Hey Kids,
Roughly 37 years ago, a young man boarded an airplane. That airplane took him to where few had ventured- north of the Arctic Circle. That crossing changed him for life.
I was that young man.
Little time passes between the lessons I learned there make themselves manifest in my life. Stories, sayings, memories. They all waft in and through my life like guardian angels directing my course. But sometimes, the recollections seem like distant, faint dreams where one wonders if it really happened at all.
It was a seemingly small gesture combined with minimal expenses such as a color copy, a little of some employee’s time to inscribe details, and a stamp. But the certificate sent to me by Alaska Airlines those nearly four decades ago, found itself back into my hands today. A certificate confirming that I had indeed crossed the Arctic Circle on the 17th of May, 1980 enroute to Kotzebue, Alaska.
The deluge of memories returned. A remembrance of those things so important so long ago. I’ve never been able to return to the gold fields of the north, but that paper did everything but buy my return ticket.
That stamp has paid for itself yet again. Nice job Alaska Airlines, and thank you!
P.S. I hope to soon tell some of those stories in a series of books I have mapped out. The working title is Inmachuk Confabulations.
Post 3-039
Mike M Jensen 
Very cool indeed. In Finland, the Arctic Circle is a tourist trap with reindeer rides and Santa, but I love the lace. Thank You for this post.
I’m sure in parts of Alaska, there is a lot of tourist trap activities as well. In the remote areas where I was, I was surprised it was even noticed. Thanks for stopping by the blog, come back anytime.