NOLS Patagonia

"The beginning is the most important part of the work."
Plato


Monday, 13th of January
Another year with new possibilities and chances. I sent the first email to NOLS today, trying to get in touch with the right people.

Tuesday, 17th of June
Roughly five months later. At 8 pm I have my Skype interview with Raúl, director of the NOLS Patagonia branch. Fifteen minutes into the conversation he tells me he would like me to be their equipment intern for four months, and I can start working in October.

Thursday, 25th of September
The day before I fly to Patagonia. I'm in town to get a few last items; souvenirs, a Spanish dictionary and some more socks. Since over a decade I have bought all of my socks from the friendly old guy at the Saturday morning market. Always the same kind and same color. I literally own 20 pairs of identical black socks.
The friendly old guy retired recently. So here I am in the Hema, looking at black socks. I feel the different fabrics, and look for something that resembles my old ones. However, when I leave the store 5 minutes later, I walk out with shocking pink socks. The time might have come for something different. Live a little, change your colors. What the hell right?

Thursday, 9th of October
My second week at NOLS Patagonia. It's sunny today. Oscar, Pablo and I are working outside. Oscar (a NOLS instructor) is packing his gear for the kayak course he is about to instruct, Pablo (a colleague) and I are repairing backpacks. We soak up the sun and talk about future career options within NOLS. Oscar wonders whether I would like to become an instructor. Though I have not seen it as an option before, there are many things I would really like about it. While we elaborate on the possibilities, Oscar is rummaging through his bags. He can't find his black gloves. Most of his gear and bags are black, everything blends together. Though he loves the color, he opts it could be time to add some green so he would be able to find his gear. We continue talking about colors, referring to a conversation we had the previous day.

Oscar and I exchanged thoughts on how someone's color can be one of the things that determine your personality, character, and the way you are connected with your surroundings.
My favorite color by far is blue, has been for years. Striking royal blue, maybe a softer version that looks like lavender, or blue so delicate it could be grey. I surround myself with it! Occasionally I will add some green, a soft taupe or brown. Small patches of bright colors become complementary accents, to add flavor and power. I feel comfortable in it, and it's me.
Oscar feels comfortable in his black clothing. It's been his color for a long time, it suits him and "I look really good in it!" he says with a wicked grin. We both know that he's not only talking about the clothes on his back, but the colors of his life as well. NOLS instructor colors! I tell him about my new pink socks, my own little wicked ways. Oscar smiles "Changing and adding new colors in your life is good. Try something new! How else will you found out whether you like being a NOLS instructor?"

So here I am, working as an intern for NOLS on their Patagonian location, stretching into something new. It definitely feels like a change from the things that I've been doing so far! Though my other travels have brought me to many amazing places and wonderful people as well, none of them have ever had such a strong serious component in it as this time. Here I am "future hunting", as my new friend Noah put it so adventurously.

It's a really great opportunity to get to know NOLS and find out how things work. To observe the instructors as they prepare for their courses and work with the students. To ask questions, hear stories and experiences. To get a taste of the NOLS community and atmosphere. To live amongst the people who make it work, and inspire others to follow.

Four weeks in Patagonia already; a brand new country. New surroundings, intriguing and inviting. Another home, somewhere high up on a hill with a bright blue roof. The people in this life, with stories from Chile, America and Brazil. A new language, full of strange sounds and unheard words. My intern job, fresh possibilities. A continues stream of mate, the local drink. And a gorgeous handwoven woolen shawl, bought from a little local shop, beautifully bright yellow.

These new Patagonian colors might just be the beginning of something :)

National Outdoor and Leadership School in Alaska

'Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons.
It is to grow in the open air,
and to eat and sleep with the earth.'
Walt Whitman

The rainy afternoon of July the 23rd is coming to a close as our NOLS group paddles the last strokes of the day and reaches a small stoney beach in Cochrane Bay. Allen and I are the first to go to shore, carefully stepping out of our kayak so we don't top our xtratuf boots. We are todays 'beach bosses', and it's our duty to check out the conditions of a new possible campsite and determine if it could be our home for the night. We scout the beach and the bushes surrounding it with our tide chart and bear sprays handy, calling a loud 'héééy bear!' every now and then. The beach is very slanted and quite small; no more then 5 meters deep and 50 meters wide. Not a whole lot of space for a group of 15 people with 5 large tents, 4 tarps and 10 kayaks. But after a quick meeting with the LOD's (leaders of the day) we decide to stay. It's been a nice long day, and it's time to set up camp, get ourselves warm and (if possible) dry. We empty our kayaks of all our gear, lift them up and carry them far beyond the high tide line to a safe spot, and continue setting up our tents. The instructors show us how we can create 'sleep levels' in the stoney surface, so we can all get a decent nights sleep and don't roll down in the sea.
Once we're all settled some of the group takes off to go fishing. We can see the fish swimming and jumping out of the water from our tarps. It's not too long before they return, carrying several big salmons with them. We all gather around and admire the catches before the fisher(wo)men go to work, and it's less then an hour later when our instructor Lloyd comes around handing out freshly baked salmon. I'm not a big fish person, but there's something about eating a freshly caught Alaskan salmon that I saw swimming around 2 hours ago.
We eat our fill of salmon, boil some water on our stoves for a hot drink, check the charts for tomorrow, clean our pots with gravel and sea water, brush our teeth and spit in the sea, and dive behind a rock for a last nature call before snuggling into our sleeping bags. And it is during that moment, as I crouch behind a big rock just 'around the corner' from our camp, that I see something big and black moving by the creek about 50 meters ahead of me. A black bear enjoying his fish diner, just like we did. The bear has its back turned to me and is not aware of its audience, so I watch it for a minute or two before slowly backing away.
I inform one of the instructors, who immediately takes action. The camp needs to be bear proofed better then ever, now that we know bears are very close. We each take one or two bear sprays with us in our tents, all the food and scented items go in bags underneath our tarps, and of course all traces from our fish diner have to be completely erased.
Later that evening I crawl in my sleeping bag, feeling very 'Alaskan'. I just finished telling the girls in my tent how to make a safe 'don't scare a bear tent exit', how to respond when they see the black bear and everything else on bears that weeks in Denali taught me. It's almost midnight, but it's still light outside. It's cold, I'm wearing all of my layers and my fleece hat. I can't hear anything else besides the sea washing on shore and the splashes from the salmon jumping out of the water. I can smell the salty water in the air. I know that there is nothing but nature surrounding us, endless waters and lands. I know that we carry everything we need to survive and thrive in these conditions. And I know that tomorrow, the adventure continues.

