First of all, I'm OBSESSED with camping in Alaska. I didn't get to go as much as I'd like, but this is from a YSA campout at LaDaSa. It's a camp that is owned by the church, and it was such a beautiful spot! It was so much fun!
These are from a hike that I took (also an Alaska obsession). I couldn't believe how close we got to this goat!
This is the plane I rode in to Mountain Village. And below is a picture of Alaskan tundra. It's very different, but beautiful in it's own way! Mountain Village was an interesting experience. It was such a small place, and it made me so grateful for what I have!
This is the "Hilton". It's a man camp, and they use it as their hotel. Let's just say it was.... interesting :)
This is what Yupiit looks like. It's the Alaskan native language that is spoken in Mountain Village. CRAZY!
View of SE Alaska from my plane to Petersburg! SUCH a beautiful trip.
Another hiking picture. This was right outside of Anchorage.
This is the town of Dutch Harbor on the island of Unalaska. I was stuck here for a day when we were weather out of Akutan. (More pictures of Akutan below). I was blown away by the beauty of this little island! We had a really interesting experience getting to Akutan, and leaving Akutan. The Aleutians are a very hard place to travel from (I found out the HARD way).
My YSA ward made a backpacking hike to Gull Rock. This is one of my new friends, Tana! We were all smiles at the beginning, but after hiking 5 miles in the rain, we were ready to set up camp. We decided to be tough Alaskans and sleep in a man made shelter... which we did! But we weren't able to set it up the way we had originally planned. It was a little different than we expected, and it started to snow on us in the middle of the night haha. Luckily, we stayed dry and warm! Overall, it was such a fun night! Tana brought some moose meat that we roasted over the fire, and it was delicious! The scenery was beautiful (as you'll see below) and I was surrounded by good people. Doesn't get much better than that!
Snowing!!!
This girl is AMAZING!!
This was taken on our hike out.
Can't really see them, but there are Beluga whales right there! Glad we took a break to look at the ocean. What a lucky find!
I was able to attend the wedding and reception of one of my very best friends!! It was such a perfect day (The weather was SO warm for an October day) and she made the most beautiful bride! I just love the Idaho Falls Temple. I hope to be married there someday!!
Mrs. Kallie Matson! Congratulations Kal!
The beautiful village of Metlakatla! This is the last "indian reservation" left in Alaska. It was amazing to see their culture, and to associate with the locals. I really do have an AMAZING job :)
My Taxi :) I'm obsessed with small planes! They are THE funnest to ride in! Especially float planes like this one!
This was by my house. It's kinda fuzzy, but I had to share it! I love my city!! My friends and I went to Kincaid park to call in some moose (this park is in the middle of the city), and we saw so many of them! After calling a several cows and a few bulls, we saw the Northern Lights! I found out that they are very hard to take pictures of. I guess I missed some great lights while I was in Idaho. I'm super sad about that, but I guess it snowed too, and I'm not sad I missed that! haha
Meet Jared Lane Talbot! The newest addition to our family. I was so lucky to be able to come home and meet this sweet little boy! I am now the proud aunt of 8 nieces and nephews! We had quite the loud reunion, but I simply loved EVERY minute of it.
This plane is called a "Goose". It's an amphibian, meaning it lands in water but can drive onto land from the water. This is the only plane that can get you to Akutan. The weather getting to Akutan was perfect! They hadn't been able to fly there for two weeks. We were really lucky to make it. However, we weren't so lucky getting back! We ended up having to take a boat that left at 3:00 a.m.! It was torture for this girl (I LOVE my sleep), but it made for quite the adventure!
There are no roads in Akutan. Only board walks. They ride 4-wheelers everywhere, and it was quite the culture shock! It was really fun, though!
This is how they lifted us on and off the boat, haha. It was legit.
This is the boat.
This is the plane that we took to Akiachak. They only have board walks here, too. BUT, it wasn't quite as pretty as Akutan, haha. Very primitive. These people amaze me!
I didn't get any good pictures of the bears (sad day!), but this is the lake that the river came from. So pretty!! And that bear sign made me feel legit!
While we were able to fly to Haines, we weren't able to fly out (Alaska weather is so unpredictable). We had to take the ferry, but I was all for it! It took much longer, but it was really fun! South East Alaska is completely spectacular! I love it!
It's amazing to me that I've been able to travel and do so much in Alaska! I know I'm so blessed. This has been the best experience of my life! I don't even know how to explain all the things I have learned and the person I've become. Also, visiting home was so wonderful!! I love my family, and I can't imagine being away from them for much longer, but I am loving my life in Alaska! I'm still working on finding a good balance. I'm excited to come back home for Christmas, and stay for a couple weeks! I also promise to be better about blogging. That way, it won't be so vague. Haha.
~ Ashley
