Fresh morning air
I am a city boy. I was born and raised around the Boston area and have never experienced real nature outside of the trees and hills of New Hampshire. Last August, I departed my comfortable home of Dunkin’ Donuts
and subways for the wild lands of Alaska knowing nothing about the state aside from Discovery specials. The staff at Alaska Denali Tours put together a great package for me that prized my individuality and let me
embrace the real Alaska wild, as was my wish.
The most memorable part of the trip to me was at the Denali entrance. I stayed at the Denali Cabins there and used their shuttle service to get to the Visitor Center of the park where great hiking trails could be found. I
chose one called the Taiga Trail. I remember the soft dew that clung to the leaves and the winding trail that
cut through the dense woods. It was like a great pressure was building up in me; the culmination of such a perfect day apart from the comfort of civilization. As the sun shone through that dew and left a prism upon my
face, I felt that pressure slowly escape. Below me, a stream cut through a narrow valley, tumbling and rolling over
the tundra. A red squirrel chattered in the distance. At last I had found my Alaska, away from the city.