The sea kayaking part of my NOLS course was something special! Although I don't feel as at home on the water as I do on the land, I thought it was spectacular in many ways.
We saw so many landscapes, 'waterscapes', wildlife, beauty and wilderness.
We experienced the Alaskan weather: endless pouring rain, wind, the cold, cloudy days, foggy days, stormy days. We saw the sun, blue skies, felt the heat and the mosquitos.
We camped in tents on sandy and stoney beaches, in forests and in between bushes, in campsites and in the wild.
We got our water from streams, springs, rivers, ponds, lakes, waterfalls and glaciers.
We cooked mac and cheese under our tarps, made cinnamon rolls from scratch (with the occasional grey wacky stone) on a single stove, cooked water for tea and a hot nalgene bottle to warm ourselves and cherished our chocolate treats like gold.

Out there, I sometimes felt like John Smith, the ignorant and western society educated European who comes to the New Lands and can't believe all the beauty, space, adventure and wilderness he finds. The wilderness that taught Pocahontas to 'Sing with all the voices of the mountains' and 'Paint with all the colors of the wind'. I know now what voices she heard, and what colors she saw.
What Pocahontas knew was to listen to nature. To recognize and embrace the sounds, sights and souls she found there. Never in my life have I been away from society for so long, have I been in such wilderness untouched by men. But, being there has taught me something rare I believe. Something Pocahontas knew all about. I have learned to listen to nature, to truly listen and feel it. To listen to nature, and hear nothing but the wind, water and wildlife. No man made sounds, ever. Not for 2 weeks. To experience such simple but pleasant tranquility and calmness, and feel totally at home in it. To get used to it, and to slowly start distinguishing all the different sounds of nature. The different voices.
I have learned to look, to see and to feel wilderness. To build your character and having your soul shaped by enduring endless rain, paddling through deep and wavy waters, climbing a peak with a heavy bag pack on, staying positive and happy with nothing but the bare necessities, being cut off from society for weeks on end, learn to be a visitor in the wilderness, grow as a person, and live in response to nature.

Doing this NOLS course has changed all meaning of nature for me. And it's beautiful to know that there is still enough space, wilderness and opportunity for that - here in Alaska.

* Inge's note: I'm sorry you guys had to wait so long for an update! It's been absolutely crazy here in Denali, in a good way though :) I will try to upload a whole bunch of photo's within a week, there should be quite a few awesome ones for you to see! Thanks for sticking with me as always! :)

Three Days in Denali

'Go on a trip worth writing about.'

One normal day, one good day, and one great day. I believe my days are worth writing about! How about yours?

Monday 11th of June
It's still very early when my alarm wakes me; 5.45. But it's already very light outside, the sun has been up since 4.00 One look outside tells me it's gonna be a rainy day. I get dressed; wool underwear, brown Carhartt pants, green volunteer shirt, my own gore tex boots and bright orange rain gear. I pack my bag with multiple extra layers, food, water, camera, emergency package, bear spray and hard helmet. A quick cereal breakfast and trip to the wash building, and off I am!
I leave my cabin at 6.45 and walk up to the 'trails garden'. The entire Trail Crew meets in 'the shed' in the garden every day, for a 'good morning talk'. Today, we are welcomed by some seriousporcupine poop. Dan (Trail Crew supervisor) welcomes us and announces that one of the first SARs of the season is in motion; Search And Rescue. Two hikers went missing by Eielson Visitor Center yesterday, and the first response is containment. Six crew members volunteer and head out: a possible 24 to 72 hours in the wilderness. If the hikers aren't found within the first 24 hours, all of us will be send out immediately. Chances of hypothermia and dehydration are very big in these weather conditions.
My crew drives out to the Savage River Loop around 8.00. We're missing both our Crew Leaders, they are out on the SAR. Our trail is a half hour drive on the park road, which runs parallel to the Alaska Range. Driving on this road is often a highlight of people's holiday - for me, it's my commute! It's very rainy and incredibly foggy when we get to the Savage Trail Head. We unload tools from the truck and spend 15 minutes warming up and stretching. We hike out to our workplace, and simple 10 minute walk by the river. We spend our day working on drainage rock work; the multiple drainages from our new trail need to be strengthened with rocks so the water won't wash them out. It's very hard work: we dig big holes in hard and muddy ground with a pulaski and shovel, move heavy and big rocks around with rock bars, shape them with a single jack hammer, try to fit them like a puzzle (imagine the puzzle pieces being at least 25 kilo's), crush other rocks with a double jack hammer, fill any wholes up with crush, even it out with mud and tundra, and voila - another drainage is ready! Building a drainage usually takes a couple of days, and can both be very fun or frustrating. We take three breaks during our day, and hike back out to the trail head for shelter for each of them. I take a couple of photo's every now and then, and whenever the work gets too hard or frustrating I like to look up and admire my 'office'. I wonder how many people work in surroundings like these... :)
We drive out around 17.00, back to the trails garden were everybody gathers at the end of each day. Good news: the missing hikers have been found! They simply underestimated the different hiking here in Denali, but are doing well.
By 17.45 I am back home in my cabin in C Camp. I relax for a little bit with some salt crackers and Harry Potter (:p), shower, make a pasta diner, eat and do the dishes. The wash and water facilities are in the wash building, just down the path from my cabin. Kind of like on a camping. It's fun to run into other people and do dishes together. I spend the last part of my evening in the Rec Hall, using the (crappy) internet and watch some TV with a few other C Campers. That's one of the great things of living in C Camp: there are always people walking around, hanging out, watching a movie, baking stuff or simply 'being' in their cabin - and you can always knock on somebody's door. I go to bed around 22.30, exhausted, and try to fall asleep while it's still bright light outside.

