In my post about my path from triathlon to the wilderness, I left off around the time that Heath and I were plotting our Alaskan adventure for the summer of 2011.
That experience was greater than either of us had hoped for, and had lasting effects on us both. Yes we had a blast drinking many a beer, by many a campfire, and enjoyed supreme views of wilderness and wildlife, but what really made the the journey special was the disproportionate number of friendly, generous people that we met, and the inspiration that we felt to try new things and make changes in our lives. In the vagabonding documentary, 180 Degrees South, Yvon Chouinard says,
"The best journeys answer questions, that in the beginning, you didn't even think to ask".
That pretty well describes our drive to Alaska.
We shared a lot of that trip on Facebook as we went, and of course we have shown pictures and talked about how fantastic the trip was, but I haven't written about it since returning. We generated plenty of stories worth telling, so to get some practice writing and to more fully explore the trip that inspired my upcoming expedition, I'm going to do some looking back over the next few weeks.
As far as I remember, the idea for the trip came about when I told Heath that if he ever moved up to Alaska, I would come help him build a cabin. I was serious, but he had only been pondering the idea of moving up there. Then I guess he must have later asked me if I would want to help him do some recon, and make a road trip out of it. Even though it was less than a year ago, I have forgotten the details! I was pretty well caught up in school and training for the Ironman, until around March when I started reading up on Alaska, searching for specific destinations. I found a few things to do that wouldn't cost us too much money, but we never bothered making any reservations except for the cabin and the Fjords tour which Corey would be joining us for (the reservations were the reason that we decided Corey would be able to join us for a week). I think Heath and I both were most interested in the simple freedom-of-the-road aspect of the journey. We wanted to leave plenty of room for the trip to unfold as we went. I wrote down a few potential places and activities, but we agreed that nothing was fixed. If we met cool people, and they were doing something or going somewhere that sounded fun, we would tag along. If some locals informed us of an attraction that shouldn't be missed, we would check it out. And if we found the perfect campsite with good weather or good fishing, we would hang out for a while.
The overarching theme was that Heath was feeling out a potential new home. But I think he was also just seeking inspiration for change in general. That's what the trip was about for me. I have always wanted to visit Alaska, but not for any particular reason besides its beauty and unspoiled nature. I think it happened last year because with school and triathlon coming to an end for me, the time felt right for something big. Heath was offering Alaska, so I jumped on it--although I think I would have just as happily gone to Europe, or South America if another friend had asked me. After experiencing Canada and Alaska though, I can't imagine any other place measuring up. And Heath turned out to be an alright travel companion too ;)
