Barbra and I hiked from the Arctic village of Point Hope about three miles across the frozen Chukchi Sea to where a Bowhead Whale had been caught. These Inupiat crews still use handmade wood-framed boats fitted with seal skin hulls. Here the crew is preparing to bring the whale up onto the ice. It is cold, difficult work; that day a man lost part of his finger setting up the block-and-tackle. But it is joyous, too, as the meat and blubber is distributed throughout the village. After taking this picture, I handed the camera to Barbra and added my shoulder to the tow rope.

I have recently (mostly) completed curating over a decade’s worth of photographs taken during the years we lived in the Alaska Bush – villages not accessible by road. Keep watching this site for a new photograph each day. Your comments are appreciated. JD