Written Journal #5: Alaska

I have always appreciated the nature around me, but if there was one place where I felt physically connected to the wilderness was when I embarked on a cruise in Alaska. I couldn’t have imagined what I would witness during my short time there. The wildlife, glaciers, forests, and habitats all shattered my expectations. While my family and I were in the wild we tried using as little technology as possible to get the most authentic experience. However, whenever I did use my phone it was to snap photos that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. 

The biodiversity in Alaska is like no other. Hundreds and thousands of species roam the ecosystems. Due to its massive size, Alaska has a wide variety of biomes including the tundras in the north and forests in the south. The local population as well as the flora and fauna all have a vital role in the ecosystem. Throughout my time up north I tried to find as much wildlife as I could. One day out at sea, I snapped a picture of one of my favorite bird species: the bald eagle (picture below). I’d never been up close to one in my life, so I was surprised to see how large the bird was. I learned later that its wingspan can stretch up to almost eight feet wide. Throughout the cruise, I was constantly on the edge of the rail gazing out into the water. Multiple times I would find animals and birds perched up on ice chunks floating in the water (pictures below). One day, while in the small town of Ketchikan, I spent the morning fishing with the locals for Alaskan king crab (picture below). After a long day on the boat, we were able to catch around twenty, however, to preserve the species we ended up throwing them back into the water because they hadn’t fully matured. 

Alaska is home to large beautiful glaciers that stretch along its coastlines. On our cruise, we were able to observe some of these glaciers up close. The icy blue colors emulating off the ice were a spectacular sight to see (pictures below). I vividly remember the passengers of the cruise ship all pushing towards the edge of the rail hoping to see the glacier calve into the water. Calving is when a large chunk of ice falls off the glacier due to its forward motion.

Overall, it ended up being the trip of a lifetime. I hope one day I will get the opportunity to see this sacred place again.







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