Tuesday 19th of June
Another trails day! Today the sun is shining in a bright blue sky as I head out to the trails garden. Days like these are rare and precious in Alaska, and are to be used to the fullest. We have a short morning meeting (no porcupine poop this time), anxious as we are to get out on the trail in the sun we drive out at 7.15. Good morning Alaska!
Today is an exciting day, as it will be the last day we work on our first reroute. Our first task done! I spend the morning working on the very last rock work of 'my' drainage, crushing some rocks for trail coverage (swinging a 12 pound double jack hammer is really hard work), and revegetation; we replace the tundra mats that we cut out for the new trail on the old trail. It's so hot today (slightly over 20C feels like 30C in Alaska), that during lunch we sit by the river and dip our toes in the freezing cold glacier water! So lovely :)
I spend more time crushing rocks and working on the revegetation in the afternoon, but eventually have to hike all the way out to the Savage Box (check point on the park road) where I hope to find more water for our crew. Thankfully I can fill our water bottles here, our afternoon is saved! I also run into Matt, a friend from C Camp and a Wildlife Tec who came to check out the area. Yesterday we had a slight commotion and bear jam ('traffic jam' becomes 'bear jam') caused by a female grizzly bear walking around in the area. My first grizzly on the trail! She went far up the hills though, and I am good to hike back out again. We end our afternoon by hiking down the trail further to our new workplace, and setting out the new reroute. This involves quite a bit of thinking, looking, measuring, debating, and 'testing out'. This new reroute will be our longest this season; over a 100 meters! Once done, we hike back out to our truck (now almost a half our walk) and drive down to the very beginning of the park road, where we get ourselves some serious ice cream to celebrate finishing our first reroute! And also just because it's 20C, the sun is shining and ice cream is awesome ;)
My evening is somewhat chaotic and busy, but fun nonetheless. After a quick shower and leftover diner I walk over to the Denali Kennels, a short 10 minute walk through the forest and Headquarters area. I go here about four times a week to walk 'my' husky dog Chulitna. I 'adopted' her a couple weeks after I arrived, and have walked her ever since. Chulitna is ecstatic when she sees me. She very well knows that I come to walk her, and shows her enthusiasm by barking like crazy, running in circles, jumping up and down her little house and (when I approach her with her leash) giving me paws - basically slapping me quite painfully as she doesn't really know what she's doing. Chulitna may be an older lady (she's a little over 9), she's still very strong and can easily pull me over. So I hold her on a leash and keep an eye out for things that get her excited ('Oeh! Some other dog peed here! Let's run over, smell it and then pee on it myself!') or aggressive (Jipperdy japperdy pups or other proud females). I also keep an eye out for wildlife, as moose can always be walking around in the area, and they don't do very well with dogs.After the walk Chulitna is a lot more mellow and calm, and I usually stay with her for a while to brush her, sit with her, cuddle a bit and get my face licked. Lovely Chewy, I already can't imagine leaving her!!!
Once back in C Camp I head over to Jessica's and Jakara's cabin, where I also find Matt. Matt is going to be my model for tonight, as he is part of my 'Boys and Beards' photography project. As I told you before, most of the guys here are growing some serious beards, and I decided to photograph them to create an interesting portrait series. I've been pestering Matt about this for weeks on end, and tonight I finally get to shoot him! He jokes around, poses a bit awkwardly and follows my instructions until I'm satisfied. I'm excited about sharing the final series with you when they're done at the end of the summer! I hang around a little bit more, ask Matt and Jakara advice for my upcoming NOLS course, check my email and such, and go to bed too late around 23.00. I can't seem to go to bed earlier, there is always so much going on... :)

Friday 22nd of June
I wake up early in Will's cabin in Toklat. Jess and I took the last bus out yesterday, spend the evening with Julie and Ross, and crashed at Will's place for the night. Awakening in Toklat feels like camping in Chamonix all over again. Toklat is small, squeezed in between mountains and an impressing broad river, and it's a very beautiful morning with a blazing sun in a bright blue sky. Alaskaaa!
Jess and I have a quick breakfast (outside in the sun of course), gather our gear for the day, hike out towards the busses with Julie and Ross and off we go! Ross has planned another awesome off-trail-hike for us in Denali's wilderness, so excited! We get dropped off just before Stoney Overlook, and start our hike with half an hour of tundra crossing and bush walking. The grounds are quite dry and it's slightly downhill, so we move fast. We talk loudly, our voices carrying far to scare off any possible wildlife. But then the hike really begins; Ross picked out a nice little peak for us which requires a 2000-something feet climb...
The first part climbing is up dry rocks, grass and tundra, which goes just fine. The second part however, is incredibly steep up wet slippery rocks and hardened snow, and goes slightly less fine. Falling or sliding is not an option, so we take our time to make our way up. I have to kick my boots very hard in the snow every step I take, to make sure my footing is stable and I don't slide down a couple hundred feet. It's seriously challenging and pretty damn hardcore, but we all make it safely to the top and godsallemáchtig what is the view worth it! WOW!!! I think this may be one of the best views I've ever seen, anywhere. We celebrate our mountain victory with delicious summit cupcakes from Julie, some well deserved lunch, relaxing and even a small nap! That's gotta be the best nap ever, have you ever woken up to such a view..?! :D
We descend to the ridge line, which we will be hiking out east. Descending from the top is almost as hard as climbing it; we very slowly and slippery make our way down a very steep, rocky and muddy slope. It's almost too steep, and I'm glad when we reach the ridge line. We hike along the ridge for about two hours, going up and down and meanwhile admiring the view.
Then we start the last part of our descend, back to the park road. This quickly turns into a very unpleasant scenario, as Ross (our 'guide') and Julie get split up from Jessica and myself. Jess and I end up in a ridge which is impossibly steep and filled with more hardened snow, rocks, mud and water. We struggle our way down, but after almost 7 hour of serious hiking our bodies are becoming very tired. Legs shaking, unstable footing, no sight or sound of Ross and Julie and our PMA (positive mental attitude, your biggest survival friend in the outdoors) is quickly going downhill - a very dangerous combination. So we decide to take our chances, and vertically climb over the ridge in the hope of a better terrain. And yes, we are lucky! On the other side awaits us tundra and grass! We stagger our last way down the mountain, pretty much tear right through the knee-deep river and scream our way through head-high bushes to scare of bears, and finally get back to the road 8,5 hours after our hike started. We! Made! It!!! We throw ourselves in front of a bus and ride back to Toklat, where Ross and Julie await us with the best American pancakes I've ever had. All is well of course, and we laugh about our adventure.
We pack our bags and drive out east in Ross' car, much more comfortable and faster than catching a park bus. The ride home is pretty calm and with very little wildlife, that is... Until we hit Mile 7. Mile 7 is very close to Headquarters, and here is the place 'where things go to die'. Basically a scrap metal yard in the middle of the park. However, a couple years ago this also became the place 'where the newest wolf den is'. So every time when I drive by, I automatically turn my head to look up the little road to see if there's something out there. And this time, as I turned and looked - I saw a wolf. I quite literally screamed 'Wolf!!!', Ross hit the brakes and turned the car right around. By then the wolf had crossed the road and walked down a dried out river stream, but as we drove up, rolled down our windows and shut the motor off, he stood still and stared at us for a full 10 seconds, before finally disappearing in the woods. WOW!!!!! What an amazing first wolf sighting! To see a wolf in Denali is quite rare, and even more so to see one so close and so long! We are all completely awed and amazed, and I can't quite believe it. I keep saying 'We saw a wolf!' over and over again. What an amazing icing on the already wonderful cake, what an amazing day again... :)

