The Long Road Home

N 60°29'04"
W 149°58'25"

Never in my entire life has time gone by with such hast. This summer has flown by at a speed that can only measured in mach numbers. The days literally turned into blurs as the Alaskan summer has transformed from subarctic tundra into a vibrant tropical forest of the Pacific Northwest. This adventure has turned out far better than I ever could have imagined. I will always remember this as my coming of age journey that set the bar and my expectations as high as the mountains surrounding me.

So for the past 2 months, I have been trying out a new first name. I have decided that for quite some time I never liked the name Kyle. As a matter of fact, whenever I would introduce myself and say "Hi, I'm Kyle" in my head it would be more like "Hi, I'm Kyle?." Basically I have come to the conclusion over the years that Kyle is not a befitting name for who I am. And earlier last semester I heard an uncommon name that I felt as if I could relate more too, and for the last couple of months, I have been going by the name Desmond for that reason. It was a little unusual at first, but now I feel more natural about it. Things are different. I love this life I have for myself now. Desmond makes more sense, so that is what I will introduce myself as now.

There are so many things to say about this summer. I almost do not even know where to begin perhaps the small simple things are the most befitting. I will always remember those times hiking alone in the woods on high alert for bears. It was at those times that if you did not have bear bells singing was a good way to let the bears know that you were coming their way. So with the vigor of a drunken karaoke singer after a Jager bomb, I serenaded the boreal forest many times with popular hits of the Beatles. I will always remember writing post cards in a fashion of Christopher McCandless, but with a GPS coordinate twist as a fancy nice touch. I will always remember the rugged lifestyle I lived in the bush of the Chugach National Forest where I set my record for most consecutive days without showering (8 days). I will always remember how it felt to be in the presence of a glacier. The cool rush that flows through you when you first see the mass of ice that is so dense it glows a soft baby or robin’s egg blue is what I will remember most. I will always remember the color and taste of the water. Glacial and snow melt water that is so cold, clean and crisp, you can best describe it as “refreshing” especially when you decided to jump in and suds up instead of paying the $1.25 for a hot shower at the Kenai Princess Lodge. I will always remember the moss that often grows on the spruce trees here. Some refer to it as witch’s hair, and these mossy locks, which are dry and fluffy, make the best natural fire starter I have ever seen. (Note* Yesterday I bought a caribou antler magnesium fire striker which I used last night to start the fire) I will never forget the moments I had alone to reflect on my surroundings on my life that I have come to love more than I could possibly imagine. I will always remember the friends I made and the people I met here. I will always remember my time on the road. Watching the biomes of North America literally transform before my eyes was a sight all on its own. There has been no greater joy in my life than the happiness I experienced in Alaska.

It is like breaking off a summer love affair, and you have had a marvelous time. Now it is regrettably time to bring that relationship to an end. You are sad to see it go, but you knew from the start that this could only be a two-month thing. But you know that you will be back.

My Alaskan adventure may be over, but another adventure is about to begin, the odyssey home. While the road ahead will be an adventure of its own, I will always look back. North, to the future that is the Alaska motto. Now it is south, to the past. I will hopefully continue to blog and take pictures along the way back. See you soon.