It wasn’t long after arriving in Seward that I wanted to explore more of Alaska. I also needed some backpacking gear so I decided to make a trip of it and head for the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Soldotna, a city significantly bigger than Seward about 90 minutes to the Northwest. I first got picked up by a young guy named Solomon who took me 15 miles or so; I had never met a Solomon before. Shortly after that I got another “micro ride” to Moose Pass, a small community about 30 miles north of Seward. I actually saw a moose there too, a young calf (of course I had already seen about a dozen moose by this point, but I always enjoy seeing them). I was able to secure another micro ride to the “Y” (ie Sterling exchange) with another hitchhiker. The Y is where the Sterling highway and the Seward highway meet, heading North will lead to Anchorage, South to Seward, and West to Soldotna, Kenai, Homer, and some other small communities.
I walked down the road a little ways and then stopped in the forest to relieve myself. I didn’t include that detail for no reason though, because when I was in the forest I found a bag full of syringes; weird find. The package said that that they were for insulin, but who knows. I wondered if it had any significance to me as a future chemical dependency counselor; I have thought of working specifically with inner city heroin addicts in particular. It also caught my eye when I learned that the son of the guy who picked me up next was a recovering heroin/opiate addict.
The guy who picked me up was probably in his 50s or so and was coming back from Seward and heading to Soldotna (finally a long ride). He works with heavy machinery in Soldotna but has a fishing boat in Seward that he uses on the weekends. We had a good conversation about the outdoors, Alaska, and such. After taking me all the way to Soldotna he took me to his house and gave me two of his old fishing poles with reels and a few packets of smoked salmon! I also got to meet his son. I was blown away by his generosity and wanted to pray a blessing over his house. I had learned earlier that his finger was hurting him because he snagged it with a big fishing hook, so I prayed for his finger too and he said it didn’t hurt anymore! He said that sometime when he was in Seward he could take me out on his boat (which unfortunately never happened because his hours got changed and my hours got changed ).
After this cool encounter, I went to Sportsmen and spent some of my hard earned cash and started back towards Seward. I set up next to Fred Meyers and soon got a ride by a quirky Alaska Native (not Native American, but born and raised in Alaska; it seems a majority of the people I had met up to that point were immigrants to Alaska). She started out by offering me some weed (I think my Rasta colored beanie is like a beacon to get picked up by stoners lol) and then asking if I cared if she smoked while driving; I wasn’t too concerned. After that she ranted a bit about rich people moving to Alaska and buying land to build fancy houses on (I’m from Montana so I can relate). This turned out to be another micro ride, but beggars can’t be choosers; I gave her a piece of my smoked salmon and prayed a blessing over her and we parted ways.
I had to walk a bit in the rain, but I had rain gear, so it wasn’t a big thing. Teachable moment: it rains a lot in Alaska, get rain gear if you plan on going. As I was walking I saw a truck pulling a trailer that said “Yoder Construction” on it. This tripped me out because last summer I picked up a Hutterite guy in Montana, who had a construction company called “Yoder Builders”; small world. After a bit more walking, I got another micro ride into Sterline, a small town about 20 miles East of Soldotna. In Sterling, I stopped at a gas station to get a couple snacks with my few remaining dollars. Trying to get through the gas station door with my back and two fish poles provided quite an exhibit, so much so that another customer quipped “only in Alaska”.
Back out in the rain. I don’t mind walking and hitching as much as just standing there; but it’s a good opportunity to learn patience anyway. After about 45 minutes I got picked up by a guy in his mid to late twenties. He was a military vet from Louisiana who was going through some stuff at the time. He shared some disturbing anecdotes of his time in Afghanistan. Other than that, we had quite a good talk about military, spirituality, drugs, tattoos, etc; I enjoyed his company quite a bit and found in informative to hear about his life and experiences. I gave him one of my new fishing poles and we parted ways at the Sterling exchange.
At the exchange I thought I had a ride right off the bat, but I was mistaken. I saw a car full of Asians slowing down and pulling over and I thought “No way, they don’t have much room and Asians never pick me up” (stereotyping again lol). I walked up to the passenger window to talk to them and a guy rolled it down to take a picture of Tern Lake. He then looked at me and chuckled uncomfortably like “why are you walking up to my car you strange American?” So, I trekked on and on. It was getting late, so I was considering camping, but I lacked food and I was supposed to leave early the next morning for a boat tour of Northwestern Glacier. Nonetheless, I stopped several times to try to set up camp in a non-committal fashion. Unfortunately I was unfamiliar with my tent and forgot mosquito spray, so every time I walked in the woods to set up my tent I was swarmed by mosquitoes before I could figure it out. The only thing I succeeded at was swearing like a sailor. I don’t even swear much, but out in the woods when I can’t figure stuff out it just sort comes out. Feeling like a failure and a baby, I trudged on. I did my best to stay in a positive mood as countless people passed me up, my feet ached, and I felt stupid and incompetent. I remember humor helped a lot at dispelling my mood. I said stupid things to myself like “Hey, Bear Grylls, you’re quite the outdoorsman, can’t even set up a tent”. At this point I was more satirizing myself than feeling ashamed. I would also address the cars as they passed by “thanks so much for the ride bro, I really appreciate it.” It sounds incredibly stupid to me now, as these “jokes” aren’t even the least bit subtle but it was therapeutic in the moment. I probably was one of those crazy homeless guys talking to himself as he walks down the street.
It was nearing dark , probably 11:30 pm or so as I came to Moose Pass. I didn’t have a plan at this point, I just kept walking. To my great surprise, I actually got picked up! A middle aged woman from Oregon picked me up. She works at a fishing charter company in Seward and likes photography, which gave us something to talk about. She also shared with me how she had suffered a traumatic brain injury some years before. I asked if I could pray for her and she said yes. Afterwards, she was telling me how she felt like she was supposed to pick me up. Whoa! She dropped me off at the bunkhouse in Seward and I went to sleep (or tried to because Mad Jack, the cab driver with golden ducks all over his van, was probably talking on the phone next door with his 200 decibel voice as he did most nights).
Pilgrim's Map 