Right now I'm standing on the verge of a very Big Adventure. Something so Big I believe (hope) it will influence my life forever. In just two days I will begin my NOLS course; my backpacking and sea kayaking course with the National Outdoor and Leadership School. I will spend two weeks backpacking in Wrangell St-Elias National Park and two weeks in the Prince William Sound, both in the south of Alaska.
My classmates and I will learn to survive in the outdoors, become team leaders and members, live the true Alaskan life. Off the grid, into the wild.

The Alaskan life

"Go. Go and stand before things that are much bigger then yourself." Alaska is big. Much, much bigger then myself. And I'm standing right smack in the middle of it! A few need-to-knows about Alaska to make you appreciate my new home just as much as I do. 'The last frontier' is by far the biggest state of America and covers 1,717,854 km². That's about the size of the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France and Spain combined. The total inhabitants of this enormous piece of land are an 'impressing' 722.000! Denali National Park and Preserve takes up 24,585 km² of that, which is roughly half the size of the Netherlands. It's situated in the middle of 'Alaska's Interior', and a 2,5 hour drive from Fairbanks, the closest city. The park is home to grizzly, brown and black bears, wolves, wolverines, coyote, fox, moose, caribou, eagles, dall sheep and all kinds of smaller mammals and birds. And during the summer season 300 people get to call the park home. So proud to be one of them! Living in this park is something else. My days are filled with working outside on the Trail Crew, enjoying or enduring the crazy weather, trying to keep up with the light, hiking the front country trails, spending time with friends, celebrating another bar or restaurant opening in true Alaskan Style, admiring wildlife, walking my husky dog Chulitna, and playing with my camera trying to capture it all. Working on the Trail Crew is very hardcore and badass work! Apparently, being a member of this crew makes me part of "the proudest, hardest working and best" of the park. Well folks, I can tell ya, I ain't gonna argue with that! We start most of our days with an hour of PT (physical training); so at 7.01 AM I am hiking up some sort of killing trail, trying to keep up with the guys who skip up the mountain whistling tunes and talking loudly to scare of the bears. The rest of the day is mostly spend outdoors, no matter what the weather. The last couple of weeks have been about preparing for the upcoming season; organizing stuff, setting up camp in the park, working with wood and gravel, inspecting trails, designing trail projects, attending lectures and readings, learning about all the different tools, dragging and driving materials around, and getting sore and strong!  It's incredibly hardcore and physical demanding work, and it's safe to say that I'm completely exhausted when I go home at the end of the day. Nonetheless, I am enjoying myself, like the challenges that come with the job and am proud to be one of the best! A very interesting part of working outside all the time is dealing with the flipping crazy Alaskan weather! It's half of May now, and we are finally starting to see the first signs of spring. Most of the snow has melted by now, the first spring flowers have been sighted and the plants are about to explode in 'greenness'. That being said, we still need to be prepared for any kind of weather! It's still freezing and snowing, and temperatures vary from 0 to 20C. The best thing that can be said is that I am finally no longer wearing my wool base layers... Continuing the flipping craziness; the amount of daylight Denali gets these days is insane! The sun rises well before 5.00 o' clock and sets long after 23.00, and it doesn't get 'dark' until far past midnight. It's quite weird and very special to experience, but it's also completely throwing of my sleep cycle. Sometimes I won't fall asleep until 2.00 when it's finally 'dark', or wake up at 5.00 because it's all bright and shiny outside, good mooooorning!  Another amazing aspect of living in Denali is the wildlife. A bus ride into the park will almost guarantee you some serious wildlife view. By now I've seen heaps of moose, many caribou, dall sheep, grizzly bears (spring cubs!), coyote, a wolverine (very rare!), eagles, porcupines and endless ground squirrels and ptarmigans.  I've also been enjoying the close and continuos presence of a caw moose with her yearling calf, who apparently loves the grass and greens around my home. Even more exciting these days are this years moose calves, who are very young still and can be seen wobbling along on the road and in the forest. Then there's also the case of 'Tripod', our famous three legged grizzly bear. He's been wandering around the area, and it will only be a matter of time before I run into him. Hopefully not too close of course... No worries mama ;) :)  But seriously, the past few weeks have just been filled with pure awesomeness!  I've met a lot of new people (and continue to meet more still) and made some great friends. We hang out a lot, share drinks and diners, watch our favorite shows and movies, walk our dogs, take a trip to town, explore the park and go on hikes. I really love the atmosphere and very much enjoy being part of the community, it's such a special and wonderful new home! I am the only foreigner here, and so (almost) everybody seems to know me; "Are you the girl who's from another country?", "You're the Netherlands girl!!!" or simply as Ing-ge. They are all incredibly supportive of me being a foreigner, and are great in involving me in everything that's going on. They listen patiently as I ramble on in Dutch ("Sure Ing-ge, that's just what I was thinking!"), ask questions about the real "gggchauwdse kash" and explain me about "pb&j's". Having me around seems to inspire everybody to make sure I won't miss out on their favorite American past times and traditions. Whether it be a national celebration or food - most of them involving a lot of peanut butter, jelly or marshmallows. I went to some very Alaskan parties, mostly openings of local bars. The first and best one was at a barn-transformed-to-bar; an open fireplace in the middle, bear pelts on the walls, a couple hundred people dressed in their Alaskan best (outdoor gear), getting cosy outside by the hobo fires cradling their Alaskan brewed beers, dancing to the great tunes of the local Blue Springs band on wooden planks, under the starry sky with the Alaskan mountain range in the background. My friends and I ended up jumping around endlessly and full enthusiasm to the great music; "Show us some Dutch moves Ing-ge!" and so I taught everybody 'The Holland'! Awesome night, daar kan echt geen Nederlandse bar tegenop! And perhaps the best aspect of living in Denali; all the hiking! I've done a fair amount of hikes in the front country, and now that the snow has melted we slowly start moving in to the back country - into the wild! Last weekend I took the bus out to Toklat, a settlement with park employees (friends) 53 miles 'deep' in the park. We got of the bus somewhere, and I did my very first off-trail hike. There are no trails in the back country, so you create your own path through wet tundra, bushes, gravel and rocks. Definitely something else then hiking the French mountains! But absolutely awesome; we reached the top after a 2,5 hour climb and had a stunning 360 C view of nothing but pure wilderness. Descending was a lot easier, faster and very fun, we literally sled down the steep slopes which were still covered in snow - on our bums! Just like that!  I could keep talking forever, but I've rambled on enough.. I think you all understand how much I'm enjoying myself here - how happy I am! Denali is very quickly becoming a very loved home :) 

