Alaska is awefull, I mean it. And yeah, I spelled that right. No, I don’t mean it’s awful, though some may think that. Many might consider the harsh weather of winter quite awful indeed. Others may consider the bugs awful, or those endless hours of daylight – or twilight. But once you truly experience Alaska, one discovers how awesome it is. But Alaska is much more than merely awesome. It is awefull.

Alaska is full of awe, wherever you look. Wherever you run, drive, ride, or mush you will find awe in everything around you. Not just some awe. You will find yourself full of awe when you experience the real Alaska. That is why Alaska is awefull.

How Awefull is Alaska?

I remember listening to a podcast episode* about awe which helped me realize the benefits of living an awe-inspired life. I’ve always been able to easily feel awefull when experiencing the wonders of nature or modern technology, and interacting with incredible people. But nothing comes close to filling me with as much awe as the times I spent immersed in the awesomeness of Alaska.

Denali is Definitely Full of Awe

It’s important in life to find awe in everything. And Alaska makes it easy. Denali makes it simple to find yourself full of awe. She’s sneaky, and she’ll surprise you. The Alaska range is massive. And Denali towers over the surrounding mountains. Downtown Willow provides a perfect view, when the conditions are right. We had lived there nearly a month before we noticed her in all her glory. Clouds often obscure the highest peak, though the range remains visible. Then, turn north on a clear day and BAM! She lives up to her acronym: Big Ass Mountain. Every glimpse I got filled me with awe.

Mushing is Way More than Awesome

Sled dogs are pretty awefull too. They way they sing, how excited they get when the harnesses come out, the mayhem that ensues, followed by the silence once they all take off – it all fills me with awe. Even more awesome is the bond that is made between mushers and their packs. Don’t believe anything you hear about any “cruelty” of the sport.

These dogs live to run, and they love it. And these people don’t just love their dogs, they live the same life. The people are part of the pack. That’s why the one standing on the sled is referred to as the 13^th dog. Mushers and their dogs all depend upon each other for their own survival out there on the trail. I’ve heard tales of the few bad apples out there, but they in no way represent the majority of mushers.

Winter in Alaska Is Awefull

It’s not just the weather which is awefull in Alaska. Sure, I found plenty of awe in the snow. Here’s an awe inspiring concept to consider. That first snow that falls will likely not melt until spring. So it continues to pile up. We lucked out with a short driveway at our rental. We managed to keep it clear with a couple snow shovels. But it did provide a pretty good workout. Especially those times when we had to start over by the time we got to the other end.

Some of the best advice, and one of the first things we heard from new friends we met, was to get on it early, and stay on top of it. Snow removal that is.

How Awefull is it?

The sheer amount of snow that piled up filled me with awe. We had to clear the driveway much wider than the truck. Because the snow never melted, we had to put it somewhere. After piling it high, and pushing more snow aside, the driveway became more narrow. I’ll never forget feeling awefull as I climbed up on our snowbanks to make room for more snow. Every inch the piles rose over my head filled me with even more awe.

Frozen eyelashes are pretty awefull. I often wondered, to rub or not rub? Rubbing my frozen eyelids might put out my lashes, right? Yeah, I figured that right. Snotcicles are more awefull when you have a mustache. But it’s those cold temps that hurt your teeth and burn your lungs that can fill you with awe. All I had to do was think of those early explorers who made their own garments. Or those crazy mushers who go out into the tundra for days. Now that’s awefull, and made me feel a little less rugged bundled up in my layers of technical gear.

And then there is the wildlife. Awwwwwe…

That Awefull Alaskan Wildlife

I didn’t stop to snap a photo of the most awefull moose I saw on a run along the frozen Almond Lake Trail. I’m smarter than that. He was just far enough away that it may have been okay. And I don’t know if he would have charged out onto the ice after me. But I wasn’t about to find out. I do know that he was big. And moose will moose, which mainly means their unpredictable. And mean. I encountered a few moose on my runs, but always gave them space. And thankfully, I never had any dogs with me at the time.

TSpeaking of dogs, wolves fill me with awe. And we had the treat of seeing some. Again, no photos. But only because they made a brief appearance along the road on our way up to Denali. It was somewhere north of Cantwell, and the road was icy, and it was windy. The way the wind blows wisps of snow too cold to stick accross the road is both mesmerizing, and amazing. But I digress.

Not just one, but we saw two wolves greet us as we passed by. A black one and a grey one. Both were big. They were about 20 miles apart. And they were probably just as in awe with us, wondering what anyone would be doing driving that crazy road in such crazy weather.

Wild, Wild Life…

In that mushing video I made, you can hear me say “That’s awesome” when the bald eagle flew over head. We saw plenty of those, and every one of them filled me with awe. Yeah, even though they’re pretty much scavengers. Even more majestic might have been that Willow Ptarmigan I saw still shedding it’s winter colors. I still can’t say that without pronouncing the strong P. However, one of the most awefull beings I encountered all winter was the smallest.

On a walk with Nellie, I noticed the tiniest pawprints across the snow. Then the tiniest little shrew, or mouse of sorts, darted into a little hole in the ice. How on earth do they survive? Or do they?

I could go on and on, and on. But then this happened, just as I was writing that.

To Be Continued…