Summer has arrived in Alaska!
A game of follow-the-leader at 1am on Summer Solstice for Pali, Klu and their Catahoula sister, Jupiter.
Pali enjoys a bike ride early in the day during the Alaskan summer.
And Galavanting Poodles is soaking up every sun-filled second!
Summer days in Alaska start early and never really end. I think that one could say; an Alaskan summer is really just one long, continuous day that lasts the equivalent of three calendar months. Slow and easy, the days and weeks get mixed up together, like a bowl of baking ingredients for chocolate chip cookies.
One tell-tale sign of Alaska summer is the regular confusion as to the time of day, the day of week, and even the month of the year. Every day feels a bit like the weekend, even when we go to work at a 9-5 office job. The air just feels different, the light is brighter, and the day doesn't end until September rolls around.
A late evening trek into the mountains with Kluane.
The beauty of all this day-to-night confusion?
Midnight romp in the backyard for Bryce
None of it really matters to Alaskans!
A hike into the mountains can begin at 8am or 8pm and it's all the same to us and our dogs. Summer time daylight up this high in the Earth's northern hemisphere means days don't really follow a specific schedule for the Galavanting Poodles. And between you and me? I think the Poodles love the laid back nature of the summer (anti)schedule. The way one moment flows casually into the next, with no plan or greater purpose... like a river carving out a valley, summer days for my Poodles are easy, relaxed and flowing from one sweet adventure to the next. Working slowly and diligently, carving out the months until the daylight welcomes back the dark, and we begin our long slumber in the Winter night.
Before my eyes open, I can feel his breath on my face. His nose pressed as close as he dared without touching my face. He senses I’m awake. My eyes are still closed, but he knows the rhythm of my breathing as though it were his own. I smile. Slowly, I open my eyes, squinting from the bright sun pouring in through my window. It’s barely 7 am, but the Alaska sun is high in the sky.