Friday, July 19th: Into the Wilderness

by Robbie & Darius

Today’s theme of the day was “Into the Wilderness”; we certainly accomplished this. We arrived late into Denali, due to construction and weren't able to sign up for the discovery hike for today. This being the case, we had to get up early in order to sign up for the discovery hike for Sunday.

After booking the hike, we embarked on a ranger led hike down the Horse Shoe Lake Trail. We were joined by several other people and had a very interesting hike. Along the way we learned all about the plants, animals, and geology that are found in Denali. The trail is a series of inclines and declines, crosses rail tracks, runs along steep cliffs and ends at the side of Horse Shoe Lake.

After this we went to see the park’s sled dogs, learned about how important they are to the work that happens in the park, and watched a brief demo of their talents.

It is a pretty dark, dull, and wet daytime in Alaska, and so some people were exhausted and not in the mood for any more walking. So, the group split up. With half returning to the hotel and half continuing to hike up Mount Healy. The Mount Healy hike was strenuous, and those who participated were sore afterwards. Since it was a wet day the ground was also muddy and the rocks were very slippery resulting in less than ideal hiking conditions and some people falling.

The group that returned to the hotel stayed in a room and discussed many things from mystics to some topics that were very important to us as people.

Later the hiking group came home to the hotel with their stories and sweaty clothing! After showers and some down time to recuperate our energy, we headed out dinner at the Sourdough Trading Company, this restaurant is located at our hotel only a 5 minute walk from where we are staying. They offer an all you can eat salad bar, which many people had, other menu items included burgers, fish & chips, and roast chicken. All was very good and a great value for the money.

When we returned to our hotel with full stomachs we gathered in the lobby to discuss our thoughts for the day and also go over some logistics. The talk is always so calming, focusing, and centering. Tired we all went to bed, ready and eager for a new day; a day of searching.

Thursday, July 18th: A mountaintop experience

by Khalil & Evana

On the third day, our group set out on our first hike: Flat Top Mountain. The hike had been highly recommended, however we had been warned by our host youth group that it could get difficult. We found out later that our Alaskan friends were right, the mountain was a challenge for us all. Not only was the hike tough, but near the end we had a very scary and eye-opening encounter with a black bear! We will not be forgetting this experience anytime soon!

After the hike, we all piled in the van and set out for Denali National Park. That evening near out lodging in the park we ate a great dinner at a rustic Alaskan restaurant called the Salmon Bake. All in all, it was a wonderful day, and it will be hard to match.

Khalil’s thoughts:

The hike started off easy, but got harder and harder as we went. Near the top some of us were almost climbing straight up, with very steep slopes all around us! This was an uncomfortable experience for many of us, but we all pushed ourselves to the edge of our comfort zones, which is an important part of pilgrimage. As we broke through the clouds and looked out at Anchorage, the ocean, and countless beautiful mountains, I saw the magnificence and power of the spirit. Hopefully there is more enlightenment to come! I’m eager to get back out into the wilderness, and do some more hiking.

  

Evana’s thoughts J

Flat Top Mountain was an amazing experience for me. It was a lot of fun with my friends as we climbed the mountain and when we reached the top I felt very accomplished in myself. The ride to Denali was a bit long but once we got there the view was amazing.  For supper we went out to a restaurant called Salmon Bake, and I had the delicious fish and chips. I feel at the end of the day that everyone gave 100% and made me feel growth with the Spirit of God.

Wednesday, July 17th: Welcoming & Sharing

by Ela & Moira

We had an early rise at 6:15 AM Alaskan time. Due to the time change it was not the easiest to wake everyone up but we managed and made it in time for the Eucharist service at 7 AM. The service was great but the view was even better.

When the service ended we shared a breakfast with St.Mary’s congregation and we offered them a bottle of maple syrup in return for their hospitality.  After breakfast we made our first grocery shopping trip and by the end of the trip we walked out of the store with 4 carts full of groceries and a receipt as tall as Robbie.  Then we got in the van and we were off. (Below)

  Our day followed by spending our afternoon at the Alaskan Native Heritage Centre (below).

We explored many places in the museum…

Viewed some Alaskan sled dogs and their 3 week old pups (Awww)…..

Khalil and Darius explored native culture (below)

Kevin met his cousin for the first time (below)

We took a break for a snack

Ela and Evana played patty cake, and then Robbie, Moira and Evana showed off their modeling skills in moose couture…

And by the end of it we were pooped,

After our visit to the Heritage centre we made our way back to the church and met up with St. Mary’s Youth group. We had such a fun time with them and we now have some great Alaskan friends.

All in all it was a great low key day and by the end we were all ready for bed.

LEADERS OF THE DAY THOUGHTS

Ela: I still can’t believe I am in Alaska but I can say without a doubt I am having a blast. Today was pretty low key which was exactly what the group needed after all that time in the air. The Native Heritage Centre was amazing but I have to say my highlight was definitely meeting the Alaskan youth group. They were all so friendly and I can now say I have Alaskan friends. Anyways, I am ready to experience more of Alaska and I can’t wait see what tomorrow has in store for me.

Moira:  For me, today was a great day to experience the fact that we’re in a new environment. We faced some interesting situations like making a massive shopping trip that took up four shopping carts and breaking the ice with a group of people that we’d never met. In the end, both interesting situations worked out really well, and visiting the Native Heritage Centre was a fun and enriching experience.

Tuesday, July 16th: One Day Down, Ten to Go

by Khalil & Darius

 After a heartfelt blessing ceremony, our intrepid group of pilgrims set out for the airport. Their destination: Alaska. But first they had to overcome a whopping 20 hours of perilous air travel.   After a final Timmy’s run … or two … or three, they were bound for Chicago, their loving families getting farther away with every passing second. There were no tears however, since they were with each other; their pilgrimage family.
After an unavoidable hour and a half delay in Chicago, they were flying against the clock in order to make their ever closing connection period in San Francisco. The stress soon disappeared, as they watched in awe at the prairies, hills, lakes, and mountains passing below them. Our pilgrims touched down with a mere 30 minutes to their next flight (this one to Anchorage) and rushed to their connection. 

 But in an unbelievable twist of fate, their next flight was delayed! (Okay, maybe it was somewhat predictable.) When they realized that we would actually make the connection, they felt as though someone was watching out for them. They set out for Anchorage at dusk, chasing the setting sun, which they soon caught for just a few minutes before night took over. They touched down at midnight in Alaska (4 AM in Ottawa!), thankfully everyone’s luggage made it there safely, and soon the pilgrims arrived at their host church. The weary travelers finally got some much needed sleep.

Sunset over Alaska viewed from the plane.

Getting into the mind-set..

Exhausted in Anchorage.

Where we come from

Our group comes from two separate congregations in Ottawa:

• First United Church http://www.firstunitedchurchottawa.org/
• All Saints Westboro Anglican Church http://www.allsaintswestboro.com/

While this is the first time that our youth groups have combined resources to go on a pilgrimage together, youth from each congregation have traveled in past years. Here are some of their blogs:

• California 2010: http://firstj2a2010.wordpress.com/
• New Orleans, 2010: http://jeremiahproject.tumblr.com/
• Arizona 2008: http://j2ainarizona.blogspot.ca/