Learning the Hard Way :: Personal Narratives Climbing Flagstaff Essays

Learning the Hard Way The backcountry of Alaska is one of the wildest places left in this country, an excellent place to study wildlife in it’s natural environment. To a wildlife Biology major with an overwhelming draw to the outdoors, the chance to study this wildlife would seem to be the opportunity of a lifetime. When this opportunity presented itself to me this past summer, I didn’t hesitate to take it. This would be great experience for the career path I am taking and it would give me a chance to work with professionals in the field of my studies. At the time I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to do some soul searching and spend quality time in the backcountry before I married next summer. I was expecting this summer to change me as an individual, allowing me plenty of time to reflect on my life. Never did I expect these changes to occur in the way they did. A life changing event can occur when and where they are least expected. The evening in the backcountry of Denali National Park when I made one small misstep would change my life forever. I would learn how strong love can be and gain a better perspective of what is truly important to me in my life. It was mid June, a beautiful cloudless day in Denali National Park. I was hiking deep in the backcountry, with only the millions of mosquitoes to keep me company. I was on the fifth day of a scheduled six day trip, and I couldn’t have asked for a better week. Denali, the tallest mountain in the northern hemisphere, became visible for the first time of the year and it stayed out for the duration of my trip. Hiking in the trail less backcountry, where the grizzly bears outnumber the people by more than three to one, truly makes a person feel alone. Walking through the alpine tundra, with tiny little flowers acting as a carpet, I encountered twice as many moose as people on this trip. Never had I felt so alone and been so happy about it. Little did I know, that would all change, challenging me to be stronger than I have ever been, both mentally and physically.