It was our first visit to Alaska, the land of wonders big and small, of vast spaces and tiny details, all breathtakingly beautiful.
Big wonders, vast spaces:
Back on earth (Moose Pass) after we soared on seaplane
Small wonders, tiny details:
And then, the unexpected, like my first visit to an orthodox church, in Kenai.
First, we drove from Anchorage to Homer. Then, from the Homer Spit, a water taxi brought us to Tutka Bay Lodge…
where friends old and new made every hour so special I wanted to make time stop all the time.
Blessedly long days still were not long enough…
for kayaking, writing, hiking, chatting, following bald eagles fly from treetop to treetop.
One afternoon, story-teller extraordinaire Clem Tillion kept us riveted as he recounted episodes of his long life, peppered with historical references from anything between the Roman invasion of England to American Civil War and salted with distilled words of wisdom.
And that evening, the magic of poetry enveloped us all, seated around the table set on the deck of the lodge.
Poetry, the enchantment of words you listen to with close eyes and open heart. When you come to, your perspective has shifted a notch or two.
Fisher poets Meezie Hermansen and Erin Fristad, and "poet of witness" Carolyn Forché read to us words that rang like crystal in the golden evening air.
With sparkling eyes and lighter soul, we retraced our steps, across the Kachemak Bay to the Homer Spit, then from Homer to Anchorage, carrying with us lots of memories, some writing in our notebooks, the echo of laughter and the lasting warmth of friendship.
Many thanks to Molly, Carolyn, Will, Kirsten and the whole crew of the Tutka Bay Lodge, and my fellow travelers.
Hope to see you all next year.
Have written or spoken beautifully about their recent experience in Alaska
A few more links:
- the Chugach National Forest
- the Harding Icefield
- the Grace Ridge Trail (we hiked part of it)
- Modern Dwellers Chocolate Lounge (Anchorage)