You read that correctly: we now own a yurt! Even though we no longer live on the road, we will always be a bit feral. All this to say, our version of “settling down” fits a life less ordinary, which is why we now own a cabin AND a yurt in Healy, Alaska! We purchased…
Currently living/working: Alaska! Work-wise, our multiple income streams have slowed, but we squirreled away paychecks knowing this. We have tons of Backpacker work due in November, and are also working on the seasonal list of top 50 forthcoming products for Outside Business Journal through December. We are also still cleaning airbnbs occasionally. But overall, we’ve…
Justin & I have been married for 15 years. 15 years??? Holy cannoli. It feels like a milestone, so I thought I’d do a little unpacking of the arc of our relationship. I warned you I’m very reflective in my 40s! As most couples, we started our years wrapped in a blanket of bliss, living…
Geographically speaking, Alaska beats any part of the Lower 48. With only so many roads connecting Alaska, the attempt to see it all seems futile. We obviously hope to get to a few far-reaching corners during our lifetime, but we’ve probably only covered 6.4 percent of the state so far! This is why we were…
Currently living/working: As predicted, we’ve had a bit more time now that our summer gigs (e.g. Justin guiding, Patrice cleaning) mostly wrapped up mid month. I say a “bit” more time because it doesn’t feel like enough yet! I’m still putting the finishing touches on the Leave No Trace curriculum project and UCO history book…
I have a lot of blog posts backlogged, and I’m hoping to post regularly and catch up in the next few weeks!! Let’s start with the fact that we checked off another national park: Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska. Quick note: Some might remember we have a goal of visiting all the national parks,…
Currently living/working: It’s been full-on gangbusters still this month, but summer tourists are dwindling down, which means we both SHOULD have more time in September without our seasonal jobs. Plus, I’m putting the finishing touches on the Leave No Trace curriculum project and UCO history book project, wrapping up my biggest freelance projects soon. Maybe…
43 Augusts ago, I came into this world. My parents said I came out screaming and feisty, which is not unlike me at 43. I am spunky and my indoor voice is around 100 decibels. But I digress. I’ve done a lot of reflecting in the past few years. Way more than I ever have.…
Currently living/working: We’re still maintaining a dizzying schedule of guiding (Justin), cleaning toilets/outhouses (mainly me) and tons of freelance content creation project (mainly me). This is all part of the Alaska norm—work a harried summer schedule, get ALL the outdoor projects done before the snow hits, and spend as much time outside playing as possible,…
Currently living/working: We are still spinning A LOT of plates at once. Still cleaning 5 Airbnbs, Justin is still guiding for Traverse Alaska, and then we still have all that freelance work—the Leave No Trace curriculum project, my UCO history book project, my book marketing, our Backpacker and Outside Business Journal work, my Alaska Magazine…
How many of you thought “dipnetting” had something to do with chewing tobacco? As with so many Alaskan things, you probably wouldn’t know the term unless you live or visit here frequently. Dipnetting is a type of fishing. Available to Alaska residents only, you use a large diameter net to dip into a river and…
If we could have predicted anyone who would come to visit us in Alaska, it would be Justin’s sister and her wife! So it’s no surprise that Jamie & Rachel officially kicked off our summer as our first visitors. These two are natural adventure travelers and really didn’t need us to “guide” them, as…
Currently living/working: Most of you know we haven’t had “traditional” 9-5 jobs in years. Actually, a decade. We always make the claim that we sling a lot of mud at the wall to see what sticks. So even though we had no idea what our summer would entail, it turns out there’s a lot of…
Well, for all the stressing, researching, calling Canadian government/public health and asking others’ advice, I can now say our drive north through Canada to transport our camper van, trailer & us back to Alaska was easy peasy! We drove through Canada in FOUR days, a record for us. Justin’s first trip driving north in 2003…
Currently living/working: We’ve been consistently full with contract work all of March. And actually, we’re trying to stay ahead—or at least on top of it—since we know we’ll be traveling most of April. With that being said, we’ve also been getting out to play during our longer and snowy days. So win-win for work-life balance…
I blogged about the aurora borealis (northern lights) last winter, but I have a follow up! Because this year, they’ve stepped it up a few notches. Here’s the scientific recap of what the auroras are: the sun sends electrons & protons zooming into space creating “solar wind.” The solar wind’s magnetic field is lined up…
If you look at a relief map of Alaska, it’s clear it’s a massive land full of glaciers and mountains. In fact, there are 30 different mountain ranges and 100,000 glaciers (only 616 are officially named)! Justin and I are lucky enough to live outside of Denali National Park with the Alaska Range in our…
Currently living/working: It’s still been quieter work-wise around these parts with a long lead out for deadlines, but it’s been an adequate balance of paying work and fun! Current mood: Now that the bright orb is back in the sky for more than fleeting moments and we’ve enjoyed more much-needed snowfall, how could I not…
***Fair warning. Our neighbor’s house burned down recently, so this could be sensitive material for someone to read.*** Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle. “What’s that noise?” Justin says. We were watching a movie on our iPad in bed, but that semi-distant crackling noise was too much to ignore for my alarmist husband. “Do you think our…
Currently living/working: It was a quieter month, but I appreciated the balance of it. We have several projects underway, but we had zero deadlines all of January, which made it more relaxed (but it also means I tend to procrastinate more). And shouldn’t be surprising, we are still at our cabin in Healy; in fact,…