INTRODUCTION
To many people, myself included, Alaska represents a sort of final frontier (hence the state’s nickname – The Last Frontier). It’s perhaps the last place within the United States where one can still find vast reaches of truly undeveloped land. It affords one the opportunity to leave the modern world behind and venture into regions so remote they can only be accessed on foot or by plane or boat. And it’s these exact sort of opportunities that allowed it to carve out a special little place in my mind; ever since I’d first learned it existed as a child, I’d wanted to adventure in Alaska.
The stars finally aligned near the end of my final year of medical school whenI had the independence, time, and money to visit. A friend and I planned a trip there as a sort of capstone of adventure after years in libraries and hospitals. But alas, about two months before we set out, the COVID pandemic began. Our travel plans went immediately down the drain, again leaving me with a latent desire to explore the 49th state.
A few years came and went as I completed my first three years of residency. And after a few other trips to various destinations (you can check out all of my adventures on The Chronicle) I felt it was finally time to set out for Alaska. Using my original trip plan as a framework, my wife and I planned what would be a truly epic series of adventures to introduce ourselves to The Last Frontier.
