June 26, 2001  -  The Midnight Rainbow  - 
Kongakut River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Winding its way north to the Arctic Ocean, the Kongakut River takes a serious left turn at a place called Caribou Pass. A wide gentle valley in the lower foothills of the Brooks Range, Caribou Pass is the last mountainous push for the Porcupine caribou herd before they reach the coast. The area lives up to its name as we've seen close to 1,000 caribou dotting the hillsides and splashing across the braided river on their way to the coastal plain. An explosion of wildflowers has transformed the tundra into a bright mosaic of petals. The fuzzy cotton ball blooms of the tussocks seem to coat entire hillsides in fresh snow.





Hiking through the pass, we sit on a slope covered in purple azaleas and watch a group of bull caribou trot along a ridge doused in amber light. Big popcorn-like clouds frame the mountainous backdrop. Like a bold brush stroke, a glorious rainbow cuts across the sky. I look at my watch. It's midnight.


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