First post in a while! I’ve been reflecting recently on (1) how hopefully a chapter of my life is about to end in that I’m graduating and (2) how lucky I’ve been the last three years that Simona is part of the Alaska track and UW Economics has given me the leeway (implicitly) to spend time in Alaska. I think at this point I’ve spent close to five months in Anchorage over various seasons, and it’s been a revelation to learn more about a place and a people with which I was completely unfamiliar prior to flying into Ted Stevens International Airport on February 2nd, 2023.
Early on that first trip, Simona’s brother Phil and I attempted a summit of the most proximate “peak” in the Chugach range, Near Point. We did it completely wrong, of course – drove for 20 minutes to start from a trailhead that was further away from the top than the one a few minutes from the house. Highlights included running into a cloud, a ton of postholing (a recurring theme in Alaska winter trail running), and us not being entirely sure whether or not we were on the summit.
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We also got introduced early to the awesome mom and pop ski hill of Arctic Valley – a no-frills hill adjacent to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson with a few rope tows and some of the coolest views I’ve ever enjoyed skiing. We loved the lodge that offered had warmth and live music at the end of a ski day.
We also took of Simona’s increased free time to start to teach her the basics of skiing in the backcountry in very relaxed terrain, occasionally with Bolt. These were the first opportunities we had to really explore the front range of the Chugach, with expeditions to the Near Point and Wolverine areas.
That winter, we were also super lucky to get to see the Aurora (though we didn’t have a tripod, so the photos were pretty blurry). It was very cold, but all I could think about was how mystical this must have seemed to human beings existing hundreds of years ago.
The following winter, I got to visit again for a few weeks – it was more of the same. Bolt had an awesome time running around in the snow with Simona while I was gone.
We got to spend a lot more time touring together.
Finally, after a six month spell in Seattle, we were back for the long-awaited Alaska summer. We weren’t sure what to expect; on the one hand, we’d heard that everything was beautiful and the sun was endless, but we were worried about grizzlies and (to a significantly lesser degree) the mosquitos. I was trying to train for Teanaway Country, so I spent a lot of time running – the first one was on July 4.
We ran to Rabbit Lake many times.
Summiting Near Point was much easier in the summer than it had been in previous winters.
That photo is deceptive, since most of the time in the mountains it was overcast and/or rainy. Spending the time in the clouds alone in the mountains was a singular experience.
Thanks to Simona’s amazing planning and the generosity of one of Lana’s friends, we had the opportunity to go to Seward and see a bunch of glaciers. The first was in the Harding Ice Field (Exit Glacier) in Kenai Fjords National Park.
We kayaked to Aialik Glacier as well, where we saw fishing vessels, seals, and a transcendent glacier that I didn’t bring the camera to capture.
Amanda took us salmon fishing in Soldotna, where Phil managed to haul in a salmon that was grilled that night for dinner.
A lot of my runs with Simona were interspersed with Simona foraging for various berries – when Ivar visited, we also spent quite a bit of time looking for mushrooms in the forest.
One heartbreaking thing that did happen this summer was that my bike was stolen from a trailhead. Luckily, we got the expanded renter’s insurance, so I was able to replace the bike quickly with a beautiful new ADV 2.3 that I got to ride on the roads and trails around Anchorage alongside Simona.
I spent the last weekend in Anchorage in Eagle River with Simona and Bolt reflecting on how awesome it had all been. I’m not someone who’s great at coming up with new things to do, but Simona is amazing at it, and I’m grateful to her for pulling me out of Anchorage to see all these different parts of Alaska. I don’t know where we’re going to wind up next year, but Alaska really grabbed our hearts, even though it’s far away from everything we know. Even if it’s the last trip for a while, I’ll always be thankful that I got the chance to spend the time I did here.
