An nine hour drive from the Alaska coast in Seward to the interior of Alaska at Denali National Park. It is a drive I do almost weekly, a drive I have done more times than I can count and it is just another part of my job as a Guide. At the end of the day I am exhausted, especially after an early morning to set up breakfast, a mid day lunch break, arriving at night to set up camp, cook dinner and get everybody lined out for the following day of activities. At midnight I finally crawl into my sleeping bag, too tired to even be bothered with setting up a tent. Yet I still linger here at the edge of the lake and marvel at the colors of the sky as the sun dips behind the horizon for just a few hours. A full rainbow brightens the clouds behind me and touches the mountain top in the distance. The wind makes the quaking aspen dance overhead. I reflect on the conversations enjoyed with the people I have been spending the week with. People who have traveled here for a vacation that they will always remember, one that hopefully exceeded their imaginations. A journey that perhaps they have dreamed of for many years. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this journey with them and to be a part of these memories that they will cherish.
Even though as I lay in my bed knowing I need to be up in five hours to cook breakfast, and my body aches, and my head throbs I am still overwhelmingly happy that I can call this my job.