Denali National Park and Preserve

Almost 9 years ago I stood on the verge of what would turn out to be one of the biggest adventures of my life; a year on a Folkehogskule in Norway. I remember very clearly how my parents drove me all the way to Norway, and how incredibly nervous I was. Scared even, not knowing what I was about to land myself into, wondering what in the world I had been thinking to do this... Two weeks ago as I was driving up from Anchorage to Denali National Park I suddenly had to think of those days, and that dreading feeling. And just like those 9 years ago I once again didn't know what I was getting myself into, disappearing in the Alaska interior for 3 months. But this time around, I was excited! So incredibly excited to be here, begin my work, learn, meet the people, find my way around, explore and be emerged in it all. I had almost no doubt I was going to have an amazing time, and was quite literally bouncing up and down my chair. Scared? Hell no! I'm in Alaska for crying out loud, I made it!!! The past days have been quite a whirlwind of new places, faces, experiences, wildlife, views, 'offices', actions, puzzles, sounds, food, habits, customs and surroundings. I got settled in my temporary apartment, signed all kinds of work agreements and proposals, got my uniform, met my new boss, supervisors, team leaders, worked my first days in the Trail Crew department, met a lót of people, enjoyed evenings in C Camp, had my first Denali spring barbeque and spend my first weekend in the park.  And after a mere two weeks I have already put in a request for an extension of my stay. That's how incredibly awesome it is here!  Denali's people are so great. Everybody seems very kind and more then happy to provide the Dutch girl with need-to-knows, stories and anecdotes on living in the park. The community feeling is very strong here; people help each other out whenever they can with groceries, offer rides, and as soon as you're walking around in your park uniform you'll get a friendly greeting from every colleague passing you. 'We' have our own language as well; when somebody's going to Fairbanks they're "going to town", if Denali is visible through all the clouds people get excited because "the mountain is out", the other contiguous states of America are referred to as "the lower 48", and when it's time to leave Alaska you're "going outside". All the guys (seriously, all of them!) seem to be in some sort of unspoken competition to grow the biggest beard and wildest hair, the 30 very-close-by-my-apartment Alaskan huskies from the Denali kennels love to howl very hard and long to make sure nobody forgets them, the sun rises before 6.00 and sets after 22.00 (it's so frigging light outside! already I have trouble sleeping!), mountain boots and outdoor gear are standard and very much accepted daily clothing (just as the bear spray dangling from your day bag pack) and the view from our 'outdoor office' is so amazing! Every day I take a moment, stop, stand still for a second, breathe in the Alaskan air, look around me and try to realize that I'm actually here. Hére, in this stunning beautiful place! I get to wórk here, líve here!  I can walk to work through the forest and up the hill and have it be my 15 minute commute, I get to work outside and write down those hours as labor, I can be in the wild nature and function as an assistant, I can hear, smell and see all that is new and get familiar with it, meet new people and become friends for life, and I get to love the mountains and call them my home. It. Is. So. Unbelievably. Amazing. To. Be. HERE!!!!!

