Trekking Alaska's Trekking back to Alaska!

For the last 6 months, I've been fending off the trepidation that this past summer might have been my last in Alaska for a while. Thank goodness for good fortune, good friends, good family, and good thoughts: I will in fact be returning to the Last Frontier this summer for another season with the National Park Service!

And this time, it's a big one. Ever heard of Denali National Park and Preserve? You know, that 6 million acre park in the heart of Alaska, home to Mt. McKinley (North America's tallest peak), epic scenery, cool archaeological sites, and a ton of wicked awesome wildlife? Yeah, that's the one. :)

I know it's going to be an entirely different challenge than anything I've ever faced before, but I've never been so sure of anything I wanted to do in my life. I will be leading programs for bigger groups than I've ever led, living in a different part of Alaska that I've never seen, and on a team of a much bigger staff than I've ever worked with. Not to mention, one of my favorite coworkers from Sitka also got hired there, so I'm additionally happy that I will already know someone there.

Every season with the park service I've learned so much, and I am sure this will be no exception. I just hope I can use what I've learned to make this experience the best it can be.

So, sit tight, and keep a look out for the first photos from interior Alaska in about 7 weeks. Until then, I might put up a few posts about Denali just to make you as excited as I am about this.

Newfoundland part 3: The Beginning and the End

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Monday was my last day in Newfoundland, so I was determined to make the most of it. My friend had class in the morning, so I took the city bus into town to wander the streets and take in the sights one last time. 

Newfoundland part 2: When in Bonavista...

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Saturday morning we woke up early, packed the car, and headed out to the small ski area where my friend works as a cross country ski instructor. Since I've never skied before and my friend didn't have time to teach me before work, I contented myself with hiking the ski trails in the morning while he taught his class.

It was the windiest day! Gusting at 30mph the air felt about 5 degrees with blowing snow blurring my vision and making my ears and chin ache. The trees provided some buffer, but whenever I came to a crossroads in the trail, I had to quickly trudge-scamper through the snow to get to the next sheltered spot. I spent the last 40 minutes or so waiting in the chalet by the warm stove, content that I had seen as much of the trails as I could that day.

Once my friend got back, we hopped back in the car and took off up the TransCanada highway, heading to the rural village of Bonavista, about 3.5 hours north...

Newfoundland part 1: From Northwest to Northeast

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

One of my favorite things about Alaska are the serendipitous opportunities that come up that you never would have expected -- some even coming up years later. And that's exactly how I found myself on the island of Newfoundland this past weekend. 

Working in Nome, AK for two summers I made so many great friends, one of whom happened to be a student going to college in St. John's, NL. We stayed in touch over the last couple years; he always invited me to come to Canada, I always said I would someday. Finally sucked in by my wanderlust again, I decided to make that "someday" last Thursday. I booked the cheapest ticket I could find, loaded my backpack, and took off for a whirlwind weekend with my friend I hadn't seen in two years on the opposite side of the continent from where we first met. Whoever would've guessed!