COLLECTING EXPERIENCES
Going through my imaginary „Alaska To-Do List“ and ticking off what we already experienced here I feel very glad because I have experienced quite a lot considering that I’ve been her just for a w
eek…
arrive in Alaska
get the housingstart the jobearn first moneyfind a friend- meet a local
- go on a hike
And I am very happy that after today I can cross out the two lowest things as well.
HOW WE MET A LOCAL
I brought a very useful book with me here in Alaska. It is almost like a bible for a traveler. And actually, it is called Travel Bible. This book by two Czech authors is stuffed with so many useful things that it is very hard to absorb them all. However, if you take your time and go thoroughly through all the chapters you will be a master at lowcost travelling and you will realize how many opportunities you have.
One chapter is about Couchsurfing. It is a well-known website used by travelers all around the world. People offer here free places in their house where you can pass the night. It is not just a great way how to save some money but you can experience how local people live, get to know new people and if they share a house they mostly share many useful tips and expriences as well. But apart from this, there are people who maybe can’t (or don’t want to) host you during the night but they are still willing to spend some time with you and show you around. And that’s how we found Nathan who took us for our first Alaskan hike.
WOLVERINE PEAK
We met at Starbucks, jumped into his car and hurried to our first Alaskan adventure!
Our goal was Wolverine Peak (the name was actually more dangerous than the peak itself). It was 5 miles one way, so all in all we covered around 10 miles, which took us around 5 hours. We were climbing a hill which was really quite steep. And Nathan – as a native! – took fast pace. But with small breaks we reached the very top.
Although it was a very nice trip and we really enjoyed Nathan’s company, we were not really lucky. The weather was not friendly to us that day. We didn’t mind it was drizzling during the whole time. But we did little mind that we had quite a no view. And having climbed that craggy hill we really did deserve that!
So this is what we actually saw…
And this is a picture posted by other travelers who reached the Wolverine Peak just 2 days before us…
But still we made a good workout, met a nice Alaskan guy and enjoyed our day-off. Hopefully next time even the weather will be more fortunate.
There is still couple of things remaining at my „Alaska To-Do List“ and I can’t wait to fulfill them all…
«Aj»