Chandler V

Alaska Is

Alaska is not just a state, it’s a place where you see, explore, and learn. Alaska is filled with beautiful scenery, unique wildlife, and plenty of other things to see, but it offers much, much more. When in Alaska, you find a new state of mind; a state of mind in which you have peace, happiness, excitement, sadness, anger, and stress all in one. Alaska offers you independence. It gives you an opportunity to reinvent yourself and to do so without the influence of any person or thing back home. In Alaska, you are free to interpret any new things you see, any way you want to. While some think the mountains are best, you can be free to love the small creeks surrounded by flowers on the trails. Alaska is a place where you make new friends, become closer with old ones, and become part of a family, a family that will be there because in Alaska they are facing the same struggles and accomplishments that you are. Alaska is the best place to be when you want a change, a change in everything.

Final Reflections

On this trip I have learned more than anyone who visited Alaska with some commercial tour group. I have been able to not just see but also experience all the amazing things Alaska has to offer. I have been only a few feet away from a large moose, I have scaled mountains, and run races with people that belong to the Alaskan community. I have been behind the scenes of all the really cool activities here in Alaska. This project has turned me into a leader. This project has helped me meet new people and make lots of friends. This project has offered me more than any camp, trip, vacation, or any form of schooling. School and camps and trips can’t teach you how to make friends, hike mountains, and support others that you become family with like the Alaska Great Lakes Project can. This is my place where I can escape the real world and relax while having fun and learning new things. When I’m feeling down this is where my mind escapes to.