled”. It’s an interesting question. When you move as frequently as a military family can, settled carries varied levels. Do I feel like we are building our community? Yes. Do I feel like our house is set up and I’m happy with it? Yes. Are we adjusting to the new schedule and work life my husband has here? Sure…maybe…yes? So, I guess my answer overall is yes, we feel settled, but we also feel the knowledge that we could move this summer or in three years. And that’s just where we are at. We just have to enjoy what we get in each place. 

So, what were our first 6 months in Interior Alaska like? Stunning. Incredible. Cold. A little dark. But before we get into those last ones, let’s talk about Late Summer/Autumn- which were stunning. 

We arrived in Interior Alaska in the middle of July. The fireweed was still in bloom, the trees still green, and the temperatures still mild to warm (though not hot post El Paso). The sun was still shining at 11:00PM and life was good. It wasn’t the height of the summer, the height of the heat, but we got a little taste of what Summer can feel like here and we very quickly fell in love. 

Autumn lasted approximately 2 weeks, but those two weeks were so wonderful. It’s not the stunning reds/oranges/bright yellows of the Adirondacks, BUT it is this beautiful muted yellow that just sets the tone for the lead up to winter. The sunlight is starting to fade, and the trees just give this…muted but still cozy vibe. It very much adds to the feelings you get with winter approaching here. 

And Winter, ah winter…

Is it strange to say that I was actually looking forward to winter the most? Not because I was eager for the cold and dark that we had heard so much about, but I was interested in what it would actually be like. I wanted to experience it all and what did -40 really feel like? What did 3.5 hrs. of sunlight feel like? I was looking forward to that. 

I can say, with certainty, that Alaska did not disappoint. In fact, Alaska rose to the challenge and delivered us the COLDEST DECEMBER SINCE 1980. It was also the coldest month overall since January 2012. Oh, and also, we are in the SECOND LONGEST stretch of subzero temperatures since 1904. So……..ask and ye shall receive? (Though we could debate that I didn’t actually ask for this level of cold- more so just for winter here, but it’s neither here nor there…).

With all of that said, I loved winter. There’s just something incredibly special to experience extreme temperatures, learn how to adapt, and what needs to be done when it is extreme. We learned about plugging cars in or leaving them running. We learned about how to dress for the temperatures and when to get out of the house…and when it’s really just better to stay cozy. Ultimately, we learned just how well we, as humans, can adapt to mother nature. 

The daylight of it all is really not that terrible- it’s actually been nice to be honest. Most of the time we are able to still see the sun, it’s only when it’s snowy or ice fog (yes that’s a real thing and honestly probably the most miserable part of winter here) that you feel the lack of daylight. I started taking some extra Vitamin D in November and started using a sun lamp around the same time. I feel like that’s been key to my “get up and go” drive. I also use a sunlight alarm clock-which is debatable on if it works, but it certainly just sets the vibes for the day. 

The snowfall has also not been terrible. In part because it’s dry fluffy snow, but also because it doesn’t leave. It stays white and pristine and beautiful through the season (don’t worry- we will check back in at break up season and see how I feel then). It always looks and feels like a winter wonderland- especially when that sun comes out and blesses us. We’ve got a lot of snow, but it’s been spread out throughout the months, so it’s been manageable. 

Finally, the real question- the cold. It’s not…terrible. There I said it. It’s not exactly enjoyable, but if you layer up properly and have things covered, it doesn’t feel terrible until you get past around -35. Which feels wild to say. But we went and watched the Winter Solstice fireworks at -35 and we were alright for the 20-30 minutes we were outside for it. Plus, that was just a really cool experience to have. I will say, once we drop below that you will not catch me enjoying any amount of time outside…at all. But at that point as long as your properly covered then it’s fine. When running in and out stores I usually don’t even get into full gear- just a winter coat, single layer wool gloves and that’s it. 

The only really downfall is that when it gets beyond cold (so -40 and beyond) we get ice fog. And that can be rough at times. Beyond that though it’s been better than I thought it would be! 

So, all in all we LOVE it here. We are absolutely contemplating a retirement here. The community is great, the location is great, the scenery is incredible, the wildlife is amazing…we just love it. 

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