Today marks one year in Alaska for our family. One whole year. 365 days. I say it every single time, but this move has been our hardest by far – and that’s saying something because we PCSed when Spencer was 14 days old once upon a time. This move has just had so many unique challenges that we’ve had to weather, and this duty station has absolutely stretched us far beyond our comfort zones. Yet, here we are…one year later.
Marking One Year in Alaska
We’ve had the absolute best and worst of times during our first year at Fort Wainwright. Our time has been marked with significant challenges, including the complete dissolution of Ryan’s job here. He’s lucky in that he was able to slot into another position here, but it has definitely been a time of great uncertainty and flux. We also weathered our first winter in Fairbanks and yes, it was a lot. I thought I knew what winter was before we got to Fairbanks, but I can confidently say that I was wrong. Winter up here is something else!
We’ve had months of very little daylight, and we’ve had months with almost complete daylight 24/7. We’ve had weeks where our eyelashes froze the second we walked outside. We’ve had weeks where we realized we’ve actually acclimated, and we wore t-shirts at 45F. Alaska definitely changes you, and I’ve loved watching how it’s made our children more hardy.
Our Favorite Parts of Alaska Thus Far
For those who missed it in my last post, we have more year left in Fairbanks, Alaska before we move again. Though our adventures this past year have been simpler, they’ve been no less sweet, and we’ve loved the opportunity to explore interior Alaska as much as possible. Our favorite adventures in Alaska thus far include:
- Hiking in Hatcher Pass
- Exploring Castner Glacier
- The Midnight Sun Festival
- Hiking Murphy Dome
- Seeing the Northern Lights at Cleary Summit
- The World Ice Carving Championships
- Tanana Valley State Fair
There’s a lot about this little town that we’ve enjoyed. Will we set down roots here? No, we won’t. However, there’s something really down-home about this town and Alaska that speak to us and, as usual, the kids have bloomed where they’re planted again.
What’s Yet to Come Here in Alaska
While the countdown is officially on again (one more year from today!), we still have a lot we plan and hope to do during our time in Alaska! First up is an epic salmon fishing charter in Valdez that we’ve been looking forward to for weeks. It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime things we can’t wait to try as a family. Then, the kiddos start school again next month, and we’re cautiously excited to see how that looks for the kiddos and if it makes this next winter easier.
Ryan’s been TDY a lot during our time in Alaska, and that’s not likely going to change during our second year here. As it stands, we have three that we’re staring down right now. But, it’s sort of old hat now, and we know it doesn’t last. We’re still planning to do a very long day trip (and maybe camping trip) up towards the Arctic Circle, we plan to go on a sled dog trip, and we even hope for a ski weekend down south. Whatever we do though, we’ll make the most of it.
One year in Alaska – onwards and upwards!