It is Caden Harlan’s second year here at WHS. He has lived all over the USA but one place that stands out the most is Alaska. He lived in Alaska for 3 years before moving to Sierra Vista Arizona.

Caden said, “Living in Alaska was very interesting, the differences are monumental compared to anywhere else I’ve ever lived”. He says everything is different from the climate to the wildlife. He says “fall was beautiful but short, fall usually only lasted about a week then it goes straight into winter.” According to him, it snows from October to March.

One of the weirdest things that he experienced was the winter solstice. For Caden, the winter solstice lasted 24 hours straight, but he also said that it varies depending on where you are in Alaska. The sun, most days, would only be up for a few hours every day, usually in the afternoon.

The minimal sun exposure was hard for a lot of people. One person that it greatly affected was his dad. He said that his dad had a little lamp called a happy light that helped him get through it. His dad did not get to see the sun at all due to his workplace’s lack of windows.

A vivid memory from this time in his life is Halloween. He says that the snow would always fall in big chunks, not snowflakes like it does down here. The kids would have to wear their snow gear under their costumes to keep warm while they were trick-or-treating.

Once he graduates, he would like to say in one place for a little while instead of moving as much as he has threw out his childhood.