greetings from my final days in this majestic wilderness,
i will certainly miss this land, the community, and the feeling of limitless possibilities that this landscape evokes within me...
i was introduced to this glorious area 17 years ago when i came up to work at the kennicott glacier lodge as a server, after years in the dude ranch circuit. i made lifelong friends and fell in love and vowed to always return, as this is the first place i had ever felt truly *alive*
since my first summer i have made many return trips and each time i am reminded that this valley is in my soul. this summer has been quite a full circle; my eyes were opened up during my first summer showing me that my options were limitless, which has fostered many great experiences over the years and now i will be leaving here with a knowledge that my next journey may involve the challenge of stationary exploration.
i have many destinations planned from here but ultimately i am seeking a place where i can affordably live alone and have a furry friend and a garden while still being in the south east and close to family. this next step is both daunting and exciting and certainly nothing i've ever done before, a different sort of adventure... i have spent my time since leaving the ice traveling to my favorite destinations and now i realize that it has been a tour to say hello to both people and places thus allowing me to feel that i don't have any loose ends to tend to before i "settle" for a bit and enjoy the solitude of not wondering where i'll be in 4 months. this lifestyle is wonderful, but after spending most of my adult life traveling i'm looking forward to getting to know me in one place for a bit... i am geographically unclear of the exact place where i may lay my head in my own bed but i am certain that it will reveal itself in the next few months!
i have accomplished what i came here to do with Stacie and Pete and am excited for the future of this special business they have created here at the end of the end of the road. i haven't left the park in 3 months and am a bit sad to know that this time of simplicity is quickly coming to a close and i'll be in anchorage in a few days. the following photos are not too spectacular, simple musings from my daily life here, which is mostly spent at the pizza bus and hiking around this magical valley....
 |
| greens, peas and the glacier |
 |
| Mt. Blackburn at the head of the valley with the moraine in the foreground |
 |
| bachelor buttons, calendula, the glacier and mountains |
 |
| fresh wild raspberry limeade |
 |
| Kava, our mascot for the summer enjoying one of Stacie's peanut butter and bacon dog treats |
 |
| wild berry cake |
 |
| Stacie and pizza for everyone! |
 |
| mustard flowers in the storm |
 |
| fireweed |
 |
| recycled crocs |
 |
| delphiniums and the swallow hut |
 |
| delphiniums and the windmill |
 |
| delphiniums and fireweed |
 |
| out house door |
 |
| yard art |
 |
| lupine and delphiniums |
 |
| bees |
 |
| rose hips |
 |
| more yard art |
 |
| out house on the verge of falling into the river... i'd rather dig a hole |
 |
| sunrise out side my bedroom window |
 |
| fresh from the garden |
 |
| texture |
 |
| Hollis with his free slice after filling 2 free slice cards |
 |
| on the way to the state fair |
 |
| stairway icefall with the kennicott river in the foreground |
 |
| root glacier and donahoe peak hiding in the clouds |
 |
| autumn on the glacier |
 |
| nature |
 |
| stairway to the glacier |
 |
| more nature |
 |
| clouds after the storm |
 |
| autumn fireweed |
 |
| mossy rock |
 |
| autumn |
 |
| the moraine |
 |
| rock in rock |
 |
| more autumn |
 |
| moulan |
 |
| river on the glacier |
 |
alarm clock
i hope this finds you having an amazing autumn day.
take care,
karen grace |
