In Alaska

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I never imagined myself living in Alaska; especially not a fishing lodge in Alaska, but here I am. Though the circumstances that brought me here are confusing, and the outcome of my stay is not what I expected, I am still very happy that I chose to live for nearly half a year in this amazing place.

I left Seattle in April of this year to drive through British Columbia and the Yukon so that I could arrive in my temporary home, the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska by May 1, 2006. I have now been here a little over 3 months and I have had the good fortune to see and do some amazing things since my arrival.

The first place I was able to visit upon my arrival to camp was Homer, AK for the Shorebird Festival. It was still cold enough to snow, so I froze pretty much the whole time I was there, but I saw more Bald Eagles in one day then I had seen in my entire life. At one point I looked up and saw at least 30 of them circling together in the sky!

I have also been to Seward, AK a few times, and while there I have seen a ton of marine life, waded through a glacier creek (freezing!), and I also took a 6 hour long glacier cruise. Among other things on this cruise I got to see Humpback whales feeding in a cove and watched porpoises swim and play along side our boat! I think that Seward could be my favorite Alaska town so far!

I have also been white water rafting down class 5 rapids in Hope, AK, and taken multiple canoes up and down the Moose River. And my favorite so far...the Grizzly Bears!! We have had several at camp already, and I have even chased a couple away! They are magnificent creatures that look to me more cuddly than fierce (though I would never test that theory!).

As my departure from Alaska comes ever closer, I am feeling a push to spend every moment of my free time doing something different. Some days my only opportunity is a small hike, and some times it is a full camping trip; but whatever comes my way these last couple of months I intend to take it with all of the passion I have inside of me! After all, who knows if I will ever get to live in a place like this again?

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Photos

Exit Glacier, Seward
4th of July in Seward!

Glacier Creek
Me after wading through a creek full of ice chunks!