The Rocky Mountains

The Canadian Rocky Mountains to be precise; Jasper National Park and Banff National Park. And WOW do they ROCK! I am not ashamed to tell you that I fell madly in love with Jasper, the little town surrounded by mountains that lies in the middle of the park. It's very small with only 4000 inhabitants, and the best way to get around is to walk or cycle. I was thrilled to be able to ride my bike to the grocery store and walk right up the peaks of the park from my 'home'. Every street offers a great view on the majestic mountains peaking over the roof- or treetops, I couldn't stop smiling :) I stayed for over a week, both in the hostel and on several people's couches. I met awesome people, swapped stories, dreams and experiences, hiked in the woods and up the mountains, went on bicycle rides, explored frozen rivers and canyons, walked around the little 'down town', found the best teashop and bakery (even a store that sold salt liquorice!), went on a road trip, saw a local hockey game, had chicken wings on "Wing Night" in the local Dead Dog pub, and loved all of it. Like I mentioned in my last story, Jasper is home to both humans and animals. The elk are as much part of the population as the humans; they will block traffic (causing extreme excitement and photographic behavior from tourists, and intense annoyance from locals), and move around town looking for a spot of grass or a good place to hang out. As I was out on a close-to-town bike ride with my host Julie, she suddenly shouted "Elk!" and pointed right. No more then 5 short meters away from me was the male herd of elk relaxing in the open forest. And male elk are huge, I can tell you! Big animals with enormous antlers, who can be very dangerous at the wrong time of year. Thankfully they let us pass in peace, and I was another wildlife experience richer. Further wildlife-proof: during my visit several parts of the forest were closed off to the public because a wolf pack was roaming around town, garbage containers of any kind are strictly bear proof (bears used to come to town every night to look for food), Jasper is the only place in Canada where it's a valid reason to call in sick for work if there's a moose on your front lawn blocking your only way out of your house, and while hiking in the woods I found fresh cougar tracks in the snow...  "So how do you defend yourself from a cougar?" I asked a born-and-raised Jasper man. He had just been telling me stories from his youth where he would thrown stones to eating grizzlies, chase a black bear up a tree and run after a mother bear and her cubs for a fun game. With a brilliant smile on his face he answered me "Oh you can't defend yourself from a cougar, no no! It will observe and follow you around quietly, and you won't see or feel it until it sinks its claws in your leg or neck. And by then it's too late!" So it's safe to say that Jasper is an absolutely awesome place! :D I traveled south to Lake Louise. The road from Jasper to Lake Louise is considered to be one of the most beautiful rides on earth, and I can confirm that alright!  The bus left at 7 in the morning, giving us a full sunrise experience as we drove by indescribable beauty. I wrote the following about it in my travel journal: Wow! I can't stop taking photo's. I can't stop smiling. A warm feeling is spreading in my chest, stuff like this makes me so happy! I get all emotional and actually get tears in my eyes, all the while the sceneries are mind boggling beautiful. I'm at the front of my seat, excited like a little kid, ready and waiting for the next corner. Wow Canada! Come on people, you háve to see this! There has to be some kind of 'Must See Before You Die' list somewhere, and this for sure should be in the top 5! We are driving through valleys filled with green trees, rugged mountains sparkling in fresh snow, frozen rivers, intense rock formations, ice walls and mountains, mountains, mountains. My thoughts aren't very clear - all I can think is "WOW!!!!!", "When can I come back again?" and later "I háve to come back here!". So now you know, you can't die before you see this. No discussion. I am not even going to tell you what it looked like, words won't do justice. I will put some photo's online, but it's nowhere near the experience. Only solution: you all have to come and visit me when I live and work here next year, and I will show you! I traveled on to Banff, another small town in the middle of a National Park. Banff is at least twice as big as Jasper, and with a short two-hour-ride away from Calgary quite touristy. It lacked the 'Vlieland feeling' I found in Jasper, and it took me a few days to warm up to this new home. But now that I've been here for almost a week, I'm starting to get to know it and appreciate it more. Banff too is surrounded by wildlife, mountains, hiking paths and has some very nice little shops and cafe's. And like everywhere, the people make a place into what it is, and I've been so lucky to meet a few really good ones again :) And now I've got only one week left in Canada, next saturday I'm flying to Alaskaaaaa!!! :D A couple days ago I heard I will become part of the Denali Trail Crew, spending most of my days working outside in the park! I'm só incredibly excited to begin this new phase of my journey, and I'm happy to say I can look back at the first phase (my "drink" of the 8 course meal) with a good and proud feeling. New York, Québec, the Rockies, all of the amazing, kind, fun, inspiring and strong people I met (the list still going strong and growing every day), the stories and dreams I heard and found, the Canadian land and nature I got to explore, the good and bad moments I got to enjoy and endure.  All of them have played a very important role in this first part of my journey, and I am glad and thankful for it. For without them, it would not have been the same!  * Inge's note: Thanks for sticking with me so far and 'traveling with me' all the way through Canada, my wonderful family, friends, old colleagues, Zwollenaren, Groningers, Vlielanders, Norway people, Kiwi's, fellow travelers, CS hosts and what not ;) You know I appreciate you!

The 'Magic' Bus

'You have to be on the ride to feel the euphoria. It's kind of a rule.' by Dani.

That bus... that magic @#$%*^#! bus! 51 hours of driving across Canada... That doesn't give you a lot of euphoria, I can tell you!

51 hours of hobbling along endless roads, listening to your fellow passengers snore, cough and fidget, enduring the extremely annoying pushing up against your chair from the person sitting behind you, eating crappy Tim Hortons bagels, trying to force your body in a pretzel-shape so you can 'sleep' on your chair, enduring toilet brakes in gross by the road places, getting stuck in the snow and waiting for a tow truck, feeling like a wooden poppet, having no (!) internet - and the continuous driving, driving, driving and driving along the endless Trans-Canada Highway...
Just in case you didn't know; Canada is huuuuuge!!! This bus ride really made me understand the enormous size and stretched-out-ness of this country. Funny fact; Canada is 240 times bigger then the Netherlands, but has only twice it's population. So you can imagine that as we were driving along Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and on to Alberta, I got to see a whole lot of nothing.
Ontario's nature is friendly but simple with rolling hills, forests and lakes, but Manitoba and Saskatchewan are nothing more then flatness. The straight road goes on and on for as far as the eye can see, with nothing but fields on either side. Every now and then a 'settlement' of some kind pops up; a motel, restaurant, a few houses and some farm-related businesses - before you drive into no man's land again. The people in these teeny tiny villages live so incredibly isolated, it would take them at least an hour or two to drive anywhere populated, if not more.
And just when you think 'Where in the world do these people buy food, clothes and furniture?' - Winnipeg and Saskatoon rise up out of the dust. 'Big' cities in the middle of nowhere with your regular McDonalds, Wallmart and Starbucks. I seriously wonder what drives people to live in these places...

