Freeze up!

 Our temperatures started to really drop end of September. We have had an extremely windy fall. By  mid October the ice was showing along the edges of our river. These two men were heading off to Bethel to put the boat up for the winter. They were to pick up another boat in Nunapitchuk, but were unable to get there as there was already too much ice.

View in front of the school.

 This is Atmau Nepenthe waiting for its winter home. The photo shows most boats have been pulled up from the river. It becomes a group effort one day, all those boats still in the water are hauled out by a group of men.

 The ice begins to pile up as it moves with the current. The sounds can be like tinkling glass as it bumps up against each ice sheet. Good reminder. We have no control, ready or not, winter is on its way.

 This was a first official snow cloud that I could catch. It was rather ominous to watch it approach, dark and fast, as it took over the sun.

It took three days in order for the upriver ice to float down and pile up enough to cross the river. About a week later we had ice thick enough for people to walk on it and set nets. There were still pockets of open water.