Long time away...

It has been nearly six months since my last entry, and a lot has happened!
Alaska was everything I was hoping for.. and more!! I already miss the beautiful majestic mountains, the friends I made, and the memories of it all. If it's a possibility for me, I'd like to go back and do it again next summer. But if I'm unable to, I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to go and experience a different side of life.
Since being home, I've been enjoying spending time with friends and family. Every one has been keeping busy working/playing. But it's been really fun spending time with my nephews! I cannot believe how fast they grow! Crew is such a big boy now, he continues to amaze me with how smart he is and how well he understands things. He loves playing with his tractors and trucks and watching over Drake. It's such a special thing to see the love he has for his baby brother. As for Drake, he seems to be growing every day and his personality is really shining through. While Crew is running in circles, with more energy than I've ever had, Drake is as mellow as can be. He just loves being held and being able to watch his big brother play. I'm so blessed to have these boys in my life!

Across the tracks..

Tonight after dinner my friend Allison and I decided it was a good night to go for a little hike. She knew of a great trail that led to a creek where the water is great for wading. So off we went and after crossing the railroad bridge we found the trail and worked our way to the spot she loves. The water was freezing cold but it didn't stop us from taking off our socks and shoes and rolling up our pants to walk around in it. It couldn't have been better!
I've been very lucky since I've been here in meeting some fantastic people who I've bonded with and hope to be friends with long after this summer is over. It seems so silly, but it definitely feels like I'm at an Adult Summer Camp sometimes. There seems to be a lot of drama here, and people love to be in each other's business. So it's very refreshing when you meet people that are drama free and you get along so well. I've had my instances where I've wondered if all the drama is worth being here, but the friends that I've made have made me glad to be here.

Hiking on my day off

After a week of being sick with a miserable cold that seems to be spreading like wildfire through all the employees here, I finally felt good enough to get out and do something. So on Wednesday I went with a friend from work and we did some hiking. We left around 11:30 and got back a little after 5:00. It was a great day, not only were the trails pretty easy but it was just so amazing to take in the scenery that is all around. At one point we were hiking along side the Riley Creek and heard a huge splash of water and we stopped and saw a Moose crossing the Creek. Then we got close to the train tracks and heard a train coming so we were able to get some pictures of the train going across the bridge. I couldn't have asked for a better day off. The weather was beautiful and I was able to get out and hike three different trails and just soak up Alaska. The only downfall to Alaska that I have discovered thus far is definitely the mesquitos. I cannot believe how bad they are, and from what I'm told it's not even bad yet. I guess July and August are the worst. I'm not looking forward to experiencing that. Just the other night before I left the room I sprayed my feet with my mesquito spray because I was wearing sandals. But it didn't help too much, when I got back at the end of the evening I had six bites on one foot. Its not pleasant.

The Climb to Healy

The fact that it's always light here is something that takes getting used to. When I first got here I couldn't believe it would be midnight and still light out, I thought I was going to have a hard time sleeping, and I did for a little bit. But then you reach this point where it seems wrong to not take advantage of all this daylight! It feels like you're wasting your day if you're not out doing something, even if it is 11:00 at night. So the other night I got off work and decided that I wasn't ready to go to bed, but I wanted to go for a hike. So I got ahold of my friend Pat to see if he was interested in going with me. Soon we were off to do the Mt Healy trail - which is one of the more strenuous trails near-by. I was so excited to get out and finally do a real hike! But within the first thirty minutes my excitement had died down. I was completely out of breath and kept feeling like my ears needed to pop. I finally had to take off both my jackets, leaving me in just a t-shirt because I was getting too hot. But by the miracle of Pat, we made it to the top by 10:30 and sat and enjoyed the view for a bit then headed back down. And just so you can understand that it really is ALWAYS light out, keep in mind that the pictures I took on this hike range from 10:00 - midnight. It really is something else to experience.
It was also something else when I woke up the following morning with a sore throat and realized that I was coming down with the Denali cold.

Beginners Luck

Last week I was able to catch a shuttle into the DNP. There's only the one road in/out, It's 91 miles long and as of last week was only opened to mile 53. So I was able to go as far as Toklat and all in all it was a 7 hour adventure. I was able to see 12 Grizzly Bears, 1 Wolf, 1 Moose, a bunch of caribou and sheep. So I was lucky enough my first time in to see the Big 5. It was honestly such a great experience, the only downfall was the weather. It went from raining to snowing the entire day, so I never did any hiking or anything. But it was still great to see so many animals. I was able to get a few pictures, not the greatest but its proof I saw some bears!

Pictures say a thousand words..

