On June 3rd, 2016, a chance meeting in Denali National Park led to a friendship that founded love. Seven years to the day later, John pulled out a mountain-engraved ring on a Lake Michigan beach and asked me to marry him. This is our story.
Category: denali
Life in a Dry Cabin
The best part about my first two weeks back in Denali was the jaw-dropping place where I was lucky enough to stay. My friend Katie's summer sublet is a two-story log cabin nestled in the spruce trees on the edge of a bluff, where the land drops down to the Nenana River valley lined by … Continue reading Life in a Dry Cabin
Returning to Alaska
I woke with a start. I'd been dozing on and off for the past couple of hours, but this time was different. My heart was hammering in my chest, as if my body could sense where I was in the world, my internal alarm clock ringing and bouncing off of the shelf. I quickly sat … Continue reading Returning to Alaska
Growing Alongside Nature: Life as a Field Educator in Denali National Park
“Why do you care about protecting wilderness?” I pose this question to visitors every week in one of my classes. After three or four days in Denali National Park, I know that they’ve heard about as many facts and stories as their brains can hold (and that they won’t remember most of them). I reserve … Continue reading Growing Alongside Nature: Life as a Field Educator in Denali National Park
A Denali Backcountry Birthday
A year ago on September 8th, we were jumping into the Arctic Ocean in Utqiagvik, Alaska. To some, birthdays are just another day on the calendar. They say, "You're really just one day older", sometimes using it as an excuse not to celebrate. To me, birthdays are milestones. They are a chance to look back … Continue reading A Denali Backcountry Birthday
The Curiosity Chronicles 