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GVN Home > usa > alaska > diaries

Angela Kidson writes...

...about her experiences while volunteering in Alaska.

Fairbanks 8th June 2005
I've been in Alaska for about a week and a half now, so I'm settled in, doing my volunteer work at the environmental centre. Alaska is really beautiful, heaps of trees and no, it is not snowing or freezing, today the temperature was in the mid 20s. On the drive up to Fairbanks I saw Denali, otherwise known as Mt McKinley but no-one here calls it that. The landscape is amazing, and in Anchorage there are mountains surrounding you on all sides but the sea. I haven�t seen moose yet, or bear, but I think I will sooner or later, apparently moose walk onto the roads all the time. It is light almost 21 hours a day. The solstice is on 20th of June, when they have a festival and a midnight baseball game which I'm going to go to. I'm living in a log cabin, its pretty cool. it has a loft and a ladder leading up to it, which kind of makes up for the fact that I have no running water. Apparently its the real Alaskan experience, hmmm. I was surprised that lots of houses here don�t have running water or electricity supplied and they have to get water hauled in. Even hugely touristy areas don�t always have phone lines connected (around Denali etc) I'm riding a bike to and from work each day, half an hour each way and the ride back is up a killer hill. Hopefully I'm getting fitter! The camp which I'm working on started 2 days ago - this week is 4-5 yr old kids. I'd forgotten what it�s like to spend time with them. That goes from 9-12 and then I'm at office the rest of the day. The constant light is really messing with my sense of time, but it�s good for staying out really late and not worrying about getting home before dark. I'm liking Alaska.

13 June 2005 - Folk Music and Bird Banding
I am really enjoyed my time here, thanks largely to the people here who are so kind. There is a real feeling of community here. People have invited me to Potlucks, taken me to �First Fridays� when art galleries remain open late, and on driving tours around Fairbanks to see the various sights. Last weekend I went canoeing with friends on the Chena river, that winds through the town. We got out at Alaskaland, or Pioneer Park and saw the Folk Music Festival they had on that day.

At camp, I feel like I am learning a lot about the local ecosystems. We have taken the kids to mist netting stations where you see birds caught and banded to track their populations. We also had a guest speaker on owls who brought a great horned owl to show. I have to say the mosquitos are really bad. I think the locals are just used to it but they come out in swarms and eat you alive. Especially in the forest area.

25 June 2005 Moose Sighting!
I saw a moose on the way home from work! It was browsing just 2 metres off the bike path that runs next to the road. It was such a thrill to see one so close.

Last weekend I went on a roadtrip with friends to Denali National Park, which was definitely a highlight so far. We went into the park to see bears, moose, caribou etc etc. We also drove past the Alaska mountain range, and camped for one night out there -the views were amazing! We also had to take bear spray and be careful about cooking food because it attracts bears.

1 July 2005 - Campout with the kids
In the last week of camp we had an overnight campout at Noyes Slough, a pocket of parkland in the middle of Fairbanks. It took a lot of planning to prepare for this camp, but I think it was worth it in the end. The kids really enjoyed the activities, and it was fun helping them put up the tents, or when they tried to help us, that was really sweet. We made the obligatory Smores - something new to me - (they are graham crackers with marshmallow and chocolate melted on), and there were also some skit performances that the children did in groups which were pretty funny! The next day we painted bandannas, which they seemed to like a lot.

I've finished my volunteer work now, and it was sad to go. some of the kids were asking if i'd come back next year and i was trying to tell them that i dont actually live in Fairbanks and had to go back to Australia! I also had a great time working with Amber and the counsellors and junior counsellors, we were a pretty good team. By the last week I was quite tired but it was such a rewarding experience, i really loved it.