In Edmonton I was awaited by a broad smiling Janet, an old friend from Norway. I hadn't seen her for almost 8 years, but even so she'd invited me over to stay at her place and 'make my home her own' - well, don't mind if I do! Janet, her husband Chris and their little son Isaac where very welcoming and extremely hospitable.I spend one lovely week living in luxury; I didn't have to wonder where I'd sleep that night, worry about diner or how long I'd be allowed to stay, act the perfect traveler-part,or (like Janet put it) 'sing for diner'.
I spend most of my week working and catching up on traveler-stuff. Every now and then I like to sit down and plan my next steps, book a bed or flight, take care of my gear and equipment, ship some on-the-road-collected stuff home and think about the trip I'm making, and what's still ahead of me. Sometimes I feel like I sat down for an 8 course meal, and I've only just enjoyed my first drink and getting ready for the appetizer. These first few months in America and Canada have been great (and still are for a few more weeks), but I feel like I'm just getting started and there's so much more ahead.. Soon Alaska is finally going to be 'served' to me on a Big Golden Platter, and I'm so excited I can hardly wait!

Because, for those of you who haven't heard yet, I finally got my American Volunteer Visa!!!!!!!!!!! Yeaeaeaeahhh :D My thanks go out to you for supporting me, your positive thoughts and lucky dolls must have helped! A quote from my-Facebook-self to share my joy with you; 'My dear friends! After a year of research, emails, forms, codes, official international photo's, expensive telephone calls, appointments, finger scans, more foreign forms, overnight express shipping, international appointments, many credit card withdrawels, a hell of a lot perseverance, sweat and tears... I finally required... *drum roll*... my AMERICAN VOLUNTEER VISAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! YIIIIIHAAAAA!!! Alaska here I come!!! :D :D :D'.
So yes, nothing stands in the way of a successful Alaska now! I booked my flight from Calgary to Anchorage, and my start date as an international volunteer in Denali National Park is officially confirmed to beMonday April 16th! Sooo happy I could die!!! Éh Loulou?! ;)

But for now I'm just going to enjoy my last month in Canada, and as I'm currently in the Rocky Mountains - I don't think that will be a problem! Only arrived in Jasper (Jasper National Park) a few days ago, and you can not imagine the scenery... Mountains, mountains and mountains. Big, grand, rugged, wild and very beautiful.

A small example to paint you a picture; yesterday I went for a small and simple hike just out of town. About 10 minutes after I entered the forest I ran into 3 deers (distance about 5 meters), 10 minutes later I walked by a complete herd of grazing elk (about 25 of them), further along the road I was only 2 meters away from 2 deers, still further along I walked by 2 eagles, and by the end of the day I got as close as 5 meters from a moose. It was beautiful weather, and thanks to my very succesfull hitch hike I got to see some beautiful nature sceneries and enjoy the snow! And by the time I got back to town, the herd of elk had moved. They were now occupying the train station, rails and main road - happily grazing and wandering around, not aware or caring of the hold up they were causing.

This is Canada to me... This is what I've been searching for. This is the ride full of euphoria!

So I'd better go out now and enjoy while I'm still here éh?! ;) :) Bye guys, I'll 'see' you soon again in the outdoors!

