Woke up this morning to a snow storm, with two inches already on the ground. It made for pretty scenery, so I went for a short walk out in the snow, then got into the Subaru and headed south. A grizzly and five caribou made an appearance, and as I was leaving the plain and starting into the Brooks Range foothills six muskox showed up near the road to see me off. This part of the world is a very, very special place, and it will be a tragedy if it isn’t allowed to remain as it is.
I’m now starting into the Brooks Range, and was greeted a short while ago by a fox that was completely black except for a white patch on his tail. I’ve never heard of a black fox, and was dumbfounded as I watched him trot towards me, head around the car, and then across the road and up into some rocks. I’ll have to check the bookstores in Fairbanks to try and figure out exactly what he was.