THE SAND DUNES OF KOBUK VALLEY
It is a remarkable sight: high sand dunes in an open landscape above the Arctic Circle. It's the legacy that dates back to the last Ice Age, 28,000 years ago. Propeling glaciers crushed and dragged rocks with infinite patience to fine sand, the wind took it to Kobuk Valley. Along the edges of the dunes grow grasses, lichens and shrubs, further down the first birch and coniferous trees. That's where the territory of the wild begins: snooty tracks in the sand tell us that there are wolves, bears and foxes here.
THE MIGRATION OF REINDEER
The reindeer population in Kobuk Valley National Park is estimated at nearly half a million! Twice a year, huge herds travel great distances, on their way to and from Brooks Range,where the reindeer calves come into the world. The ground trembles as a herd passes. Arriving at the Kobuk River, the animals jump into the freezing water, to swim across the road. Then they reach the dunes of Kobuk Valley, where millions of hooves have to toil the sand. Only when the last animals have passed, the wind pulls the surface smooth again and the silence descends over the land.