Fairbanks Farewell

I've been sitting on this post for the last two weeks, not quite sure how to wrap it up. For all its quirks and challenges, my heart still calls Fairbanks home. It feels comfortable and familiar and it's all too easy to settle back into the fabric of daily life, like slipping on a pair of worn out shoes. Had I planned to take this trip solo, I would have been more than content to spend the whole week in and around Fairbanks.

Chena River on one of our runs.

Instead of backpacking through the rain across a ridge line that would offer no rewards for our climbing efforts, we dragged our soggy selves back to Fairbanks. After a few texts to Sommer, my cousin's wife, we had a place to stay including a shower and comfy bed.

Fireweed is my favorite flower.

When Matt and I first moved here, we spent three months renting the mother-in-law unit attached to their house. It was hard not to feel the nostalgia wash over me as I spent nights sleeping in what used to be my bedroom. I painted the walls. I built the ladder to the loft. This is where I spent my first night in Alaska.

We spent the last two days of our trip with Sommer and my two little cousins, Daisy and Finn. They were so much fun. Over the years, I've returned to visit and seen them as babies, toddlers, and now miniature adults with their own thoughts and stories. Brenna and Daisy bonded over Harry Potter,  I think Finn fell in love with Rachel, and I got some catching up time in with Sommer.

Best climbing tree at Creamer's Field.

Daisy told us all about the birds that visit here.

Rachel and I ran a few more of my favorite routes while Brenna checked out the trails on her own or read her book. 

Final sunset.

The flight out on our final day didn't leave until the evening so we decided to go for a hike. It was a classic Fairbanks summer day: some perfect cumulus clouds and seventy degrees. I've done the Angel Rocks hike at least a dozen times, one or more times during each of the seasons. I've battled mosquitoes, trudged through hip-deep snow and glissaded down through the trees, squished through mud, and marveled at the fall colors.

I miss birch trees.

...and penis mushrooms. Thanks Brenna for taking this photo.

Halfway up the ridge, the three of us pulled a cherry-flavored hard seltzer water from our packs, toasting the end of our trip as we took in the view. The perfect end to a wonderful trip! I'm so happy that I got to share my favorite places with these two wonderful ladies.

Cheers! Rachel C. photo.

I'm still not sure what my future will hold regarding this special place, but I intend to keep up my yearly pilgrimages until I figure it out. :)