Stop #4: AK - Week 1

June 18 - 28, 2012

We flew into Anchorage. So many mountains in site. My only glimpse of the ocean was while in flight. 

The first two days, the Backpacker's Inn we called home 

As we preped for the month ahead buying food and even renting a Sat. phone.

The 7 hour journey to Tetlin had so much to see 

As beautiful, wonderful, magnificent scenery passed by me

A glacier along the side of the road

A rainbow in the sky

Around every bend and curve in the road

Something was there to catch my eye

As the sun approached the horizon

looking to soon be out of view 

I looked at the clock and realized

It was 10:42(pm)!

"Land of the Midnight Sun" Alaska is called and, of course,  for good reason. However, being only June 19th, we had yet to see the longest day of the season.

We tested all our gear, even our cans of bear spray

and worked together to make a sawhorse on Construction Orientation Day.

After all of our hard work, we thought a fun day off in Chicken was needed.
Then back to Anchorage again where our kids for the summer were greeted.

Stop #3: MT

June 14-18, 2012

First impressions can often be misleading, starting a chain of thoughts that just aren’t true about a person. However, rare instances do occur when adding together elements you observe about a person do come to the correct conclusion. My flight to Montana was just one of the instances. Granted, I had a couple of variables in my favor. 1.) Even though Denver is a big airport, the destination airport of Bozeman, Montana definitely was not. 2.) Very few airlines fly to Bozeman 3.) I knew many people would be migrating to Bozeman for the same reason I was.

So, as I sat in the waiting area in front of the gate, I felt I could make some assumptions about people that had a high percentage of being correct. Example 1: female in mid-20s wearing a pair of chacos (sandals), fitted flannel-like shirt, and carrying a high-end outdoor backpack. Example 2: male in mid/late-20s, comfortable non-jean pants, t-shirt, flip-flops, shoulder-length-curly hair pulled back into a ponytail, and carrying a guitar without a case.

Now, if flying to Denver the people described above would be pretty common. However, leaving Denver to go to Montana was a completely different story, as I saw many cowboy hats and Carhartt clothing around me. I was provided the opportunity to test my conclusions as I sat down in the window seat and Example 1 sat down in the aisle seat. Leaning over the middle seat, I said to her, “This might seem strange, but are you going to Montana for training?” Her reply came as no surprise, “ Are you with VISIONS too?”

That was the beginning of my introduction to the wide variety of people that make up this summer’s VISONS global team. The next three days were filled with learning about policies and procedures, our site areas, our participants, and each other’s stories. Never again will all 55 of us be in the same room together, but for these few days it was great to see a like-minded group of people come together to become something greater.

P.S.

My conclusions about Example 2 were also confirmed as he approached the rest of the VISIONS group at baggage claim. 

Stop #2: CO

June 12-14, 2012

Due to the flight schedule of Frontier Airlines, I had the opportunity to make a quick stop in Denver, CO before heading on to Montana for training. My decision to stay in Denver for a total of 36 hours was two fold:  1.) My friend Leah from JBU days lives in the city and 2.) I have two cousins that live up in the Ft Collins area. If all worked out well, I would get to hang out with both.

Accompanied by beautiful weather, Aaron and Nathan picked my up from the airport and we ventured downtown to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory. One of my favorites! The last time I saw Aaron was at Thanksgiving. It took me a long time to remember when I last say Nathan. What I came up with was March 2002!

After our night out on the town, they dropped my off at Leah’s house. The events of the following day were a pleasant surprise as Leah’s sister Liz and friend Megan set to work making homemade cleaning supplies. After the 5-store search for the ingredients, the mixing process only took about an hour. The final products: liquid laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant.

This was definitely a whirlwind experience but relaxing all at the same time. I always enjoy catching up with friends of ol’ and getting a small glimpse of the lives they now lead. 

Stop #1: PA

May 30- June 12, 2012

As seems to be tradition with Aletheia and me, several things always come to pass when we are together. A) Some kind of craft is created B) A movie marathon occurs and C) The majority of our funds are spent on ice cream.

During my stay in PA all of the above took shape. However, other great events and adventures unfolded during my fortnight stay.

Watching Aletheia paint live 2x

Rainbow sighting during one of our walks 

Putting my free time to good us by helping Aletheia get ready for her first Art fair!

 

Road trip to Ohio

An introduction to Aletheia’s maternal side of the family (2 Aunts and Uncles and 18 first cousins!) at a second-cousin-once-removed wedding.

 

A morning at the beach  

 

Book Store Exploring

Happy Birthday to Us!

Aletheia and I are in a stage of life where uncertainties still make an appearance. As always, it is a great feeling to be around others that are going through the same circumstances. One of Aletheia’s philosophizes that I love and should observe more is the idea of celebrating; a concept that causes in-the-moment refection, allowing the positive that is happening in and around us to come to light. And so Aletheia and I decided to do some early celebrating of the day we each entered the world. The ice cream cake was the perfect solution for this glorious occasion!

Summer "Madness"

May 29, 2012

When I think about how the plans for this summer unfolded, I am still bewildered as to how it all worked out. I look forward to the challenges, the new experiences, and the faces of long lost friends. A nervous excitement arrises as I step into all that is before me. With so many things uncertain when I return back to NC, the feelings are somewhat magnified as I think about August and beyond. I reassure myself that all has worked out in the past, so I can rest in the confidence that all will be provided for in the future. 

Some might question my sanity as I leave all of my possessions behind and live off of what I can carry on my back. However, sanity is often determined by comparison. The world is full of people who have done much more with even less. 


