A few thoughts...

You can't come to Alaska without this place giving you pause. Some reflective thoughts regarding my journey.

Coming to Alaska one has expectations of vast beautiful scenery... they are far exceeded. The terrain is like none I have ever seen. Turquoise blue glacial lakes, sometimes so still they capture a reflection almost better than the image itself. A sea of willows, alders and spruce, set a blaze by the colors of fall, fill the earth in all directions. And the mountains, ohh the mountains, some snow-capped, some barren, some covered in vegetation, but all towering above the land as a tribute to their sculptor.

The sculptors have a beauty of their own. Glaciers continue their work of carving the earth as if they have a blueprint to follow. Along the way they chant an eerie cracking, popping, and squealing verse. Here you can't help but feel the contrast between our definition of time and theirs. It may be hard to believe that simple water, the basis for life, can have such a destructive force, as to reshape the mountains. But, taking one look above the fissured, jagged, flowing ice; you quickly realize that nothing will stand in its path.

Despite this seemingly hostile environment, life seems to flourish. Bear, moose, dall sheep, eagles, sea otters, and many other creatures make this place their home. Often in areas untouched or relatively inaccessible by man the animals rule the land... a billowing reminder of man's impact on his surroundings.

Man too exists among this landscape... and has for quite sometime. In small fishing villages, and nomadic tribes man made Alaska home for many years. Later, as mining prospectors, many came to Alaska... the last frontier. They pioneered their way across glaciers and starting with almost nothing built a life here. Nothing has left more of an impression on me than the self-sufficiency and perseverance of this generation, as compared to the society of today. We have become very far removed from the basis for survival and very dependent upon society for our most basic needs.

Still, despite many failed attempts, man makes Alaska home. It's easy to see why we rise to this challenge after one look around the landscape. Breathe deep and take comfort in the fact that such a place still exists. Be it man or animal... "Life individually is fragile, but collectively conquers even the harsh, rugged, and beautiful environment of Alaska."

Greg Grieff - September 1999