A love affair

I have often said I have a love affair with Alaska... and it's true. Not other term describes as well the relationship I have with this state. I feel so fiery, so passionate, so alive, stimulated even, by the places and people in this far norther corner of the world. The ties of beauty and awe, friendship and goodness, run so deep that they coarse through the pulse that keeps me breathing. My Alaska, my love, may you never wander too far, may you always welcome me home with open arms.

A destructive pastime?

Last night at a university sponsored party I watched fellow students destroy a fairly decent looking, probably broken down, Subaru. Last night, as I watched the scene unfold, and this morning, as I passed torn upholstery, shattered glass and dented metal I was stuck breathless by our definition of junk. How many places in this world would the same car be considered treasure – treasure that may be somehow finagled into running, or at least be the source of parts which would finagle another jalopy into running. In Guatemala I certainly saw a lot older, rustier vehicles trudging down the highway. To me this begs the question: Are we really that ungrateful for the abundance in our lives that we consider destruction an acceptable pastime. Perhaps I am making too much of a fairly insignificant event, but perhaps the event is a lens on a societal condition in need of attention.

Kasugi Ridge Part 1

Hailing summer's close, Chet and I ventured out for one more backpacking trip. We spent four days on Kasugi ridge in Denali State Park, living in luxury. In addition to the three man tent which we slept in, we brought a cook tent, a coffee grinder, camp chairs, two bottles of whiskey and "gourmet" food. The views we enountered can only be described as phenomenal and the berries we gorged on were absolutely delicious. If any of you ever wonder, why exactly it is that I live in Alaska, you can find the answer in the photos below.

A cold, rainy first night surrounded by snow-caked peaks

A morning self-portrait

Pancakes which were not only made with freshly picked blueberries, but were also perfectly flipped by Chester, the master chef

Look at that perfectly flipped pancake... and that smile

Hiking: day two

Alaska's teeth

Rains approached and surrounded on day two, but never landed overhead

Gorging on blueberries

A rock playground

Scrambling

Kasugi Ridge Part 2

More rock fun

Crawling through a cave

The morning's duties included grinding coffee... and not just any coffee... coffee given to me by friend in Guatemala whose family owns a coffee finca

Our night two camp site

If you equate luxury to carrying a hell of a lot of things... we certainly had luxury

Denali "peaks" through

Sun bathing with gators!

Spectacular rainbow...

which became a double rainbow

The view from our camp site on day three

The last stretch of the 36 mile trail we hiked was washed out by floods that tore through the area a couple weeks prior. This meant an unexpected eight miles of bushwacking through devils club. For those of you not from Alaska, the name "devils club" was chosen for a reason.

Editor's note

Editor's note: The neglect of this blog, like many details in life, has been due to one all encompassing excuse -- living life freely. As shall be evidenced over the next few days, when breath-taking pictures start to appear on North to South Adevntures, one amazing outing has been trailed by another, clipping the heels of happiness. Between packpacking trips in Denali State Park, a road trip with my parents, a long weekend in Talkeetna, and other random, shorter excursions, I have few complaints. And in the end, isn't that how it should be -- few complaints and mountains of thanks.