We all have our dream trips. For some it’s the Galapagos Islands, seeing the endemic blue-footed booby clumsily hobble along the beach and observing the waved albatrosses mysterious courtship ritual. For others it may be hiking in the Grand Canyon, experiencing the canyon in all its’ grandeur and beauty.
It’s important to dream, to think big.
Seriously, I need something to get me through the month of January here in Seattle.
Be it getting through the winter or slogging through another work week, we need a dream vacation to look forward to. We all have one, from safari in Africa to penguin watching in Antartica. Deep down, you know what your dream trip is.
For example, Beth’s dream trip is the Snowman Trek in Bhutan, known as the hardest trek in the world. Way to dream big, Beth!
What’s my dream trip you ask? Well, for those that well acquainted with me know that I have a deep love of Alaska. I’ve spent three summers there and think it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. I’ve been fortunate to explore many of the national and state parks in the state, including Denali National Park and St. Wrangell-Elias National Park, the latter being our largest national park.
But I have never been north of Fairbanks.
My dream trip is an exploratory trip on the Kokolik river located the far north, way high in the National Petroleum-Preserve Alaska, the largest block of public lands in the country.
The woman who inspired me to be a river guide has been running river rafting trips in Alaska for over 20 years. The rapids aren’t the attraction on these trips-it’s all about the wildlife. These rivers are all glacially-fed, so they are wide, slow and cold. Imagine seeing 500,000 caribou migrating through vast open areas surrounded by mountains. Being in a remote location is putting it lightly. Star-filled skies like you’ve never seen before in your life. Grizzlies. Wolverines. Migratory birds.
And yes, there are mosquitoes.
What ultimately makes this my dream trip is the exploratory factor. It’s quite possible no one has seen the river before. In a world of seven and a half billion people, that means that you are way out there. Simply put, as my friend who organizes these trips said to describe the scenery after her first trip in the Brooks Range…
It’s primordial.
And I’m sold. Hook, line and sinker.
I will get up there.
One of these days.
What’s YOUR dream trip?
Photo of the blue-footed booby courtesy of Marc Figueras at wikicommons.