Svalbard after dark

Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole. Also known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, the islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude, and from 10° to 35° east longitude. One of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas, it’s known for its rugged, remote terrain of glaciers and frozen tundra. One of the most isolated places on the planet.

I know this because for the last two weeks I have watched dozens of videos about it. I literally know every inch of its largest city, and the world’s most northernmost settlement, Longyearbyen. I feel like I’ve walked down the main drag a dozen times and I have met, via interviews, a number of the locals. Most of the time they are talking about how the rest of the world thinks they’re crazy for living there.

Every night I drift off to sleep hearing some new detail about the place. Another piece of the Svalbard puzzle falls into place for me.

It’s started to feel like home.

Then one night it occurred to me. Despite the inhospitable climes, the people that live there have light and heat in their homes just like I do. If I was going to bed in Longyearbyen there would be virtually no difference between here and there.

So I decided I would be going to bed in Longyearbyen. And I’ve stayed there ever since.

Did I dye my dog white to look more like a husky?

Maybe.

In my head I’ve moved lock, stock and barrel to Svalbard.

Is it going too far to bring a rifle with me when I get the mail given that the odds of a polar bear attack in Pennsylvania are pretty damn slim?

Perhaps.

But I’m not in Pennsylvania anymore. Not in my head anyway.

What can be broken, must be broken.

– Dmitri Pisarev

I bought a snowmobile. I got a subscription to the weekly newspaper Svalbardposten. I’ve loaded up on parkas and thermal underwear. I take off my shoes when I enter the cabin (I call it a cabin now).

I’m all in.

When my neighbors see me now, they don’t realize I’m not really here. They’re walking across their lawns. I’m treading the permafrost.

When man meets a force he can’t destroy, he destroys himself instead.

– Ryszard Kapuscinski

I’ve decided to stop fighting it and allow myself to go completely crazy.