Québécois

After a month in this wonderful country called Canada, I think it's about time I share some of my 'Best Of Québec' stories with you! I would love to get into it all and tell you everything I did, saw and everybody I met in the past few weeks - but I honestly don't have the energy and feel for it. Trust me, I tried. That being said, the sheer volume of experiences (ergo writings) would keep you in front of your computer for or day or two - or immediately make you give up by the sight of so much text.. (éh bro??!) So - to keep you up to date and entertained in an acceptable quantity, hereby some of Québecs Best and (to keep it real) a little bit of the Worst.. Québec is the French state of Canada, which means that the native tongue is the strictly spoken Canadian French (seriously, don't make the mistake thinking it is bilingual - you'll only end up insulting the locals and embarrassing yourself). This language is unfortunately very hard to understand due to the terrible Québecer accent, sorry Catherine! ;) But I've been having fun practicing my high school French, which has (to my great happiness) let me be somewhat able to get around in daily life. However, most of the times when I speak they immediately tell me I have a weird accent. It never occurs to the 'francophones' that their accent is the weird one, and my 'France French' is perfectly acceptable.  And, like the cherry on the French topping, my name is now being pronounced as Éinchè or Ánchè. Loving that :D So far I have traveled to Montréal, Québec, Mont Tremblant, Saguenay and Gaspé. These cities and area's have given me quite a good view on Québec state, with each their own elements. I think my favorite one might just be Gaspé, although I still have a few days left in this area so I can't be entirely sure yet :)  Gaspé is a peninsula situated in the very eastern part of Québec, and is surrounded entirely by the St Lawrence river and the Gulf of St Lawrence, which are directly attached to the North Atlantic Ocean. Though you won't find any big cities or stunning culture within this tiny piece of Canada, it does offer some lovely nature. Gentle mountains, two big National Parks, endless space, tiny (slightly depressing) villages all situated right next to the shores and of course the ocean itself. I like the atmosphere here. People are relaxed, friendly and never lock their front doors. Everybody owns at least one pair of snowshoes, ski's or some kind of snow-related equipment. There are tens of little shacks standing on the frozen Gulf where men are ice fishing, and the only bus company brings you to the trailhead in the next door situated Forillon National Park. I do believe summer would have been a better season to visit this place, but I won't let that bother me! Gear on, extra layer of merino wool and let's hike to that Cap Bon Ami with the beautiful view! Mont Tremblant was another area that I very much enjoyed, though that might have been due to the people I met rather then the nature. The village is a very touristic ski resort a few hours north of Montréal, and very popular with the "bourgeois bobo's". I spend my first nights in the HI hostel, where I met some awesome people that I ended up spending the next few days with. We went hiking, snowshoeing, out for diner and drinks and genuinely enjoyed each others company. The beautiful thing about meeting fellow travelers is that we all share the same state of mind; we are chasing our dreams! The list of people I've met (oh yes, there is a list!) is growing vastly. During these last few weeks alone I have met over 50 people, and all of them contributed to my journey in one way or another. All strangers at first, but most of them soon become known and familiar, the majority of them trusted, and few become a 'someone special'. Either by our shared experiences, their personal stories or background, or the simple awesomeness of (meeting) this person. I can't help but share some of their stories with you, in the hope and assumption that it leaves you just as impressed, full of thoughts or simply smiling - like me. Dennis is 27 year old American, graduated from some big ass university in Business, owns his own home, awesome car (a blue Audi TT with an Angry Birds stuffed animal on the dashboard), and his own car wash company. Decided that one day he wasn't going to drive to his work, but to Canada instead. Came back home for a week, packed his bags and went back north again. Nobody beside his parents know where he is or what he is doing. The last stop he made before crossing the Canadian border was in the middle of the night in a small American village, where he mailed his apartment keys to his ex girlfriend. No note. Dennis told me "You've got to do things as you feel them. If you wait, you might not feel them anymore." T.H. is a ski patrol on the Mont Tremblant mountain, and has been working on that mountain for over 20 years. I met him as I was snowshoeing on the top of the mountain, and we ended up talking for a good time. He was honored when I asked him if I could take his photo and requested I would send it to him. I left him a note with my email address, and we ended up having breakfast later that week. We shared life stories: me of my European and New Zealand 25 young years, him of his New York and Canada 60-something years. T.H. showed me his home where he's living with his young son, a 'super sized' cabin which he built himself situated in a small forest on a lakeside. It's woodsy, homy and filled with great artifacts that fit his personality, spirit and life. Meeting him was a very enriching experience. Some of the other awesome people I met I met through CouchSurfing. I am still surfing my way through Canada, and continue to be amazed by the hospitality and generosity strangers can offer you. Apparently this one thing that connects us (a subscription on the CouchSurfing website) is enough to form some kind of a bond, and allow traveler and host to interact as though we are friends. One of the last hosts I was staying with was something even better then that.. Five minutes after I was welcomed in Catherine's home in Québec city I knew we would get along and that our minds, wishes and dreams were somewhat alike. Catherine's roommates Loulou and Adreanne were nothing but sweet, relaxed and fun to be around and very soon I 'transformed' from "la couchsurfer" to roommate "Elisabetha" (my name once again prove to be too difficult). These girls and I became real friends, and we had so much fun just spending time together. I stayed with them for 10 days, and felt at home the entire time. When on the road, I consider this to be one of the most valuable things. A new surfing experience I've discovered is something called Amigo Express. It is an online organization where people offer you a seat in their car to wherever they're going in exchange for some gas-money. This way you'll reach your destination fast and cheap, and you get to meet some great people. Best experience yet was from Québec city to Saguenay, where my driver Alex and I talked enthusiastically for 3 hours straight and he ended up giving me a tour around the fire station where he worked. Another interesting soul with an awesome life story that I had the pleasure to meet. Of course, I've done a million more things in the past month. Some worth mentioning: I had the local 'poutine' cuisine (quite gross if you ask me), had maple syrup pancakes, maple syrup on snow and in whiskey (a lot better then the poutine). I did a lot of snowshoeing, some winter hiking and exploring of the cities and area's. I watched an outdoors ice hockey game (-25C), stayed in and relaxed, cooked, baked, spent hours planning, preparing and organizing the rest of my journey, and dreaming of all that is left to come! Every now and then some of the best aspects of traveling can 'come back and bite you in the ass' and become some of the most tiresome. For as a traveler you are always on the road, always moving from one place to another, and your homes (however lovely) are always temporary. Every day brings you new faces and places, questions and situations... Where do I go now? They told me it was only a 10 minute walk, but I've been at it for at least 30.. I wonder if they have a bus here? Was I supposed to do that? She put waaay too much food on my plate, again!!! I wonder if I'm allowed to stay longer? God I wish I had my laptop now.. Is it acceptable for me to hang in front of the TV and not be the enthusiastic spirited couchsurfer? I really want to go get out of here, but how in the world do I find transport back to the city? Oh man I don't like mushrooms and they are all over the dish that she made specially for me... Why am I too tall for this bed? No thank you, I don't want to eat pasta for lunch - where is your Gouda cheese and hagelslag? Yes I know I am a tourist here, but today I'll take it easy and stay in thank you.. Gosh, she is so incredibly busy and stressed out - why ever did she invite me to stay? Why doesn't my credit card just work already?! I wonder if it's rude to buy a box of cookies and eat the entire thing by myself? Shiiit, still haven't found a place to sleep for tomorrow night! And so on... Sometimes it's hard for me to let these little things go and don't worry about them. It's simply not a part of my personality (yet) to skip over these bumps and bruises in the road, although I very much hope that I'll get better at it as I go. Another thorn in my side has been the American Volunteer Visa that I need for my time in Denali National Park in Alaska. Oh yes lovely ladies and dear gentlemen, here we go again! Visa stories are not nearly finished, don't you worry 'bout a thing! I swear I could write a book about my troubles, or perhaps I should simply write a complaint letter with the gripping 'Are you Fucking Kidding Me?!' title. When this it all over of course. Anyway, let's just say that I am still working on acquiring it, and it costs me a hell of a lot of time, energy, money, patience and perseverance. So please, if you have a moment next Tuesday, keep your fingers crossed, pray to the heavens, send some good luck to Canada, inform the Karma gods to send the good stuff my way, grasp your lucky dolls and ask that the Visa people be merciful - because I have my Incredibly Important Interview... So right now I am surfing in Gaspé, where the current snowstorm has taken over the stunning view. This is as far east as I will go in Canada. Soon I will travel back to Montréal, on to Toronto for a short visit, and then I am going to take the big cross over.. I will take the bus from Toronto to Edmonton, to the Rocky Mountains! And as a quick Google Maps Search will tell you; driving from Toronto to Edmonton is a whopping 3470 km, which will take a full 50 hour nonstop ride by bus... Oh yeah, I can't wait! :s :) * Inge's note: I just wanted to write another thank you for following me with so many and such enthusiasm! I get really excited every time someone left another reply, and some of you have really surprised me with your visits and comments here :) :D It's heartwarming to have such support, truly. This entry is another long one, lots to tell! But now you've got something to read to each other again Carolijn, during your coffee break Gwen or if you miss the traveling buufje ;) Cheers guys, next update from the 50 hours bus trip!