Pribilof Islands

The Pribilof Islands are located in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska. They are 230 miles north of the Aleutian Island chain. There are four islands in total. St. Paul and St. George are the larger two. The islands are completely open to the weather in the Bering Sea. Trees do not grow because they cannot take root due to the almost constant wind. (for a closer look at St. Paul Island, click here)

There is a common saying on the islands: "This is the only place in the world where you can experience all four seasons in one hour."

On day one the rain was falling and the wind was blowing. On day one we were greeted with a beautiful, sunny day. On day two we were awakened by a blizzard and 20 mph winds.

It took us one full day to get to St. Paul Island from Seattle, Washington. Alaska Airlines is the only carrier that serves this area. We flew by commercial jet to Anchorage, then by Reeve Aleutian Airways (now out of business) to St. Paul. This leg of the journey was accomplished in a Lockheed Electra. This aircraft was very large, noisy and designed for carrying some passengers and tons of cargo.

To find out more about the history of the Pribilof Islands and the Native Aleuts, visit this link: Aleut: People of the Aleutian Chain.

These images were taken between April 10-13 on St. Paul Island during a 3 day ProXR with Pathfinder Office class. The photos reveal the incredible change in weather from day to day.

DAY ONE

Sunrise