Alaska Is...

       a film reel stuck on fast-forward, always moving, always playing., even if the theater is dark and empty. It plays on for no one and everyone, offering its message and artistry quietly and simply. It is not rated; there is no charge and no tickets. It is a series of scenes and images, flashing one after another, in no particular order and yet sequenced in such a way that makes perfect sense. After a while, they overlap and run together into a long blur of color and sound, a blur that flows into every pore of your soul. Certain vivid moments blaze alone in a quick succession: the midnight sun, setting over the cheering crowds at the 25th anniversary sun run; a lone wolf, raising its head in a mournful howl; the white brightness and majesty of Denali; the stillness of the morning air and the freshness of the breeze. If one turns away for a brief instant, precious moments are missed—a sound, a taste, a feeling. It is our job, as visitors, to sit in the dark theater of Alaska with our eyes and ears wide open. Listen. Look. Feel.

Final Reflections