Why I Love Fairbanks

As the sun shone high in the sky on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, I ran carefree along the snowy Angel Creek trail.  Matt, Oliver, Brittany, and Yoti (the dog) ran along ahead.  I was absorbed in my own thoughts.  

It was another one of those beautiful mountain trances I had earlier in the week.  I have many memories of this particular trail, both warm and happy as well as frozen, trudging through knee deep snow frustration.  During the long winters, I was often overwhelmed by cabin fever; that claustrophobic feeling that made it feel like the world was closing in on me.  On many of those short days, it felt the darkness would swallow me whole.  The Chena River Recreation Area was our escape.  We never fully committed to living here and didn’t ever get proper winter tires.  Driving was always terrifying, so we seldom left the Fairbanks area.  All the cabins in this DNR managed area are along a moderately flat roadway that eventually stopped, so we felt comfortable enough driving here but never anywhere else.  In our brief stint as Alaskans, we managed at least one visit to every cabin in this area.  For providing me that little bit of escape, it will always hold a special place in my heart that will evoke the occasional smile.

It was the first day of our trip that the mercury managed to rise above zero.  I pulled the facemask down from my nose and breathed the fresh, crisp air.  With all the problems my allergy-induced asthma has caused recently, it was wonderful to breathe easy again, literally.  It felt as if my lungs doubled in size.  My sinuses were clear.  For the first time in months, I could breathe through my nose.  I was also digging the sunshine.  Fairbanks is ridiculously sunny.  Can I get some of that in a to-go box, please?

Moose en route to the hot springs.

All week, I couldn’t stop myself from taking photos of the snow.  I truly miss having four seasons.  The entire world changes color four times a year.  Humboldt County has two seasons: green and brown.  I miss the in-between.  People say that you either love the place you came from or you hate it and want to leave.  Although I’m not particularly attached to the Midwest, I enjoyed the familiarity of the weather changes and seasons.  Many of my favorite traditions are linked to the seasons.  When it is taken away, I feel like a part of me is muted.  Alaska has those same four seasons, only she has mountains too.  (instant one-up on the U.P.—sorry, Michigan)

You don't have hot springs either do you, Michigan?  Told you I'd need that bikini!

Fairbanks was the first place that Matt and I lived for a while after we were married.  We lived in Oklahoma for less than six months before we moved North.  Through our adventures and living far away from our families, we created our own identity as a couple here.  We learned how to manage in life without a safety net.  A love for the outdoors that I had as a child was reawakened and became a part of my adult identity.  I found my true self here.

For our final adventure, we hit our favorite running path in town for a long run.

Lastly, the best part about Fairbanks is the people.  Matt was lucky enough to hired into an active office.  They encouraged us to try new things: trail running, backpacking, mountain biking (yeah, that never stuck), and kayaking.  We had friends that were crazier than we were; there never was a shortage of friends willing to try something slightly outside of their comfort zone.  Austin was willing to go hiking with us even though we got lost and it was dark and bear prints were everywhere.  Rena enjoyed a cabin trip with us even though we roasted her down to her undies at night.  Steve trudged through knee deep snow to the Angel Creek cabin with us and still had a smile on his face when he arrived.  Eric and Deanne (and doggie tagalongs) introduced us to snow margaritas.  Becki, Julie and I hunted for aurora in the middle of the night even when we had to work the next day.  Oceana showed us how to be stylish and stay warm at the same time.  The endurance monsters, Jim, Ed, and Mike pushed us to make marathoning a thing in our regular schedule.  We shared adventure tales, photographs, horror stories, laughs and frustrations. 

After we returned home an email was waiting in Matt’s inbox.  Ed asked the question everyone else skirted around:  “Have you considered moving back to Fairbanks?”  

 Oh, if he only knew……