Husband Dan and I have officially joined the ranks of Alaska enthusiasts, but sharing the experience seems daunting, similar to trying to explain the sky to someone who has never seen it.  That being said, I’ll begin by trying to describe Alaska’s sky, or, more specifically, the air in the Tongass National Forest.

Tongass National Forest

The Tongass National Forest is the largest coastal temperate rain forest in the world, and as you hike within that forest, you breathe the forest’s gift of purified air. Fragrant moss covers almost every surface, and the air’s crispness with just the right amount of chill is perfect. Any sinus issues one might have, take notice, and coughing and stuffy noses retreat in the face of such purity. One takes deep breaths, gulping the air as if finishing a long swim. I wished I could breathe that air the rest of my life, or at least bottle it up and bring it home.

When one hears the word glacier, Alaska often comes to mind, and during the Inside Passage portion of our trip, our cruise ship glided close to the Margerie Glacier. Forest Rangers boarded the ship that morning and gave a running commentary of the view. As the ranger explained the 4,000 years it took to form the glacier and its 21-mile length and 1-mile width, I felt an indescribable awe in the presence of such a massive, ancient entity.

The glacier calved (portions of the glacier slid into the water) several times while we watched, directing our eyes to the glacier-caused waves and the huge sea otters gliding along, on their backs, munching whatever sea life they’d captured from the deep. Birds in the air, a moose, and one grizzly bear near the glacier, the almost azure color of the glacier, all combined to create a mystical moment.

Marjarie Glacier

While in Denali we took a “Fat Truck” tour. Fat Trucks are specialized, all-terrain, amphibious Search and Rescue vehicles.

Fat Truck with Cindy and Dan Arp

Besides the fun of driving through lakes, streams, and seemingly impossible-looking terrain, the tour included several lecture stops

At one such stop, we learned about wishing stones, a stone with a band of white that goes all the way around and is surrounded by many legends. Our guide explained the Athabaskan legend. In that culture, when one is gifted a blessing stone, one must carry the stone with them while thinking of a blessing for someone they know. The stone is carried until the blessing comes true, after which one gifts the stone to another person. When the guide finished his story, he gave the stone to me. I’ll keep the stone until, just like the legend says, the blessing I lift up for another person comes true. What a marvelous reminder to think of others, pray for them, and continue the legacy by gifting it to others.

Athabaskan Chief Robe

Visiting Alaska made me want to say thank you to this amazing land.

  • Thank you, Ketchikan, for having stair streets and for having a creek that runs through town where salmon spawn while the sea otters cruise in to feast.
  • Thank you, Fairbanks, for “Mama’s Kitchen,” a place we entered looking for dinner, but which turned out to be the local bar where, while I was telling a story and gesturing with my hands, I knocked my glass over and it landed right side up, causing others to applaud.
  • Thank you, helicopter pilot, for flying us all over Denali, landing near glaciers, and encouraging us to sip glacier water.
  • Thank you, tour director Amy, who was there because the first guide was sick, the second guide hit a moose on the way in, and you showed up late in your pajama bottoms and bedroom shoes but gave us a great tour anyway.
  • Thank you, Captain Dave, who drove us out to the pipeline, with junk in your front seat and fishing rods in the back, and told us funny stories about teaching 45 fourth graders in a Native Alaskan school.
  • Thank you to the tour guide during the Fat Tire tour (search and rescue vehicle ride and adventure) who noticed I was shaking with cold and bundled me up, then helped me back inside the vehicle while turning the heat up to high.

In 1960, singer Johnny Horton made famous the song “North to Alaska!”  and while the words don’t fit the sentiments, I would use them to tell you, go north to Alaska, go and gather up the magic you find there. It will change you folks, I promise it will.

Cindy Arp, teacher/librarian, retired from Knox County Schools. She and husband Dan live in Heiskell.