Finally, Alaska

Have you ever wanted something so bad you didn't believe it would ever actually happen, and then when it does, it scares the living daylights out of you?

Yeah, well, that just happened to me.

Not that anyone reads this blog, but if you did, you would know that I'm obsessed with Alaska. It's become more of a fantasy in my mind than a reality; this magical place up near the arctic with an amazing extreme environment and an equally amazing culture of people adapted to that environment. 

I've been wanting to go there as long as I can remember, and after having to turn down one internship offer there already this year, I was beginning to think that the last frontier and I were never destined to meet. 

While I've never been one to actually believe in destiny or fate, now that I've been offered a 9-month paid internship in Nome, AK, the reality seems suddenly harsher. Can I, a sheltered suburban Florida girl, survive a winter of being dropped off in remote wilderness areas by bush plane to snowshoe through the backcountry? I guess there's only one way to find out.

After sleeplessly tossing and turning over it last night, this morning I made the move, I took the step I was most afraid to take. I accepted the offer to spend the next 9 months of my life living in a bush community and camping in backcountry wilderness to photograph, film, and write about the local environment and culture.

Image from http://londons365.tumblr.com/ 

I mean after all, who could pass up a job with that description? As difficult as I know it's going to be, it really is a dream job, closer than I ever imagined I would come to my improbable fantasies of becoming a globetrotting adventure travel writer. Now I only hope it's as good as it sounds.

In the spirit of true adventure, I have no idea what to expect, but I'll try to use this blog as a platform to keep friends, family, and followers up to date. I still have a few weeks before I leave, which I'll be using to stock up on necessary clothing and gear, organize my finances (looking at YOU, impending college loans), and mentally prepare for what I can only imagine I'll face during the next 9 months.