Post - The Hopeful Life

It has already been over two months since we arrived in Talkeetna. Time is flying by and we are loving it up here! Within the first week of being here, we felt right at home and met most of the friendly people who make this little, weird town so great. Talkeetna is an awesome haven at the end of the road, literally. The Chulitna, Susitna, and Talkeetna Rivers merge right near town and there are always friends hanging out by the river bank on the daily. It is an excellent spot to view the Alaskan Range on a clear day. Talkeetna inhabits about 800 people year-round, but that number almost doubles in the summer months with the additional seasonal employees. It is definitely a place for outdoor lovers with plenty of nearby activities such as hiking, biking, and kayaking. Those are the freebies of course.

The best thing about working in Talkeetna is that most of the businesses spread the word by hooking up fellow tourism industry employees with MAJOR discounts on their tours. It is sweet. Wes and I were lucky enough to take a flightseeing tour with K2 Aviation about a week after we arrived. We waited on standby for two seats to open up and managed to score the glacier landing tour, which was two hours. We went up in a small ten-seater Twin Otter and our pilot, Mark, was great. We were a part of the ten percent of people who actually get to see the summit of Denali since it was such a clear and sunny day. With skis on the plane, we landed on the Amphitheater Glacier, where we were able to get out and take some photos. It was incredible.

Three rivers merging with the Alaskan Range in the background.

Kelly and I have been out on each other’s tours as well. She came out on my first zipline tour as a guinea pig and I returned the favor with a few of my other Denali Zipline Tour friends. Kelly nailed it of course. It was like she had been rowing for Talkeetna Rafting Guides for years. We had a fun little trip down the Talkeetna River and since that first time, I have been out a few times with her and our friend, Nick. There is a cool little spot to stop and hang out along the river called “Holiday Beach.” The TRG guides are lucky enough to be able to use the boats for booze cruises, which occur pretty frequently. I haven’t gone on too many yet, but I made the one I did attend count. I may not remember most of the summer solstice celebration night, but I am sure I had fun.

Kelly rowing me, Sara, Neil, and Andy down the Talkeetna.

I am absolutely loving work at Denali Zipline Tours. Unfortunately, my schedule would not work out with the bartending job at the Denali Brewpub, but who needs money, right?! I was a little bummed that I could not work it out, but I am here to explore and experience Alaska, not work seven days a week. It was an intense and exciting week of training to become a zipline guide and I feel like I was trained by the best! I have been enjoying the job so far and I am glad that I have the opportunity to work with a fun group of friends. Everyone up here is fantastically weird like us. Wes and I are so lucky to get to know them. Wes is enjoying work at Denali Brewpub and is killing it there to say the least. His co-workers are equally as fun. That discount on to-go beer is quite the perk too.

The Denali Zipline gang got to go and check out Alaska Sled Dog Tours one evening and it was so cool. Dallas Seavey is a four-time Iditarod champion and he has over 100 dogs in training. While we did not get to meet him, we met a great group of people, including Leddy who is a former zipline guide. She showed us around and led us on a dog mushing tour. We actually were able to steer the carts with the dogs pulling us through the trails. It was so much fun! Wes loves dogs so that’s great. We are planning to go back and do the full tour again before the season is over. It was a unique experience that I never thought I would have and those dogs are pretty incredible, I have to admit.

Leddy leading us through the trails! Wes was driving…

Wes thanking the pups for towing us around.

There are quite a few lakes close to town, which we have been taking advantage of so far. The kayaks have been great to have up here. Christiansen Lake is a favorite with a little shore to hang out on while watching the float planes take off and land. It has also been incredibly, and uncharacteristically, hot in Alaska this summer. Ninety plus degree weather for two weeks in a row, leading to fires and rising water temperatures. Global warming at its finest. However, on a lighter note, the lakes are fairly warm right now and being able to swim in them has been a treat. Lee Lake, formerly an old quarry and the only one that seems to be leach free, is right around the corner from our home and on the way to the zipline course, which is very convenient. There is always someone you know there and it’s great to have a spot to take a dip and sip a beer after sweating in a harness all day. There is even a little “beach” to set up a chair and soak in some sun, although we mainly stay in the water the entire time. When the sun is out, it feels about ten degrees hotter and when it is cloudy it feels about ten degrees cooler than the actual temperature. Layers are a must at all times up here.

