Today was Independence Day, the day our nation remembers as the milestone of standing united, independent and alone from the rest of the world. Today was Independence Day, but for us, “independent” wasn’t our word. It was “unity.” I looked around today, three thousand miles away from where we usually spend the Fourth, and witnessed the most heart-warming togetherness that anyone could ever wish for on such a special holiday. As we traveled to Hatcher’s Pass for the second time on our trip, we’d come full circle from where we’d started; we were in the same place, but our perspective was totally changed. I saw people sticking together in little groups, occasionally putting their heads together for pictures, laughing at the littlest of things. I saw friends convincing others to try some spicy halibut, to dance in the clouds, and to jump up to perform at our very entertaining talent show. Even though we didn’t have fireworks, or barbecue, or parades, we had each other. And, in my opinion, that is the greatest holiday present I could ever imagine.
~~Erin Gilbert

What to do When You Can’t Set Off Fireworks on the Fourth of July

Fireworks are a traditional way of celebrating the fourth of July. Here in Alaska, however, the Midnight Sun prevents any really spectacular displays. So what’s a patriotic American to do? According to Daniel, a resident of Palmer, Alaska, people go camping. “Alaska doesn’t really do the fourth of July. People go and camp and that’s the fourth of July,” Daniel said. Since we were already camping, AGLP decided to have a talent show instead. The show was held in the church and included song, dance, and an excellent skit by the junior leaders and beaders. To add to the holiday mood, we had a special halibut feast, courtesy of Jill, Mike, and Matt. Mr. Rosene’s daughter, Emily, and her husband, Clint, joined us for the meal. So, although we had no fireworks, we still had fun.
~~Erin Fitzpatrick

On the subject of celebration, today we celebrated the many talents the group has. They varied from playing the violin to singing to Carrie Underwood. The talent show started with Dana, Suzy, Jen, Britta, and I dancing to a song from our recital. This was followed by another dance including Dana and I dancing to The Flight of the Bumblebee. Some of the more musical talents were Braden playing the violin, Erin Gilbert playing the piano, Jenny Slaught singing, Mitch playing Jingle Bells, and Ashley Keel singing along to Carrie Underwood. The junior leaders made up a skit with Brandon Jordan climbing Exit Glacier as Andrew Mickus runs by without breaking a sweat. All the junior leaders then break out singing Ain’t no Mountain High Enough. After almost two hours of fun the talent show ended with a great finish to a great 4th of July in Alaska.
~~Meredith Carrel

With about 48 hours of the trip left, our group started out the day with a positive attitude and a determination to make the best out of our last couple of days. Today was the Fourth of July holiday, and everyone knew that it would be different; there would be no fireworks, no grilling, and of course, we were all going to be in Alaska. Holidays are all about remembering and having fun, and no matter where we were, that’s exactly what we were going to do. Even though everyone has his or her traditions for this holiday, we had some equally special moments celebrating it here. We got to dance in the clouds at Hatcher Pass, eat some scrumptious Halibut for dinner, and show off some of our skills at the talent show. What more could someone ask for? Absolutely nothing.
~~Gabriela Fratta

Today we ended up going to Hatcher’s Pass.  When we went earlier in the trip, a group of participants hiked a trail and discovered that it led up to a lake.  Today I decided to hike up there with them.  Andrew Johnson, Kory Pehrson, Mitch Sayers, Matt Bowers, and Cody Boughton started hiking before Elizabeth Damron, Taylor Dickerson, Ashley Metzgar and I were ready, so we girls started hiking up after them.  After slipping in the water while trying to cross the river, Taylor decided to head back.  The rest of us kept hiking.  Eventually the trail got steeper and we could hear the boys ahead of us.  Before long we got to the lake but some of the guys had already jumped in.  Ashley, Elizabeth, and I decided to wade out a little ways to see how cold it was.  It was really cold!  Some of the guys decided to all jump together so Matt, Andrew, Kory, and Cody walked to the edge of the drop off, jumped in, and jumped right back out.  After they had all dried off and we got our shoes back on, we began our descent.  It was slippery and we all did some slipping and sliding.  Those guys decided to make the most of their last 48 hours.  They saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and they took it.
~~Cara Cook