Longer Days In Site

[janmike]

Well today I noticed for the first time in about a month that the days are getting longer. In mid December with the temperature averaging out at about -45C, we have about 4 hours of sunlight. Yes, the long, cold, dark days affect many people in a variety of ways. So now I can look forward to summer days of temperatures that can hit +30C and 22 hours of daylight. Even when the sun goes down in the summer it isn't really dark. Imagine, that is only 6 months way. Just my positive note for the day. Enjoy all!

[F1nut]

LOL......I'll remember that the next time I bitch about the weather here.

[Early B.]

Yes, the long, cold, dark days affect many people in a variety of ways.
Interesting. Can you elaborate on that?

[brettw22]

Because I have no idea where NT is, let alone a Yellowknife, where you at?

[Mjr7531]

Northwest Territories, Canada :)
4 Hours of daylight?! holy crud, that's like...
240 minutes!

[janmike]

Yellowknife is the capital of The Northwest Territories.
Here is a link to put Yellowknife in perspective to where you are.

Yellowknife Map (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?city=yellowknife&state=NT&country=CA&zoom=1)

We are located between the 60th parallel and the Arctic Circle.

There have been many studies done to determine the effects of sunlight deprivation. One very common one is the theory behind(SAD) Seasonal Affective Disorder. I am no expert in this field and can only speak from personal observation. People are not as happy as when the temperature is hot and sun is high. Consequently, depression can be high during this time of year. Productivity is low as well. Currently we have approx. 7.5 hours of daylight. A far cry from mid December or those people that live above the Arctic Circle that have 24 hours of darkness in the winter & 24 hours of daylight during the summer. Psychologically, you need to prepare yourself for this environment as seeing the sun come up at 10:00am and go down at 2:00pm over a period of time can take its toll. That is why it is over stressed to particpate in as many activities as you can handle. Yellowknife has taken various measures to help combat the effects for winter. On a per capita basis, Yellowknife probably has more clubs, organizations, leagues and groups than any other Canadian centre. With a long winter to fill, the city is well equipped with both indoor and outdoor facilities. The majority of people who work in Yellowknife are not from Yellowknife. They are from the south (south of 60), myself included. We all come to Yellowknife for a variety of reasons whether it be the low crime rate, the fantastic fishing, the great outdoors, or the money. In my opinion, the quality of life is second to none. Life is what you make of it.

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

So what draws people to that area? Is it a certain type of work or what?

[janmike]

Diamonds, Diamonds & Diamonds. The Canadian diamond exploration/mining is booming. It is a vertical that opened up a few years back and already is a $2B business in Canada. The diamonds are very high in quality. The Oil & Gas Sector is also opening up. The Mackenzie pipeline will create a ton of opportunities. The problem now is workers. The demand is very high and companies are beginning to compete for employees. The majority of supplies (including fuel & explosives) cannot be brought in by air, so they are trucked to the diamond sites in the wintertime across Great Slave Lake. This is a 16 to 18 hour one-way trip and the tractor-trailers cannot go very fast because of their weight going over top of a frozen lake. The Ice Road (over top of the lake) opened 1 week ago and will stay open until probably the 3rd week of March. At this point, the ice begins to thaw. So for a truck driver to take a job driving across the lake for a maximum for 8 weeks can probably make between $80K & $100K. This is not a job for anyone, but the bucks are there. Money & quality of life are the two major drawing cards. Life is relatively slow paced (compared to the city), lots of fresh water & air, great outdoor activities and good money. Can you handle the cold and the dark for a good portion of the year? Not everyone can. For me, the hot humid weather drives me nuts. I hate it as I grew up in it and cannot stand it unless I have a lake or ocean near by.

[Early B.]

In mid December with the temperature averaging out at about -45C
Damn, and I'm thinking Georgia is too cold in the winter...

[NCrewson]

Janmike,

You forgot the best part of that truck driving job, or so I'm told. When it's later in the season they actually drive parts of the trip half out of the cab so if the ice breaks they can jump off and not go down with truck. I've heard this from several sources, but no, I haven't done it, nor would I want to.

[janmike]

NCrewson, Well I do not know if it gets that bad, but when the season is near the end (3rd week in March) it is not uncommon to have the water up to the axles on the truck. No amount of money is worth that. No thanks, I'll stick to my land job.