How to Prepare for a Visit to the North Pole in Barrow, Alaska

Being accustomed to travel for my job a couple times a month, the thought of having an assignment to the remote town of Barrow Alaska stopped me dead in my tracks. I knew how to prepare for trips to Miami, or Ohio, but how do you prepare to go to Barrow when winter is in full force?

The residents of Barrow refer to their city as the North Pole, because it is the northern most city on the tip of Alaska and is perched on the Artic Ocean. Barrow has a population of around 4,000 people, and temperatures that drop to subzero levels below zero by 30-40 degrees. Within the winter months Barrow receives little or no sunlight. There are no direct roads that lead to Barrow. Only planes that are half cargo planes and half passenger planes fly in and out of the city.

Reading all the statistics on Barrow, I became pretty concerned about how to get ready for a trip to Barrow. One big question that kept popping into my head was how to dress for the weather. My trip was scheduled for the winter and I needed to make sure that I was warm enough to survive. I was lucky to have a native of Barrow for guidance, and discovered that a down jacket was a must along with a good pair of gloves that included wind protection from the elements. I have never worn long underwear in my life, but I took a pair with me and found that I used them everyday. Warm boots and wool socks are also a great thing to have to keep your feet warm. Several shows I've seen have men in fur animal hats with ear flaps; believe it or not, these hats were common to see around town, and are known for their warmth.

During my trip in late January Barrow received an hour of sunlight during the day, around noon. I was concerned that I would not be able to adapt to this change in conditions, but found that the darkness wasn't hard to deal with. The darkness that I experienced was more of a twilight feeling, than darkness.

I was lucky enough to have a native of Barrow escort me around in their truck to and from our place of work, in an already warm vehicle. Cars need to be started and warmed up several times a day even if they aren't being used, to ensure they would continue to start and not freeze from the cold conditions. Even thought the community is small, there is a taxi service.

The cuisine of the town is quite a mix, just like the town itself. Although most of the population of the town is natives of the land, a small population is made up of a mix of cultures. Most of the local restaurants have mixed menus that include anywhere from a hamburger, to Chinese, to sushi. One of my favorite eating establishments is named Pepe's North of the Border restaurant. This restaurant serves Mexican cuisine and is owned by Fran Tate. When you visit the restaurant for your first time you sign a guestbook and each year you will receive your own calendar straight from Pepe's.

I spent time in the Top of the World hotel which is located directly next to Pepe's restaurant. Although the hotel wasn't the finest of establishments, it possessed a charm that cannot be easily described. The lobby was adorn with furs and native artwork.

I visited the grocery store once in Barrow. My suggestion to future travelers is to pack all your snacks in your luggage when you go to Barrow. The local grocery store has tremendously high prices because each item in the grocery store has to be either flown in or boated in. This gets expensive and the prices in the grocery store reflect this. I remember how my mouth dropped when I saw that a standard bag of packaged shredded cheese was around $12! Just by buying a 10 items or less you could easily spend 100 dollars on your groceries.

Since my time spent in Barrow was during the dark season it was hard to see the beauty of the snowy land. If you are traveling to Barrow, make sure you view the whale bones next to the sign that welcomes you to the "Top of the World". At least once a year the natives of the town go whaling. They even have special holidays that revolve around whaling. The natives hunt for whales and bring them back to the town and then harvest everything they can from the whale. The "Top of the World" sign has the jaw bones from a whale and is magnificent and makes for a wonderful photo opportunity. The sign is also located right on the Artic Ocean. My guide kept telling me I had to see the palm tree in Barrow. I couldn't understand what he meant since it was bitterly cold, but he drove me to an area that is used for fishing where a long palm tree was plotted. It was not real, but made for a funny picture.

With the melting of the ice caps, the natives have noticed more and more polar bears wondering in-land. When a bear is spotted, the radio station is notified to alert the community that a bear is in town. With the local dump not to far from the town, it's a good idea to stay awake and alert when traveling on foot around town.

At one point I was lucky enough to come with my guide to a local clothing shop equipped with shelves and shelves of furs. It was like stepping into a museum to go through each shelf and marvel at the beauty of the fur and the craftsmanship of each piece.

My trip to Barrow turned out to be one of the trips in my life that I will never forget. It was a warm and welcoming town, with great spirit and character. I was easily picked out as a visitor of the community, but was warmly welcomed and felt right at home. A part of my heart will always be with the townspeople of Barrow. It was a trip of a lifetime.