Notes from Alaska

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A Different Planet

August 16, 2010

Arriving in Alaska was an experience in itself, only after watching the digital plane on my in-seat television could I start to wrap my head around the distance. Being so far from home or anyone I could ask for a favor made me uneasy.

After spending a night in the Anchorage Intl. Terminal, the 7:30 am flight to Cordova couldn’t have come soon enough. I wasn’t expecting a welcoming parade on the tarmac of Cordova Airport, but things definitely don’t work that way here. Without anyone to greet me I was going to have to figure it out on my own.

Cordova was blanketed by a rain storm and dense fog that kept my boss and plane ride on the ground 93 miles away in the bush. The final flight from Cordova to the Alaska Expedition Co. Driftwood Lodge was great but, after my 4th plane landing in 18 hours and a few hand shakes, I realized it was time to get to work.

We’ve had 11 days to get the lodge up and running, ready for guests. The work is tough and the days are long, but anytime I find myself getting bogged down with aches or fatigue I am revived by the sight of the the geography and wildlife that surrounds me.

The towering Chugach Mountain range that rises from sea level to 14,000 feet faster than I could have imagined, A beach with surf breaks that rival anything I have seen in California, with no locals to snake your wave besides a sea lion, the Tsiu River that is chock full of the Coho Salmon that built an entire culture, eagles, bears, and moose within feet of our lodge. At times I feel like I am on another planet, there is no way to describe the beauty here on a clear day .There is the best fishing, skiing, hunting, and surf I have ever seen. Maybe my personal paradise?