I can't help that the fibers of my being crave adventure from time to time. With me, the window of opportunity doesn't have to open very much in order for my to dive through.


And so the summer "madness" begins tomorrow, and here is the plan...... 

May 30 - Head to Grantham, PA. Helping a friend run an art camp June 4 - 7. Time Zone: Eastern

June 12 - Board a plane in Harrisburg, PA to Denver, CO. I am staying with a friend from Arkansas days and hoping to see cousins I haven't seen in years. Time Zone: Mountain

June 14 - Catch another flight from Denver to Bozeman, MT. Training for my summer job with VISIONS Service Adventures (http://www.visionsserviceadventures.com/teen-summer-camp-programs/alaska/program-map.html#body) starts on the 15th. Time Zone: Mountain

June 18 - Fly from Bozeman, MT to Anchorage, AK. Final Destination: Tanacross, Alaska (my station for VISIONS. See link above for details). Time Zone: AKDT (4 hours behind EST)

July 28 - Airborn once more from Anchorage, AK to San Jose, CA. Final Destinations: Santa Cruz area and San Jose. Visiting two former roommates and decompressing from the rest of the summer. Time Zone: Pacific

August 6 - Last flight from San Jose, CA to Raleigh/Durham, NC. 

The Last Chapter

May 20, 2012

The what seemed impossible list of 91 books that I decided to read two years ago has slowly been trimmed down to 12 books. The final 12 in my Newbery Winner Challenge are:

 



After this last chapter, I will only have to read one book a year to keep up with the list. I think I can handle that!

England in the Spring

April 19 – May 6, 2012

The majority of my trips to England to visit the family have been conducted around the holiday season (Thanksgiving and Christmas). A bit weary of the cold weather, I decided it was time to experience England during a different season. With tickets during the summer costing a ridiculous amount, spring was just going to have to do. Hilary has always told me that the weather in England is best in April. So I booked my ticket for April. Well, in the end, I am glad that England was able to lift the drought label. However, rain almost every day was a little much. Still, the moments of sunshine were pleasant and we did our best to get out and enjoy them whenever the clouds parted to let the light through.

As always, I had a great time hanging with family. My niece and nephew are growing up so quickly. I think Casey grew in height in the two weeks that I was there!

Although the trip started with the disappointment of our Mt. Snowdon Summit being postponed, it was still full of fun memories, including:

Trips to the Park

Puzzles with Lois

IKEA Outings

Nature Adventures

Exploring the Sea Life Center in Birmingham

Fine Cuisine

And the appearance of Clark Kent

Sisters

Of course, I am very happy to report that no hospital visits were required; a vast improvement from last time!

On Guard

April 17, 2012

Mike going in for the point

Yup. Today I learned how to fence. This has been on my bucket list for some time, and I couldn’t have asked to learn with a better group of people. The coach of Duke’s fencing team offered his services to any of the Athletics employees who wanted to participate.  After a lesson on method and form, he let us duke it out (no pun intended). All of my opponents fought well. I felt a couple of the jabs but I also delivered some good ones as well. The whole time I was thankful that we didn’t live in the time when one mistake would cost more than just a bruise.

The Adventure Race

April 7, 2012

Helping with Adventure Races is not a new concept for me. Making it through two at Southern (starting at dusk and ending at dawn) I know the amount of planning that goes into the race. The four of us started planning Duke’ s 2^nd annual Outdoor Adventures Race in November.

After 3 vehicles getting stuck, a couple of miss communications, and one almost lost team the Race is finally over. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day! A lot of good lessons were learned, and I hope that when the planning processed begins again next year, those lessons won’t be forgotten. 

Local Impact

March 27, 2012

This is what I saw when I went to drive home today after work:

My jaw dropped at the sight of it – one of the down falls of parking next to a lacrosse field. I stood there, motionless thinking of my next move. I didn’t have to think about it long. Before I knew what was happening, someone from the athletics department was on the phone with campus police. In the next moment, I was filing a report.

Being my first experience with this type of thing, I headed back to the office to see how I should go about getting it fixed. Within a half-hour, a plan was constructed, and within 24 hours all evidence of the episode disappeared. Without the help of the people around me, things would not have gone so smoothly. I am blessed beyond words. 

Back in the Saddle Again

March 17, 2012

Although this seems crazy to say, I can’t remember the last time that I planned an outdoor trip for a group of people. The higher you go in the outdoor industry, the less leading of trips you actually do. I have been serving more as the go-to person for all of the student leaders. This semester, I figured I should do one just to refresh my memory.

With thunderstorms forecasted for the day before and the day of, I was a bit worried that we were going to have to cancel. It was a gambol that paid off. We had a beautiful day and a wonderful trip with a fantastic group. 

It Does Exist

February 21, 2012

Last year at this time, I had more than one person thinking that I had lost my mind. As a big ice cream consumer, the days approaching St. Patrick’s Day brought about special menu items at certain restaurants. Recalling a certain menu item from my childhood, I talked my mate Laura into going to McDonalds to get a shamrock shake. I was a bit worried when I didn’t see any marketing post in the window. I asked the lady behind the register and she looked at me like I was from another planet. We tried another McDonalds with the same result.

At this point Laura was beginning to think that I made the whole thing up. To ease the heartache, we headed to Chick-fil-a and got a shake. While there, I did a little online research and discovered a website dedicated to the Shamrock Shake. People would post all of the places they could find them across the country. None were found in the state of Tennessee.

Learning from last year’s experience, I did my research first. The McDonalds in North Carolina did not fail me! Finally I had my shake and a small piece of redemption. It all tasted just as wonderful as I imagined it would.