My last days in Alaska went by quickly. I spent a lot of time with an amazing guy I met on tinder earlier that month, Erik. 

One of the places he took me was Crystal lake over at Crow pass. It was a lovely hike. At the end was a glacier fed lake.

The weekend before I left back home, was filled with a couple of adventures. First we headed out to a friend’s cabin on a lake in Chickaloon. We stopped by a quaint cafe on the way that had a big selection of gluten-free pastries! We went kayaking the following morning. 

Sometime during the last few days, I was able to witness Erik’s Queen of the night blossom. These flowers bloom at most twice a year for only a few hours. That was cool.

We also headed out to Seward, a picturesque town by the sea, a few hours south of anchorage. We had lunch on the Rocky beach.
After we headed on Caines Head trail, through the northernmost rainforest in the world. We were able to see lots of salmon swimming upstream.

My last day was spent cleaning up my apartment. I managed to put all the plastic waste I had consumed during my 6 weeks in Alaska into 5 eco-bricks! I think it is so important that we take responsibility for what we consume for as much of the time as is possible. To learn more about eco-bricks and how you can take responsibility for the harmful plastics you consume, check out my tutorial here.

Erik took me to South, for my last dinner. Decent food with amazing company. He took my Alaska experience to a new level.

Alaska was really amazing. I was also happy to get back home. On the way home, I had learned that a good friend had passed away. That tinged the homecoming experience.

The teaching of the four reminders comes to mind:

1. The preciousness of life and how fortunate I am to practice and study the Dharma 2. Death comes suddenly without warning 3. The entrapment of karma 4. The intensity and inevitability of suffering of all beings everywhere

Rest in Peace Jannette.