Friday, September 11, 2009

Back from the dead

Well, hello there!

It's been rather silent here for a while. As in, I turned 22 and vanished into the ether. I have a good excuse, though! You see, right after my birthday I ran headfirst into Dead Week and Finals. It was a disaster. There was crying, screaming, flying glass and a fair amount of blood. And once it was all over, I peaced out of there so fast that I (intentionally) forgot to lock the door behind me. Less than 24 hours later I climbed onto an airplane and disappeared into the wilds of Alaska.

I've been here ever since.

Internet access is shaky at best. I haven't streamed a video or downloaded new music since June. This town that I live in? No fast food. No movie theaters. No franchised stores. No indoor swimming pools. It was surreal at first, but in the end it's been good for me. I thought for sure I would die without my daily dose of Hulu. Turns out, there are plenty of other things to do in the day.

Up here in Skagway, Alaska, I spend most of my day driving a 40 foot tour bus up and down the mountain passes, shuttling tourists up to Fraser, B.C. and back. Wake up at 5am, get off work by 6pm (hopefully), crack a beer or two and cook a community dinner with some coworkers in the hotel's kitchen, then fall exhausted into sleep by 10pm. I'm in love with this routine. On days off, I can do anything from spend the day watching cable television, to hiking out to a glacier, to bear hunting and whale watching. I've cuddled a 2 week old Alaskan Husky pup in my Columbia vest while he burrowed his nose into my neck. I've video'd a grizzly catching salmon from less than 30 feet away. I've hiked above the tree line to an alpine lake. I've taken the train out into the Yukon Territory and walked the tail end of the Chilkoot trail. I've traded dirty jokes with a couple from Alberta, Canada. I've blacked out at a company party and found myself fully clothed but soaking wet in my bed the next morning.

I've had the time of my life.

But I'm starting to miss y'all. So I'm heading home soon. See you in 10 days!

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