An Unknown Adventure

...was my plan when I woke up this morning. Kiki, Jules, Nick (all people from SU Law), and I intended to meet in the morning, drive north from Anchorage, and follow whatever seemed interesting. Our first success was spotting a large moose munching on grass along the road.

Later, we stopped in the small town of Talkeetna. We ate lunch and discovered a huge, rushing river complete with sand. I'm very confused about finding sand in the Alaskan interior. I know it's the result of the water breaking down the river rocks, but my brain still doesn't seem to comprehend it. So be it. As they say, things are different in Alaska. While this conjures lots of ideas, I think you have to experience a bit of Alaska to truly understand the significance of this phrase.


After filling our bellies (my second amazing halibut burger in a row), we headed for Denali State Park for a hike. When accessing the area around Denali/Mount McKinley, the state park is to the south and national park to the north. Our hike around the Troublesome Creek area proved successful. We all enjoyed being out of doors, surrounded by natural beauty, and getting a bit of exercise. The brush was quite dense, so we were sure to whistle, clap, and generally create enough ruckus to warn the local moose and bears of our presence well in advance of any confrontation. We didn't run across any significant wildlife, but I suppose that's a good thing. When the trail appeared to end (due to a landslide in 2006), we turned back. I was particularly taken with the many young ferns growing up along the trail.

Not far from the trailhead, but on our way back to Anchorage, we stopped at the southern viewpoint for Mount McKinley. It's too bad that today was so overcast because the view must be dynamite on a clear day. I'm sure we'll be back to check it out. I'm pretty sure that we were all smitten with the giant that is North America's highest peak.


It's challenging to transition into the work/school week after being in the Alaskan wilderness, but I must admit feeling quite refreshed. Speaking of work and school, both are off to a great start. This is my first summer school experience, so I'm relying heavily on the interesting subject matter (Alaskan natives and environmental law) to pull me through. My job is already quite rewarding. I had my first client meeting last week, and I'll be writing the final draft of my response to discovery this week. I actually enjoy breaking my day into 6 minute increments. Do you believe it?