At 62…why Alaska?

The questions come more frequently. Why are you going to Alaska this summer without Mike? Why would you want to? Aren’t you scared? Will you be okay alone? The answers aren’t as simple as I thought.

I know this – just like Mike Powell, if I’d gone to Alaska at 20 or so years of age, I would never have looked back at the lower 48. I fell instantly in love with the wildness, the people, the air, the light, the water, the pure colors, the smell of the air.

I have never been an outdoors person. Ever. I hate the ticks, the snakes, the heat and humidity of the outdoors south. Alaska has none of those. Bears, yes – but they’re not as numerous. I love being outside on the island. I enjoy hiking there. And I learned that even as out of shape as I am, I could make it down the trail even if I had to slide on my butt!

I love being out in the boat, watching the whales all around. The streams, the rocky beach, the harbor, the lakes – I love all the waters of our world on Prince of Wales Island. I won’t take the boat out alone. I don’t have the skills yet to do that. I may never have. Mike spent a lifetime learning his boating skills. He taught me some, but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what I need.

Even though we spent much of our lives apart, Mike and I had the same dream for our retirement years – to run a B&B, or in this case, a hunting and fishing camp. Mike put so much love and work into renovating the guest cabins and into rebuilding our cabin – and there is still such a long way to go on all of them. We will be trying our hand at renting cabins this summer – in fact, we have all of them full for one night, for the first time ever! Mike would be so happy.

Mike told me many stories of his flying days. I loved the photos of him and his Piper Cub. He always said he wished he could have taught me to fly. I’d have learned, too! From fishing to hanging out at the shop to building a fire – whatever Mike was doing, I wanted to do it, too.

He wasn’t used to that, and it caught him by surprise. He found he kind of liked having a female shadow, and we rarely left each other’s sides. I asked a million questions. Being around Mike was like being around a walking encyclopedia. I was continuously learning something cool from him, and I loved that.

We worked well together. I was his right hand helper. And in return, he sat for hours and watched me make jewelry. He read everything I wrote for my clients and critiqued it for me. We talked about books I was reading – or I read aloud to him. We were partners – before we were anything else.

And that partnership is why I’m going to Alaska. I’m going for me and I’m going for Mike. I have to remember what I can of what Mike taught me, and I’m going to work hard to figure out everything else I need to learn. I’m going to spend the time working with my clients, working on the property, relaxing and enjoying the island friends I love so much.

It’s going to be so much different to be there without Mike. I’m praying he will be with me on the island, just as he is here on our mountain.

And after Mike – family, friends and Google are all only a step away…at 62.