August 7, 2007 by annie.

The strong, bold bluffs of the interior passages now give way to gentler elevations along the Pacific seaboard, but the country gradually rises from the coast until but a few miles back the same old cloud-capped, snow-covered peaks recur, and as we stand well out to sea they look as abrupt as ever. - Frederick Schwatka “The Inside Passage” 1886

July 21, 2007

I’m on the ferry now. Traveling through the inside passage, with a couple hundred other people on a boat, I feel odd. I can’t quite figure out what it is.

July 22, 2007

Yesterday, I saw a whale. My first whale. It was a humpback whale…breaching repeatedly as if welcoming me to it’s home. It was so close I could feel the splash on my face. People around me were snapping pictures, but I couldn’t. I was too stunned, too mesmerized. I know it sounds silly.

There were more whales yesterday. Over and over, they would reveal themselves by the spray from their blowhole visible from a mile away. I was in heaven.

So as I sit here, perched at the ready, waiting for the whales…my thoughts wonder. I am in my element. This is what I wanted my life to be like. I was going to be a marine biologist and live on boat, working with whales or dolphins. But I’m not. I became pregnant. I had a baby by myself instead. I became a teacher so I could be a mom. Am I okay with it? Do I have regrets?

For a moment, I’m afraid of the answer. I search inside, crawling through the dark recesses. I turn over the ugly spots. I sit with that odd, weird feeling. It doesn’t take as long as I anticipate. I thought it was a harder question. I am okay. I have no regrets. 

Hearing Tyler next to me, ” Mom, I have to go to the bathroom, but if I leave I might miss another whale.” I laugh. We’ve both refused to eat or leave our perch. We’re afraid to miss anything. This is my element. I’m a mom. Sharing moment after moment with her son, while the whales dance by.

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August 5, 2007 by annie.

In his novel, “Looking for Alaska”, John Green writes of “seeking The Great Perhaps”. Sitting on an airplane, flying home, I find myself seeking words to describe my travels…and those are the ones that seem most fitting. Maybe the very nature of travel lends itself to the search…the exploration, the opportunity for new experiences, the unfolding of worlds never before seen. Yet there are those other “Great Perhaps” that come along with travel - or at least my travel - those inside explorations, however dangerous, also seeking an unfolding of something new, of something to take back. I’d like to think I am always in search of The Great Perhaps…but travel sets a ripe stage.

I am home now. I am tired and worn from my explorations. I am breaking from chickadventure routine in the coming posts…posting not only hike information but various other travel experiences from my journals (and pictures) that I kept during the trip. Although, it’ll take me some time to get things organized…and I need some sleep.

Tyler and I in Denali National Park.

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July 19, 2007 by annie.

tyler and i are on our way to alaska. we’ll be back in about three weeks. i’ll post hiking adventures when i return.

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July 8, 2007 by annie.

tyler and i just returned from a four day camping and hiking excursion to crater lake national park in oregon. i’ll post hike specifics in the next few days, but wanted to take a moment to marvel out loud at two things. one…my teenage son brings me great joy. two…snow on the ground in july brings tyler great joy.

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July 1, 2007 by annie.

now that july has begun…there are only 18 days left until i leave on my alaskan adventure. there will be plenty of hiking to report upon return in august. we’ll be ferrying, driving, flying (and hiking) throughout the inside passage, southcentral, and parts of the interior regions. tyler says he’s most looking forward to denali national park, although he’s still adamant about his “no hiking” rule.

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February 15, 2007 by annie.

i am not posting specifics on this because this wasn’t exactly a hike. this pic was taken along the rim trail at grand canyon national park. pure bliss.

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