Ice on Kluane

We were looking out at an ice-covered lake, stopped in the middle of the highway and it was 3 a.m. The odd parts were it was the end of May, there were absolutely no other cars on the road, and it was as well-lit as an overcast day. We were driving up to Alaska and were making a short stop to take in the pristine and silent landscape. There were no pull-off, but the scene was too incredible to miss.

It was Kluane Lake in the Yukon territory in Canada and at 3 in the morning there was still plenty of light to see. No headlights needed. With two of our friends quietly asleep in the back of the van, Luke and I decided to walk around and take in the world around us. There was no electric hum, no traffic, simply the sound of the cool breeze blowing by our ears and the feel of the crisp air on our skin.

As we drove further north, the nights became less like nights and more like days, sometimes too bright to sleep. We continued to see more sights that captured our attention. There were more breezes that filled our ears and a continued absence of the seemingly constant electric hum that fills our lives.

As we finished our tour of Alaska and headed back south on the Alaskan highway, we passed the lake one more time. But in the span of 5 short days, we found almost all of the ice that covered Kluane Lake had melted and the arrival of summer had come full circle.

Kluane Lake, Yukon, Canada