Cliff P

Alaska Is

            Alaska is my garden of Eden. My promised land. My home. Alaska is the place I always dream of going. Alaska is like no other place on earth. It is my True North. Alaska is a place where I know I will ALWAYS be happy. It is a land full of misconceptions; misconceptions that are only believed by those who haven’t been here. It is a land where names are made, and legends are born. It is a land where mental battles are charged, and physical batteries are pushed to their limits. But the best thing of all is that in Alaska, I will always feel at home. It’s a great feeling to be surrounded by mountains. They are like guardians to my soul. I have thoroughly enjoyed my returning year to Alaska thus far, and I am in positive anticipation for the remainder of our time here.

Final Reflections

            I could not have been happier with my decision to come back to Alaska this year. Although we still do much of the activities that we did back when I was here. For the first time in 2009, I still learned something new everyday. This year, we also tried something’s that were not part of the trip 3 years ago, like climbing the butte ad hiking through a meadow full of wild flowers. One of the things that I missed in my 3-year absence of Alaska is the unmatched beauty and splendor of the land. It brings great joy to my heart to be surrounded by mountains everyday. It is truly a gift to wake up to unspoiled wilderness, which only seems to exist in a few far reaches of man-kind’s firm clutch. It is a great feeling to witness; when we saw a mega pod of orcas in Resurrection bay, that of which contained about 70 individuals. I am truly blessed by the opportunity to see what I saw and do what I did. I was also left with the ponderous task of being a leader. Being in charge of about 50 adolescence and supplies such as tents and radios has guided me to be more responsible, dependable, and shine through with more excellence. It showed me that being a junior leader am not just a title, but also a career all of its own if you will. I am truly great full to have been given that opportunity as well.
            A lot of people have made it possible for me to come back this year. I would like to thank the city of Marshall for supporting us in everything we do.  I would like to thank my family and friends for supporting my cause by buying all of my fundraising offerings. I would like to thank all of the adults for assisting me in times of need during the trip. I would like to thank Dale Rosene for coordinating this trip and allowing me to go this year. And lastly I would like to give a big thanks to my parents for making it financially possible for me to go this year. Thank you every body.