North Slope Commute

Flying back from the North Slope is ritualistic. Laundry and packing are done the night before and the last minute dash to get work wrapped up and presentable for the relief are a setup for sleep deprivation. Transpo to the airport usually prompts big smiles and exchange of R&R plans with others on their way home. After checking in baggage and getting the boarding pass, I usually go to the Prudhoe Bay Motel to sit in the smoking lounge and watch TV, snack and smoke. Sure beats sitting in the airport lounge which is always crowded and uncomfortable.

Security check is a breeze; Slopers are professional airline travelers and are able to navigate quickly through the screening in large numbers. There are no kids, tourists or rookie travelers to muddle thing up and one learns quickly to be prepared or suffer the harsh attention of the screeners and fellow commuters.

The BP/Conoco Shared Service Airline 737-700 we board is coach all the way and is designed to maximize passengers which means that aisle and window seats are necessary to have a comfortable flight back home. Mostly it is a quiet crowd... until the cocktail cart makes its way down the aisle. There is a 2 drink max @$2 a pop and nearly everyone has the first drink down before we are halfway to the Fairbanks milk stop. Shortly thereafter the decibel level goes up and even some laughter emerges. After taking off from Anchorage, the noise level usually goes down unless there are more than a couple snorers.

If you are lucky enough to get a westward window seat on a cloudless, bright day, the vistas are stunning. Taking off from Deadhorse the flightpath follows the pipeline to the Brooks Range. The Brooks mountains are mostly unglaciated ridges sticking up in a mass of stucco-like peaks with a few large glacier valleys separating massive chunks of uniform mountains. Abruptly the Brooks ends at the Yukon River Basin. The Yukon is a mighty river and flying over at 30K' does nothing to diminish its grandeur. Fairbanks is just south of the Yukon and is amongst the rolling foothills of the main attraction: the Alaska Range. Flying over the Alaska Range is humbling. The great peaks of Denali, Foraker and Hunter rise from a huge jumble of mountain peaks with immense glaciers flowing from near the summits down to the Chilitna and Susitna River basin. Even at altitude these mountains are awesome. Not so quickly Knik arm comes to view and a great angle of the Sleeping Lady, Anchorage's iconic mountain, sticks out of the flats as a lone feature to greet you for the landing.

Arrival in Anchorage is short and sweet. Traveling pros these Slopers are and there is no lingering at the luggage carousal or shuttle stop. It is inspiring how quickly the planeload disperses on to their own private R&R, myself included.