Alaska changed me. Cliche, yes, but there is no doubt this four month road trip through Alaska chewed me up and spit me out. Not necessarily a bad thing, nor a good thing. This trip was just, different. How can a four month trip to Alaska change somebody? Perspective.
The five years leading up to this road trip my life had been fueled by immediate gratification, what needs to be done right now, and a constant struggle to make a living. Most of this comes with the territory of starting a career out of nothing, especially a career in photography! However, this was the first trip I was “set” and capable of focusing on my craft everyday, without having to meet the demands of others. While I was still held accountable by clients and deadlines, this project was my baby. I conjured up the idea, raised the funds, and executed on the ideas.
While there was hardship along the way, there was also TONS of successes. Overall, I am still trying to process this trip and this blog is just one step in the direction of understanding what this trip meant to me. So, what factors changed my perspective over these last four months?
Whale watching while on a wildlife cruise in Alaska during the summer. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
Perspective Shifts from Spending a summer in alaska
Seeing Alaska from a plane provides a perspective that help you comprehend this beautiful landscape. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
Landscapes To Lose Yourself:
Alaska is massive! To “see” the landscape and understand where you are inside this wild land, you need to go to the sky. Maybe that is a drone, maybe that is plane flight. From the sky, you have a sense of direction, but on the ground, Alaska’s wilderness consumes you. As you wander around the landscape, you lose yourself. Void of roads and trails, you quickly become apart of nature. Stumbling on a hillside, lost, and trying to make sense of this massive world, you quickly realize you are a mammal.
Below are some of my favorite landscapes and place I visited while traveling Alaska by van:
Red Mountain
Halibut Cove
Kenai Lake
Seward from the Water
Alaska is full of jobs you have never heard of before. Here is a crew member of a fishing charter out of Homer, Alaska. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
Jobs Nobody Told Me Existed Growing Up:
As I traveled throughout Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, I realized just how many jobs really exist. Growing up, I was exposed to a good amount of alternative ways of making money, but I had no idea that you could truly “follow your passion and make money doing what you loved.” I always thought that quote was a cliche way of enticing people to pursue the American Dream. However, being in Alaska, exposed to the variety of jobs, it was apparent this quote was real. This was a huge leap forward for myself and my career as a travel content creator. While the words are still strange for me to say, I do realize that what I do was never told to me as a kid. I am feeling extremely grateful right now!
Below are some of my favorite jobs I was exposed to while in Alaska:
Fish Captain
Content Creator
Glacial landing Airplane Pilot
Water Taxi Driver
Hotel Chef
When traveling Alaska understand there are big and small adventures around every corner. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
Adventure More Grand and Accessible:
I am not sure if two words go better together than “adventure” and “Alaska”. I am not sure why Urban Dictionary doesn’t just rewrite it’s definition to say:
Adventure
(noun) meaning Alaska
(verb) meaning to live in Alaska
I hope you laugh at that terrible joke like I did as I wrote that. Anyways, I am serious about Alaska being a place of adventure. What felt like every dirt road and corner you explored there was an adventure to be found. Some adventures are MASSIVE like climbing Mount Denali, meanwhile, other adventures take only a few hours, like chutes and ladders (starting around 2:35). Spending four months in a van, looking for adventure in Alaska, I feel as though I got my fill, even though I still have SO MUCH more that I want to do! I guess I’ll have to return sometime soon!
A few of my favorite adventures while traveling in Alaska:
Endless Hiking
Lake Jumps
Bore Tide Surfing
Rock Climbing
Fishing Charter
Me feeling alive during a backpacking trip sticking out my blueberry stained tongue. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
A Different Approach to Life:
The people who visit and live in Alaska are different. From the core, they are all nice humans that are transplants from somewhere. Which makes the group of people in Alaska more dependent upon their abilities and each other. As life is still wild in Alaska, everyone I met was a well rounded human who could problem solve, because they had to. What do I mean by this? They all knew that if something were to go wrong, cell service and youtube weren’t around the corner. You have to be capable. You have to get your hands dirty.
A few of the differences in the approach to Alaskan Living that I noticed:
Belief in one’s ability
Everyone gets their hands dirty
A job title doesn’t mean much because you wear several hats
Fish just tastes better
Life is still wild
My ideal home would have a view like this, maybe Alaska is calling me. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
A Home Isn’t Just Four Walls and a Roof:
As much as I want to call my van my home, I realized on this trip it isn’t. My van is the place that I sleep, store my stuff, and gain access to the adventure’s which fuel my life, but it isn’t a home. Yes, the van is cozy, it has a kitchen and room for me to stretch, but it lacks the necessities that are required to be a home. Overall, I don’t really know where this leaves me and I hope to dive into this on a deeper level, but what I know thus far about a home is the following:
A home is a place where you can count on the community
A home is a place you need to maintain to enjoy
A home is a safe place to return after the storm
A home is a place you can dance, eat, and rejuvenate
A home is built upon love
A moment of silence while watching the sunset alone on a the water while traveling in Alaska. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
Personal Realizations:
Traveling Alaska challenged me to my core. Everyday, I was challenged in some manner, physically or mentally. There was extreme frustration and times of bliss. There were rainy days and sunny days. From the outside, life on the road in Alaska looks great, but the challenges have taken a toll on me. As a person who ran away from routine, I feared the idea of “going to work” on the daily, but then I had a gut check when I realized I was working more than playing. Traveling in Alaska takes a lot of mental energy and money (gas and groceries are not cheap!). Wifi and service is not a guarantee, so delivering projects pissed me off. But, the most important take away that I have noticed is what it takes to look at the long term.
A few of the personal realizations I have taken away from my time traveling Alaska:
I need adventure to remain alive, but I don’t need to be on the brink of death
A routine isn’t a bad thing, as long as you make your routine enjoyable
Stretching is import, but so sleep, friends, good food, and financial stability
To look long term, your basic needs have to be met
A wild bald eagle waiting to snag its salmon dinner in Alaska. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
Final Thoughts
I am back in the lower 48 and I have several projects that are on the books, but I know that I need time to process this trip. Saying this here feels silly, a bit vulnerable, and dramatic. Traveling Alaska wasn’t a bad experience, nor did anything crazy happen. The reason I say I need to process this trip comes from an internal shift that I can’t identify. I feel a shift inside of me that comes from the experiences that I have had while traveling. Looking towards the future, I need to make some changes, but I also want to keep much of this lifestyle that “same.” Traveling Alaska in my van for four months was a dream come true. In many ways, it was a vision quest that I didn’t realize I was on until the ride was almost over. Take that for what you want. For now, this is where I am at in life; confused, hopeful, excited, and exhausted. More to come!
