Saturday
Day 3: Excursion adventure #1. Alyeska Resort for skiing and snowshoeing was where we were headed. Maria, Elisa and I were all about the Alaskan cross-country skiing experience. We thought we could handle that, yet we were wrong. It started with gorgeous views of the woods, mountains, and amazingly clear blue sky. We got going and were enjoying the peacefulness of the trail. After a while, we went up and down a few hills. Soon, we encountered some pretty steep hills. Our legs burning after making it up a few hills. Then we skied down a pretty steep hill. Maria wiped out first, followed by Elisa. I slid down the hill to avoid skiing over Maria.
After skiing, we headed to meet with the others who were snowshoeing or down-hill skiing. We rode up the tram, which was loaded with about 50 people and brought us up to the mountain to a restaurant that was sitting right on top. Andrea had told us about a special drink they served, called The Fizz, that we had to try and get a free sticker out of it! Turns out it was disgusting, but the views from the top of the mountain were beyond stunning. Seeing the mountains has been a surreal experience.
Once we left Alyeska, we took the scenic highway back to Anchorage. We were able to stop and fill up our water bottles with some glacier water that came from the side of the mountain. We regrouped and ate dinner when we got back, then headed to bed exhausted from an exciting day!
Sunday
Day 4: Excursion day #2. We started the day with an early spiritual gathering with the group. Robbie led us in a Lexio Divina, which is Latin for a divine reading. She helped us reflect on our nursing practice and reminders of why we do what we do. After this we headed to Seward on the scenic highway with great views of the mountains. We saw some more moose, a few sheep, and soaked in the picturesque scenes with Ed Sheeran playing the whole 2 ½ hour drive.
Once we arrived in Seward, we immediately got out of the car and ran to see more mountains. They were lining the shore of Resurrection Bay – it looked like it was straight out of a post card. We went through the Aquatic Center, then walked up the tiny main street to find a place to eat. We found a local restaurant and I had to try to homemade seafood chowder, and it was delicious.
We walked along the shore after lunch. A few of us met some locals, breathed the fresh Alaskan air, found a dead jelly fish on the shore and even saw a humpback whale! This scenery has been my favorite part of the trip.
Day 3: Excursion adventure #1. Alyeska Resort for skiing and snowshoeing was where we were headed. Maria, Elisa and I were all about the Alaskan cross-country skiing experience. We thought we could handle that, yet we were wrong. It started with gorgeous views of the woods, mountains, and amazingly clear blue sky. We got going and were enjoying the peacefulness of the trail. After a while, we went up and down a few hills. Soon, we encountered some pretty steep hills. Our legs burning after making it up a few hills. Then we skied down a pretty steep hill. Maria wiped out first, followed by Elisa. I slid down the hill to avoid skiing over Maria.
After skiing, we headed to meet with the others who were snowshoeing or down-hill skiing. We rode up the tram, which was loaded with about 50 people and brought us up to the mountain to a restaurant that was sitting right on top. Andrea had told us about a special drink they served, called The Fizz, that we had to try and get a free sticker out of it! Turns out it was disgusting, but the views from the top of the mountain were beyond stunning. Seeing the mountains has been a surreal experience.
Once we left Alyeska, we took the scenic highway back to Anchorage. We were able to stop and fill up our water bottles with some glacier water that came from the side of the mountain. We regrouped and ate dinner when we got back, then headed to bed exhausted from an exciting day!
Sunday
Day 4: Excursion day #2. We started the day with an early spiritual gathering with the group. Robbie led us in a Lexio Divina, which is Latin for a divine reading. She helped us reflect on our nursing practice and reminders of why we do what we do. After this we headed to Seward on the scenic highway with great views of the mountains. We saw some more moose, a few sheep, and soaked in the picturesque scenes with Ed Sheeran playing the whole 2 ½ hour drive.
Once we arrived in Seward, we immediately got out of the car and ran to see more mountains. They were lining the shore of Resurrection Bay – it looked like it was straight out of a post card. We went through the Aquatic Center, then walked up the tiny main street to find a place to eat. We found a local restaurant and I had to try to homemade seafood chowder, and it was delicious.
We walked along the shore after lunch. A few of us met some locals, breathed the fresh Alaskan air, found a dead jelly fish on the shore and even saw a humpback whale! This scenery has been my favorite part of the trip.