I am a Michigan girl, through and through. I’ve traveled to multiple different states but I was, as they say, “smitten with the mitten”. However that all changed when I said “yes” to a mission trip running a Bible camp in Port Alsworth, AK. One of my best friends lived in Alaska for a couple years, and she would always tell me stories about life in Alaska. However, I didn’t believe it till I experienced it for myself.
The whole experience, travel as well as time on the ground in the village, was stunning. In Alaska there are two systems of travel, “on the road system” and “off the road system”. The village we were going to was off the road system, and so our group had to take three bush flights through the mountain pass to Port Alsworth. On the way in it was a cloudy day and so we had to fly over the pass, but at the end of the trip were able to fly through it. Before this trip I had never flown before, and I learned that I love it! The views were incredible, I loved being in the clouds, the temperatures would form ice crystals on the windows. The glacier melt was aqua and white, you could see waterfalls on the mountains. You could see beluga whales in the ocean and caribou in the woods clearings. When we flew through the pass we could see ball sheep on the mountain edges. On the flight home I saw the Aurora Borealis dancing in the night. It was a view one could never get while on the ground.
Once we landed though, being on the ground was a different experience entirely. Everything that was so small was now so big, kept me looking up the whole time I was there. The village was on a lake, surrounded by mountains. Even when on the playing field or in the main building on the campsite, if you looked up there was a mountain range right there in the distance. It made for beautiful sunsets; the pink sky would outline the tips of the mountains. It was a beautiful way to end every day spent with junior high campers.
One thing I was not expecting was the difference in transportation. Since the village was off the road system, planes (or possibly boat) were the only way of getting to the camp. They were constantly taking off and landing. Every day we had to look out for planes, both on the lake and land. Eventually I got use to loudness of the planes next door, everyone would pause as usual. I was amazed at the comfort the kids at the camp had around the planes. They have ridden in the small bush flights more often than they had in vehicles. It was just a different way of life, there I was 22 and just having flown for the very first time.
One day we started talking about fears with the campers; I was surprised at the answers kids gave. Fears of Alaska natives consisted of not having a successful fishing or hunting season. Salmon and game animals are a prime source of food that gets natives through the long winter. This was their normal. When we would ask the kids where they were from, I found their answers depended on the time of year. For different hunting season, the kids would move with their parents to help hunt and prepare what they caught. That was also a way they saw their friends from different villages. Salmon season would bring people to Southern Alaska, moose and caribou season would bring people North. Life and business was not about being in an office trying to get the next promotion, but it was about survival.
The kids in my cabin got a laugh at the accent of my co-counselor (Kelly) and I, it did not take long for them to realize we had no idea what they were talking about half the time. They introduced of to agudak and pilot bread, some of their favorite foods. They taught us some words in Yupik, or Eskimo language. Kelly and I learned about their religion, about their villages’ customs. Kelly and I learned to love each of our girls, they were gems we were so thankful to have in our cabin.
I believe that the beauty of my time there was set up by my lack of technology, lack of a constant distraction. During my time in the bush (what they referred to the villages as), I had no cell service unless I bought a phone card. So I went without my phone for about two weeks, life felt more real. I was not distracted by my phone, instead I was captivated my the mountains that layered each other along Lake Clarke. I couldn't stop staring at the glacier melt that rain down the mountains, where it hit the lake and we would stop and fish for Grayling (I caught one!!!). I was paralyzed when we saw a moose on the shore across from our boat, it was incredible to see such a large majestic creature in person. In other words, I felt incredibly small as I got to see more and more of Alaska.
As you can imagine I had trouble explaining my trip when I got back home. And then when I did process it I couldn't stop talking, “Alaska this” and “Alaska that”. Even now I don’t think I conveyed my experience clearly. My biggest take aways were those you just read. The biggest differences, that I absolutely loved learning about. When we got back we were told to wait a couple weeks to decided if we would ever go back. However I knew right away, yes I would go back to Alaska in a heartbeat. And if you have never been, I would highly recommend visiting the state that captured my heart.
