We were there on June 21st — the Summer Solstice, longest day of the year. We hadn't had any real darkness for almost a week, ever since we moved north into the Yukon, just a dim twilight in the middle of the night. It was convenient for camping, no lanterns or flashlights needed, never had to set up camp in the dark.

For the Solstice in Inuvik we carefully determined when midnight local time would come (our watches were still on Pacific Daylight Time). There is a tall observation tower in the campground at Chuk Park, just south of Inuvik, where we staying, that affords great views over the flat Mackenzie Delta. At midnight we ascended the tower, took pictures, and shared a bottle of champagne. We were very fortunate in having a beautiful sunny night, almost cloudless. The sunshine was warm, but a bitter cold wind was blowing off the Arctic Ocean.