Kendra and Rhino finally made it up to Talkeetna in early June and stayed for a few weeks. They pitched their mansion of a tent right outside our door and it was great to see them. We mainly hung around town and went out on the lakes since Wes, Kelly, and I were working most of the time. Kendra started her job as a guide for a smaller cruise-ship style company toward the end of June so they both headed south toward Seward, but they will be back later in the season.

Downtown Talkeetna is a pretty fun place. There is usually live music happening somewhere. The Teepee and Fairview Inn are the local hangouts. The bars here are open for what seems like forever and since it is light outside for about 20 hours a day, it sneaks up on you. You go out for a few drinks and all of a sudden, its 1am. Kind of crazy to get used to and I am still one of the losers who normally goes to bed early around midnight, while everyone else is out until three in the morning. Monday night karaoke is my favorite night to go out, mainly to see what surprise song my friend, Matt, has prepared. Everyone is usually there dancing and having a blast. There is definitely a charming quality to this place.

The Resonant Rogues are a folksy band from Asheville, NC and they visited the Fairview Inn and played one night. The accordion, banjo, and violin are some of their main instruments of choice. They were so good that we wanted to see them again. Nick, Kelly, Matt, Wes, and myself ended up heading down to Girdwood, where they played a secret forest show. It was an intimate setting at the top of a small trail in the woods. The five of us camped for the night there with another awesome couple, Greta and Landon, who were traveling around. It was a fun night and a beautiful place to stay. We drove down to Whittier, where we waited in a traffic line to pass through the mountain by way of a one lane tunnel. Glad no one was claustrophobic. The Portage Pass trailhead was waiting on the other side and the seven of us enjoyed the hike immensely. It was a beautiful day with gorgeous spots to see the Portage Glacier. I need to hike more because I am definitely out of shape.

We headed to 49th State Brewing in Anchorage on the way back home. Good beer and food. Until that night, I was the only person in Alaska who had not yet seen a moose. It had been a month and a half here and nothing. However, Matt came in clutch in the back seat when he spotted a moose on the side of the road! Finally! I was getting tired of all the taunting texts from everyone sending me moose photos from their backyards. Since then, I am happy to report that I am a moose magnet. They love me. They were probably just intimidated before because of my RBF, but word is out that I am a nice bitch.

Just out for an evening stroll around the neighborhood.

A few weeks ago, we hiked Ermine Hill in Denali State Park with stunning sights. Matt, Sam, Wes, and I hiked the eight mile trail to the top on one of the clearest days we have yet to see here. Streams, flowers, and alpine lakes. Mt. Denali, Mt. Hunter, and Mt. Foraker were visible the entire time. I wasn’t super stoked on hiking the extra steps to the very top, since my legs were screaming “no”, but I am sure glad that I did. We could not have asked for a better day. And I did not have to use my bear-spray sooooo bonus! I thank my friend and neighbor, Arwen, for the use of her bear bells.

My uncle, Steve, and cousin, Jill, came to visit me at the beginning of July and it was such a good time. They were only here for five days, but I managed to get the time off and it was so nice to see them. It was hot as hell though and no one up here has AC, except for us in the trailer. We are pretty much living large in the fifth wheel. Fat cats. Anyway, Arwen hooked them up with a flightseeing tour, we ziplined, made use of the kayaks, and hiked around a lake where a moose came out to say “hey.” Again, they love me. The six-hour hurricane train ride was probably the highlight of the weekend. We didn’t really see any wildlife and we were delayed an hour, but we did get to see some old telegraph poles and Todd’s house. I mean, there were a couple good spots along the way, but thank god I packed a cooler.

A quick stop at a river where the salmon were swimming.

Hanging out with new friends is the best part of our summer. We just had a neighborhood (aka trailer park) dinner the other night and Prom is coming up this week at the Fairview. It’s Las Vegas themed and it sounds like it is going to be awesome. Everyone is going. We are all pretty excited. Kelly and Nick went thrift store shopping the other day and we are all well on our way to being deemed “best dressed.”