Glacier, whale, an eagle and a bear

I’ve been to 49 of the United States of America and there was one left to visit to complete the set…

Alaska.

When my friend Heather mentioned back in mid 2023 she was planning a trip with family, I filed it away with piqued possibility.

Some time later Casey and I were talking with his mom about bucket lists and “The Last Frontier” was at the top of hers.

Itineraries were bandied, the internet was consulted and an enthusiastic plan was made. Heather had already done the legwork, we just had to tap on a dotted line. Then we spent the next year racking up listicles and videos about what to pack, what to look forward to and what to avoid.

I love expeditions that hang out on the calendar in advance — it gives you something to hang your hat on — and I love hats.

As the day drew nearer I printed out a packing list and insert for these Field Notes with all the important bits and plenty of blank pages to fill in with stuff.

I hope it’s mostly good stuff.

I’m also adding a checklist for glacier, whale, an eagle and a bear.