Me, Pat and Christina. The bears are sure friendly here! :)
The rest of the pictures are from our hike to Horseshoe Lake. It's so beautiful and peaceful here. The last picture is the trail that I take to work and home. You have to be alert when you walk because the moose like to hang around the area.

The Dust is Beginning to Settle

I've been here for almost a week now and am finally starting to get used to things.
My work schedule is still a little crazy because nothing has been set quite yet. Today is my first day off, but I'm hoping to change my days off to Sat and Sun. But we'll see. Things don't seem to be very organized. They just kind of throw you in there and it's up to you to catch on or not. I'm hoping that it'll get a little better though.
With being a newbie up here, I'm not sure what to do or where to go when I'm not at work. I still haven't caught a bus into the park, so that's definitely on the agenda. I get two days off next week, so if I don't make it in this week I will then. The other night I went on a little hike with some co-workers, Alaska is truly beautiful. I hope to upload more pictures soon, but the internet here isn't the best and has been preventing me from doing so.

Alaska Bound: Alaska Found

5/14/08 Departed SLC @ 9:30 pm
Arrived Seattle @ 10:30 pm
*Delay in take off due to plane maintenance
5/15/08 Departed Seattle @12:30 am
Arrived Anchorage @ 3:30 am (Alaskan time or 5:30 Utah time)

After possibly the worst flight of my life, I'm finally in Alaska! I'm not sure if it's the entire Alaskan Airlines company that sucks, or just the plane that I was on. It was so old that we had to go outside and climb up the stairs and load onto it from the rear of the plane. Then once on, I tried to put my luggage in the overhead department and it wouldn't fit. I thought I was going to break it, so I had the flight attendant force it in for me. (I didn't want to get blamed for any damage done. haha) Then I soon realized that the seat I had requested when I bought my ticket is not the seat I was assigned. Instead of my usual window seat, I was sandwiched between a big guy and an old lady. Making it incredibly difficult to get comfortable enough to sleep. I couldn't lean left of right and found it impossible to sleep sitting straight up! And anytime I began to fall asleep I'd do the whole jump thing and wake right up. It was super lovely!
Now I'm just sitting on a bench by the baggage claim, waiting for 7:00 to roll around so I can catch the 6 hour shuttle ride down to the Denali Park. I'm looking forward to finally getting there more than ever! But I won't lie that I'm feeling a little uncomfortable. This rather odd looking fella' came and laid down on the bench RIGHT next to me with his head only inches away from my lap. I would've moved if I didn't have four bags to move with me! He seems to be homeless or possibly travels very lightly. He has no sort of luggage whatsoever with him. Odd....
Anyway, I think I've packed more than I actually weigh in all my luggage. My hiking pack weighed in at 42 lbs, my big luggage 47 lbs, my smaller luggage was around 30 lbs and my backpack has to be around 30 lbs. The real trick/talent is being able to roll/carry them all at once. I'm not quite sure how it's going to work? But hopefully it won't be too difficult!
P.S.
Good news, the bum has disappeared!

(The above pictures are of the airport. It seems to pretty common for people to just crash on the benches. From where I'm sitting I can 6 people sleeping. The other is of the animal display by the baggage claim.)

What--what is this salty discharge?!

No, I'm not crying... at least not intentionally.
My eyes are watering, I can't breathe, and am constantly sneezing!
I am one of the millions of innocent people who fall victim to allergies.

What did I do to deserve this? I mean, I don't litter. I enjoy the outdoors and all it has to offer. I support going Green! Yet it seems that nature is seeking some sort of revenge on me. Why else would it put me through such torment?

Truthfully, I shouldn't be complaining. This is the first time I've had such bad allergies. But I'm afraid that it's a sign of years to come. Which means that Claritin D and I will become good friends, possibly friends for life. But it's always good to have those kind of friends, right? Friends for life. Although, I would prefer friends that don't come with a monthly fee.

Dreaming of Strangers

Everyone has dreams, that is one thing we have in common.
Now, the context of our dreams is where we are different. For instance, I doubt you have ever dreamt about going back to the past with your best friend and ending up in the ocean while looking a hammerhead shark right in the eyes. That's right, because that was MY dream. In fact, I would dare say that I have some of the strangest dreams of anyone I know. And I'll have you know that they are 100% natural. No drug influence, just pure Bree. So while on the subject of dreams, I'm about to mention something that will boggle your mind. Yes, BOGGLE.
Have you ever thought about the people in your dreams? The people that are so randomly placed in your subconscious world, and you have no idea who they are.. Well think about this, are these people real? Are you dreaming about someone whom you've never met and may perhaps live in another country. Maybe it's even a future person yet to be born. Crazy right?
Now I'll let you ponder about all those strangers in your dreams that you might secretly know. Maybe they're dreaming about you too.