A few weeks ago I shared a letter about how well I eat in Alaska — but I am surely not alone. Every fish, flower, fowl and four-legged furball upon this great land joins me in getting to partake of the glorious, dynamic and ever-giving menu that this place regularly offers up.
The presence of Alaska's dynamic cast of fauna is woven into the fabric of each day. Whereas, I grew up in Miami around scurrying little lizards and the mosquitoes of the tropics, the creatures of Alaska show up with a different kind of grandeur. You could, for instance, be sitting down for dinner, and suddenly see the massive, hulking shape of a mama moose just feet outside your home, with a pair of its newborn calves trailing by her side, with mama moose having no shame in nursing her young right there on your lawn, as if they, too, have come to join your family to dine. "You're basically living on a moose pasture," my father-in-law Walt always said.
Or like on July 4th this year, when we had just wrapped up a meal of grilled sockeye and were sitting around the living room talking. When suddenly one of our guests signaled toward the sliding glass window (which was thankfully closed!), where a black bear stood on the other side of the grill, staring at us with what appeared to be as much shock and awe as we stared at it. Black bears are not uncommon in Alaska — in fact, they are the most populous species of bear in North America — but the visit from this black bear was nonetheless a thrill, a close encounter with wildlife in the shared habitat of our backyard. My husband Arron (WAC co-founder + president) shooed the bear away with his in-born Alaskan confidence, as our four-year-old son marveled by my side, giddy with nerves. My own mama bear instinct inevitably kicked in, and though the door was closed, I made sure my littles stayed right where they were.
Or when you get lucky enough to stroll through the tide pools left on the shores of Kachemak Bay after an especially low tide, which leaves behind entire sagas of maritime moments, vignettes of creatures in transit, relocated, re-casted, re-rooted into a new chapter of time. Knowing that in those very waters swims the salmon who itself etches stories into the wake of its journey. Feeding eagles, bears, whales and humans alike — lending its life to the cause of this collective nourishment.
So, thank you, fauna of Alaska. For sharing your home with us. For showing us what it means to truly live wild.
Speaking of living wild, the WAC team is currently in Alaska for a wild gathering in the North, so we won’t be providing phone or chat support while we are away — through the end of Sunday, August 11. We are responding to emails, though our response times will be longer than usual. The best way to get in touch with us is to visit our Contact Page. Also, make sure to check out our Help Center, where you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions. We thank you all for your patience.
Live Wild!
Monica
Pictured above: Clockwise from top left: A moose in the yard, its pattern of fur not unlike the patterns in the grass around its body; a bald eagle perched like a sentry on the bannister of our deck; a chunky grizzly bear on the move; the otherworldly display of a beached jellyfish.
