I went hiking yesterday, and it was wonderful. Aren’t three-day weekends the best? If you had to work over Labor Day, I’m sorry to hear that – but thanks for your great work!

Anyway, hiking. My guy Dan and I drove to the other side of Hatcher’s Pass (you know, along the river toward Willow), where we found many more people enjoying the long weekend as well. There were families camping along the river, kids playing in the dirt, older couples watching birds, and scruffy men in camouflage climbing through the bushes. I also saw a bunch of parasailors floating down through the valley. It was sunny, festive, and completely unexpected!

Before I moved to Alaska, I would never have guessed how crowded it can be when you drive into the middle of “nowhere.” And before moving here, I may have thought this crowd was a bad thing. But yesterday was great! I met two men from Germany who were RVing across the state, I met a retired Army ranger who gave Dan some tips on moose hunting, and I talked to three little girls in the river about how beavers make lakes. We were part of our own impromptu community, and the friendly outdoor spirit was thick.

How can you tell when a group of strangers are truly good people? They share their blueberry patch with you!

I hiked until my legs fell off, and then I collapsed in Blueberry Heaven. Dan sacrificed his binoculars case for our loot (we were unprepared, not expecting Blueberry Heaven), and we picked berries in the sunshine with our wilderness neighbors until our fingers were too blue to recognize. Then we went home and made pie. Mmmmm. Pie.

Aside from making you hungry and upset that the weekend is over, I think my moral here is that it doesn’t take a city grid to create communities. We’re united by the way we treat one another – as neighbors, friends, and family – even when our only thing in common is a particular afternoon in the berry patch.    

Thoughts?