Juneau, Truneau, and Turning 25

2 humpback whales

This morning, after a week of recovery, I finally felt ready to open up my notepad and work on this blog post. My month in Juneau included a lot of computer time and papers written, so I needed to step away from the keyboard for a little while. However, I did promise at the beginning of the summer to be better about my posts, so here it goes.. 

A view from the trail to class
(on one of our sunny days)

My month in Juneau was not quite what I expected it to be. First of all, I never envisioned having a twenty minute round-trip walk to class every day (often twice a day). Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love to walk, the trail was beautiful, and I had dreams of running up and down the grueling hill in order to feel the endorphin rush at the end. However, post-surgery Paige was not expecting this hill and there were many times when my roommates had to wait as I readjusted after my hip locked up halfway up the hill. Don’t worry, I spoke with my physical therapist, and it simply has to do with adding in new ranges of motion to my recovery. By the end of the month, I’d gotten myself into a groove for the walk. Next summer, I hope to be able to put on my running sneakers and live out my hilly daydreams. 

A rainy visit to the
Shrine of St.Therese

Another thing I was not quite ready for was the Juneau rain. If you have ever seen the Twilight movies which are set in a very rainy Washington, you can get a better mental picture of “Truneau”. My one roommate/cohort member/friend coined this term, so I cannot take credit, but it accurately describes Juneau. You have days like the touristy Juneau pictures show, which are beautiful, the skies are blue and the clouds do not promise rain. We got to experience two or three of these days while the rest of the month brought with it daily rain showers, gray skies, and lots of clouds. Now that I have hopefully painted a bit of a picture for what my days were, let me be clear in saying that "Truneau” is a beautiful place. I have such an appreciation for the rainy days and always present cloud cover. There was something indescribable about the beauty present in this environment. I could go on and on about it, but instead I will just suggest that anyone reading this should add Juneau to their “must visit” list. 

A sign at the top of Mt. Roberts..
After our moderate hike

Why visit? Well besides the rain, Juneau has a ton of things to see and do. While I feel I will be able to experience more of what this city has to offer next year when my activity level is back to normal, I was able to enjoy activities such as whale watching, seeing Mendenhall glacier, visiting this Shrine of St. Therese and the nearby arboretum, eating fresh crab at Tracy’s crab-shack, bear sightings, and riding the Mt. Roberts tram. Here is the moment where I confess that I broke all physical therapy protocol for a much needed trail hike. Before I get yelled at, just hear me out. A cohort member promised a “moderate” trail hike to the top of Mt. Roberts which would be followed by nice ride down on the tram. Well.. this moderate hike soon became a lasting joke among our cohort as it was anything but moderate. A steep two and a half mile winding hike later, and we were all huffing and puffing. But let me tell you, it was everything my active soul needed and I felt not one ounce of pain during or after the hike. I think my body needed this hike as much as my heart did. I did, begrudgingly, refrain from later offered hikes as I considered possible negative impacts on my recovery. 

My cruise birthday dessert!

Now, onto the turning 25 part of the month.. Leading up to my birthday, I was not having any panic or rethinking any life decisions or fearing my impending quarter century birthday. I even got to celebrate a few days early when our cohort toured and had dinner on a visiting cruise ship. My cohort members made a scene and ensured that I had been properly wished happy birthday; it was a sweet memory that I won’t soon forget. Then, on the night before my birthday, it hit me that I’d be 25 years old upon waking up the next morning. As I laid in bed alternating between crying (ask anyone, I’m a crier.. it’s normal) and laughing at myself for crying over this, I reflected on what 25 meant to me. For some, it is a birthday that marks old age and for others it is an “only downhill from here” type of moment. For me, it was a completely different experience. I cried because I felt lucky to have made it to this milestone. I reflected on the fact that I have already known sickness, tragedy, loss, pain, and overwhelming sadness in my 24 years of life. I have been reminded time and again how short and un-promised life is. So my tears for turning 25 were simply out of a feeling of luck to be able to say that I am 25. That might sound sappy, but as I type this, I am again overwhelmed by those emotions, and I know that for me this is an important moment to add to this post. 

Love going through this program
with Caitlin and Kirsten

Looking back, another unexpected part of my four weeks in Juneau was the bond that 21 strangers formed in this short time. Actually, some of us knew a few others in the class beforehand, but in the grand scheme of things, most of us were strangers to each other. My cohort members and I are all in different stages of our personal and professional lives, and yet we now share this leadership journey. We worked together, discussed topics, butted heads at times, and got to know each other over our 18 days in class. Some of us motivated and encouraged each other on a “moderate” hike, others went fishing together, we celebrated birthdays together, and embraced differences in each other. Of course I learned content during the month, but no one needs a recap of my assignments and readings. I do feel that it is important to note this family of 23 (including our professors) that formed last month. The thing I am most thankful for is to know that we will continue to work together and grow together over the next 11 months as we push ourselves and each other through this program. I love that we will get to celebrate more birthdays and milestones, share stories from different classrooms across the state, and to have a support network of 20 other people who know exactly what each other are working through. I’m sure my “C9” family will have many blog-worthy moments over this next year and I will be sure to post updates along the way! 

A bear at Mendenhall Glacier

Now though, some Florida sunshine is calling my name. I get to enjoy another week and a half on the east coast before making my way back home to Alaska. Words cannot describe how I look forward to getting back to my lakefront apartment and quiet little village. I so appreciate my ability to travel, adventure, and visit loved ones, but living out of a suitcase and taking long plane and car rides gets old after awhile! I am ready to be settled into my chaotic bush routine again and also anxiously excited to see what this year has in store for me.