The Longest Day of My Life

Zach Ginn ‘23

This summer I spent 70 days north of the Arctic Circle. For most of this time, the sun never set. After quarantining at a hotel in Fairbanks, I drove nine hours north with my research partners Luca and Caroline to Toolik Lake Field Station. We were there to research how plants and pollinators respond to climate change, but that would only be part of our experience. While the sun ran circles around our heads, spring frost thawed into summer haze and clouds of massive mosquitos. Long days in the field collecting nectar and observing bumblebees blended into bright nights dancing around the bonfire and skinny dipping in Toolik Lake. Sundays brought adventures through the desolate peaks of the Brooks Range and encounters with grizzlies, musk ox, and falcons. As isolation crept in, I found comfort in good friends, food, echoing loon calls, and the small-scale beauty of the tundra. The sun began to set, rain and sleet became more frequent, and fall loomed in the air. Just like that, we departed Toolik for the real world. Now I am left with streams of memories frozen in time from the longest day of my life.

All images were taken on the land of the Tanana Peoples.