Motorcoaches, Midnight Suns & Mud

Back to work we go!

Hello hello!

A long-overdue update. If you don’t feel like reading all the way through but just want to know how we’re doing, we love Alaska! The people, our new jobs, the endless sun, the limitless outdoor adventures… I could go on and on. It’s truly been a dream. I often catch myself pausing to admire the beauty here. I certainly never expected Alaska to be a place I’d live and work, let alone love so much.

I have now led four trips on my own and I love it. It’s wild to think that just a month ago, I was nervous about speaking into a microphone during training. Now? I’m comfortably talking (a lot) on a moving motorcoach full of people. So far, I’ve had groups ranging from 36 to 46 guests, but they can get up to 52! Every group has been filled with amazing, enthusiastic people who are excited to be here. I am genuinely sad when they leave. It’s amazing how well I get to know them in our short time together and what an impact they all have made on me so far. Pictured below is my first group and I doing our moose antlers outside of Denali.

The trips I have done all follow a similar route, just with different timing in each location. I either pick up guests before or after their cruise for the land portion. Trips range from 3 to 7 days, and many start or end in Fairbanks. I have had to learn a lot about Alaska for this job, so I figured, why not share some of that with you!

Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska, with only 32,000 people, which still blows my mind. It’s known for a few things, but the extreme temperature swings surprised me most. In winter, it regularly drops to -40°F, but in summer it can hit 90°F. Last week, it was 85° there and I was wildly unprepared in my sweater and warm dress pants. These high temperatures surprise me even more because Fairbanks is only 200 miles from the Arctic Circle.

Fairbanks is also famous for the long summer days, known as the Midnight Sun! This phenomenon is celebrated every year the Saturday after Solstice with a Solstice festival that goes until Midnight, because you can do things like that when you have 22 hours of daylight! I was lucky enough to be there on Solstice this year and attend the festival. There was a massive town celebration and even a 10pm baseball game. Despite starting at 10pm, it’s played completely without artificial light. I couldn’t snag a ticket, but I found something even better, a 10pm 10K run! One of my coworkers and some of his guests joined. There were 3,900 runners this year, and I think just as many spectators. I couldn’t believe the amount of people hanging out on their lawns, out cheering us on. I also couldn’t believe that we crossed the finish line and made it back to the hotel with the sun still out. I was so tired the next day.. We had a very early morning, but I am so glad I did it. We grabbed this photo right before the race started!

Every trip includes a stop in Denali National Park too! It’s not even July and I think I have been 6 times now? This is my coworker at the park entrance the first time I visited.

Denali National Park spans 6 million acres. To put that in perspective, you could fit Yellowstone, Yosemite, AND the entire state of New Hampshire inside it. And yet, it only has one road, and sees about 400,000 visitors a year. Compare that to Yellowstone, which gets up to a million in a single month. So, every time I get to visit Denali, which is once, sometimes twice a week, I feel incredibly lucky to experience it and share it with guests.

While guests are off on their park tour, I usually take the opportunity to do laundry, shower, call my mom, and sometimes squeeze in a run. On one of those runs, I had a surprise visitor.

I saw something moving ahead of me, and once I determined it wasn’t a bear or moose I calmed a bit. I then had to quickly Google “Are porcupines dangerous?” before waiting to move forward. Luckily, he wandered off the trail and I made it home safely.

Another highlight of every trip is the train ride. This is probably my favorite part, because everyone LOVES the train. Every seat is a window seat, thanks to the glass dome ceiling, so guests can really soak in the views. Rain or shine, it is incredible way to watch the scenery and wildlife go by.

I usually post up in the back, catching up on paperwork while the train staff takes care of the guests. It’s honestly one of the most peaceful parts of the job. A guest snapped this photo of me a few weeks ago, you can see how much I’m not enjoying catching up on accounting!

Not every day is fully pre-planned, guests also have the option to add on excursions, and occasionally, I get to join! One group invited me on a Midnight Sun ATV tour just outside of Denali National Park. It didn’t start until 9pm, and yes, I was exhausted the next day, but it was worth every second. We got absolutely covered in mud (yay, more laundry), but I loved exploring new terrain and felt quite powerful driving the ATV around. I was scared for about two minutes, then it was full speed ahead. I was jealous of people in the two seaters though, that windshield would have been nice protection from all the dirt and mud hitting me in the face.

Another highlight? I managed to snag a spot on a flightseeing tour of Denali. We flew around the mountain and landed on a glacier. It was absolutely breathtaking and so peaceful. They say only 30% of people who visit Alaska actually get to see the Mountain, so I feel incredibly lucky that we’ve had such clear days!

On rare non-work days, I try to spend every minute outside, trail running with friends, biking, and taking full advantage of the endless daylight. Exploring Alaska has been so much fun, and I feel so lucky that we get to call this place home for the summer (and maybe longer?).

For anyone wondering about Garrett.. He’s doing great! He recently went on a training trip to Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and just returned from his first work trip in Lake Clark! His job is wild. He been flown out on small bush planes to remote, stunning parts of Alaska and guiding people on crazy adventures. I want to go on one of his trips SO bad. The photos and experiences he tells me about are incredible. He’s definitely in his element.

Thanks so much for reading, and for all the messages and check-ins. I truly appreciate every single one of you. And if you’ve ever thought about visiting Alaska, consider this your sign to do it (and come see me while you’re at it)!