I value the interactions I have with people I meet on my exploits as much as I love and value the incredible scenery. Many of my lifelong friends are people I’ve met on my recent thru hikes, and Alaska has certainly added a number of new people to my list of expected long-term friends.

Grace, who I met in Anchorage is one of these. Like other Trail Angel’s, she was brave and kind enough to invite me, a complete stranger, to stay with her in her tiny one room apartment. This isn’t surprising given that she had the guts to do a complete midlife career change. After working for years as a stonemason and then in home health care, she went back to school to become a speech therapist, not letting the fact that she was older than all the other students stop her. As we chatted over delicious meals Grace made for me, I found it fascinating to learn about the intricacies of her job. Although she was new to Alaska, Grace had already done a lot of exploring, so it was easy for me to take her up on suggestions for hikes in Anchorage.

Over these past five years, I’ve learned to enjoy hiking by myself, but I also enjoy hiking with other people. I’ve discovered each person I hike with adds a different flavor to my hiking experience and Grace added much pleasure to my hike in the Chugach Mountains. We both enjoyed stopping numerous times to explore flowers, rocks and other items along the way. Together, we decided to wait out a cold, wet cloud that engulfed us when we reached the top of our climb. We were rewarded with some spectacular views when the cloud passed by.

I was sorry to leave Grace and the haven she provided me when we parted ways the next morning. Leaving was a little easier because I knew I would take her up on her offer to stop by once again when I returned to Anchorage before flying to Seattle.

The drive to Seward was beautiful. I drove along the waters edge noticing the changing tide, which in Alaska can be as much as a thirty foot difference between high and low tides. I had to break multiple times for large moose in the road, and was relieved to make it safely to Seward. I always tell people who warn me about the dangers of hiking alone, that the most dangerous part of my adventures is the driving I do to get back and forth to the trails. The trip to Seward with the many moose on the road confirms that.

There were two things I really wanted to do in Seward. I was trying not to be discouraged that the weather forecast was predicting rain every day for the next ten days. I was going to enjoy the opportunities my friend Debbie was helping me have even if it was raining. I confirmed my spaces for two group led tours which would go out even in the rain. I was surprised to learn that thunderstorms, which were a constant source of fear and concern on the Continental Divide Trail, the Arizona Trail, the PNT and many other hikes, were extremely rare in Alaska. These storms require a quantity of warm air to rise, causing an electrical charge with the colder air in the clouds. So far, the ground temperature in Alaska is not warm enough to create this temperature differential in the clouds.

I spent the rest of that rainy day in the Alaska Sealife Center, a combination aquarium and rehabilitation center. It was difficult for me to think about wild animals being caged, but I did enjoy learning a lot and was grateful for the rehabilitation work the center did. I enjoyed seeing octopus, and puffins both sitting on rocks and flying below water. The swimming jellyfish were like poetry in motion and some of the starfish and anemones were stunning.

The next day was also pouring rain, so rather than hiking I spent part of the day writing in the library. I really appreciate libraries when I’m on the road. They have been welcoming to all who entered regardless of race or creed. Librarians have given me great information about the places I am visiting, such as where I could park my car to sleep in for the night, the best ice cream in town and public access to beaches in Florida.

In the afternoon, I went back to the aquarium. That night, as with my previous nights on the road, I cooked some backpacking food and rather than setting my tent up in the rain, I slept in the cramped Nissan Sentra I had rented. I felt a bit like a turtle in that car carrying my shell on my back. As cramped as it was, I was glad not to be dealing with a wet tent every morning.

The following morning I partook in what was one of my favorite experiences of my time in Alaska. But once again this blog is long enough, so keep posted for next time.

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