+++ Alaska TV +++ »Der Dalton Highway« (“The Dalton Highway”)

Off to Alaska! The Dalton Highway, Alaska Route 11, is a legend in the US: it runs 2,300 kilometers (1,430 miles) through the wilderness of North America. In summer and winter alike, filmmakers Ernst Arendt and Hans Schweiger traveled in their Unimog motorhome for this three-part series – from Canada to Fairbanks and on along the supply road to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean.

In winter, only those who absolutely have to are out on the road. But lonely snow-covered stretches, flickering northern lights, freezing nights, rustic roadhouses, snowstorms and encounters with bison, caribou and bears make for unique experiences.

The Dalton Highway runs north from Fairbanks to the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. Among truck drivers, this supply road in winter is considered the ultimate challenge. They dread snowstorms, icy grades and the isolation. Ernst Arendt and Hans Schweiger drove their Unimog through this wintry wilderness, always on the lookout for wildlife. They lived among musk oxen, Arctic foxes and ptarmigan. They held out through cold and winter storms and were amazed again and again at how the animals manage to survive in these conditions.

The Dalton Highway is a challenge in summer, too: north of Fairbanks, the rough gravel road runs 670 kilometers (415 miles) into the High Arctic to the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. Ernst Arendt and Hans Schweiger cross the Brooks Range, up to 2,749 meters (9,020 ft) high, into the short Arctic summer. For two months, ice and snow release their grip on the land. Only the surface of the Arctic tundra thaws, though – underneath, everything stays frozen. On this thin crust above the permafrost, life then bursts forth in abundance, and the Arctic tundra turns into a flower garden. Ernst Arendt and Hans Schweiger encounter large herds of musk oxen and caribou with their young, grizzly bears and ground squirrels – and swarms of mosquitoes that torment people and animals alike.

Air date: Dienstag 02. Februar um 16.15 Uhr Teil 1 bis 3 auf 3sat

Source: www.3sat.de