Bering Has Landed - Selawik Alaska by Ella Derbyshire

Nikon D80's

This is the arrival of the morning Bering Air flight from Kotzebue to Selawik Alaska. Selawik is a Inupiat village of about 1000 people who are isolated from the rest of the world by hundreds of miles of roadless tundra. Airplanes connect Selawik to surrounding villages year-round, but there are seasonal alternatives for inter-village travel in Northwest Alaska.

In the winter snowobiles travel well-marked trails along frozen waterways and across deep snow to get from village to village. The wet spots in the soil tell you that winter is finally leaving the village, and that soon travel will not be safe over the melting ice. Travelers will have to wait for breakup, after which boats will offer an alternative to airplanes.

If you look for a car or a truck in this panorama, you won't see one. With no roads, folks in Selawik get around on 4-wheelers and on snowmobiles. You will see some good examples of basket sleds, which are great for hauling cargo and people behind snowmobiles. There is a good turnout for this plane, which carried passengers and cargo this morning.