Episode 13 : Pairing

The host of the AlaskaDub Chronicles talks about his experiences in Alaska during the early 90s. He describes the influx of people in Juneau, including attractive women from Kirkwood. He also talks about the laid-back and non-judgmental atmosphere in Juneau, where people are valued for their personalities and experiences. He mentions the mix of hard work and adventure-seeking among his friends, as well as some trust fund kids who joined their group. He recalls the special time and unique relationships formed during that period. He briefly mentions his own romantic encounters with a handsome Alaskan native artist. Welcome back for episode 13 of the AlaskaDub Chronicles. I'm your host AlaskaDub. I had warned you that these chronicles might have a non-linear nature to them. I realized that the furthest point in the narrative I'd gotten to was somewhere in the cold wet fall rains driving away my road tripping bro from Kansas. And then now I'm talking about the influx of people that you will find in Juneau. So I jumped all the way back to the spring. My description being drawing on experience subsequently gained. But technically I am telling you what happened before we even arrived mid-summer. In my heart I want to believe it's still the same way but back then I said the early 90s early the beginning of the 90s in my mid-20s as were most my friends maybe a little I was always a little bit older than the crowd I ran with it I don't know maybe it made me feel younger or seem more mature but usually not no maybe it made me feel younger but I definitely didn't act more mature sometimes I was the least it was it was great scenes for the the mating the pairing these the whole selection process a lot of it also the observer qualities that I experienced at this time it came from maybe came from being a little older and I don't know I was I was I was lovable but not like the bustful busted after at least I never got that vibe but you know I was I was looking pretty freaky I quick cut my hair before I got to Alaska I can't remember my last mullet cut that was probably probably still while I was enrolled in DeVry so pre road trip and so something else to remember from this point forward for quite a while is I I didn't cut my hair again tiny tiny little bit of split ends as time went on for like the next 13 years so I went from the mullet to being grown out and and completely grown up to where at the end I well not quite at the end but I just took a nice thick healthy braid that the tip tapered down and touched my belt so yeah I was a hippie hippie looking freak in overalls as my as all my Missouri overalls wore out I replaced them with Carhartt's dead stuff and like faded out the classic Carhartt brown at the black some black jeans and black overalls and of course the rubber boots got picked up the extra tufts right off the bat Juno essential that in a good brain jacket yeah that's like first week purchases aside from our first week I was just blessed with the sunshine I think it was record-setting I think it set a record it broke records and held the record for something like 20 years but that just could be making stuff up so that when not in the extra tufts I had my big chunky from Colorado childhood inspired big old like five pound each it seems like hiking boots like that waxed leather with a thick vibram and I found wearing those I put probably just some slippers some flip-flops to let the let the feet breathe probably by then like sports sandals that started coming out like Tevas what like sandals you could actually boulder hop that was sort of an important thing to have because there's a whole spectrum of enjoying nature from I guess the RV car camping into thing to alpinism I had lightweight alpinism you know rock climbing sleeping on a like like a portal edge on the side wide range and so I would say I feel about the middle didn't I'm putting in some effort and you know some strenuous effort for you know for a few hours even to reach a spot that was you know so remote you've got complete privacy you don't have to go hours to get that nor a scenic view which was you know also a great basically a requirement because why not see you and just everything needs to chill and I can set up and and it is completely relaxing and you know keep it keep your sight tidy whether it's you know for an afternoon or for a week seldom have that luxury but yeah overnight overnight camps of you know use jungle hammock for until that blew out eventually ripped I think I strung it too tight and need a little slack when you hang a hammock remember that gasp I'm going so off track because I wanted to talk about couples couples my first couple summers a lot of a lot of these early days kind of run together so I may be talking about I'm if my summers are twisted together you know please forgive me but I want to say it was this first summer and they arrived about the time we did but there was there's at least four at least four ladies from Kirkwood which is it's it's up by Anchorage outside of Anchorage for the Alaska resort so sort of a ski resort funky hippie mountain town so like the pure mountain sort of correspondent to Junos marine and coastal sort of hippie funky vibe but I think everyone I've met from Kirkwood has been awesome so it's amazing I have not been there myself one thing in the retelling of these stories is I'm starting to build my little Alaska itinerary well and also down south itinerary for for things to visit or revisit but these ladies just sort of hit like a bomb all four were very attractive and each in their own way the dudes of this town just completely fell head-over-heels with them yeah myself included you know but like in all these stories I'm just sort of I'm just sort of on the sidelines and watching all this and and like that some of it had to be had to do with working the front desk so I was on the clock while a lot of this socializing was happening so I can see it happening but like it was very peripheral to it because I need to get on my I need to make some money you know so I was working while they were playing and that and that is a continuing theme as well so so yeah this uh hillbilly lurker in the corner the biggest fly on the wall but yeah so just a lot of mingling of these crowds the hip Juneau crowd the hip curd would crowd the hip crowds from from Oregon Washington there's a lot of Vermont and other East Coast folks it Colorado Texas though those are just the ones that popped to mind immediately but yeah yeah just the travelers which tend to be you know under 30 and the good thing about Juneau is it I hope it's still this way it's really your who you are that was that you were judged as harsh but that was a quality that mattered because there was people like any social group you're going to have like the most attractive you know attractive in the broadest sense not just the most pretty or built built well specimen the most just in overall qualities and the things you were judged on were humor kindness experience storytelling you know you're short of these joy of life just some people you just I was in a very cool charismatic bunch besides being a huggy bunch man just it was people as people who had experiences who were unafraid who and who had dreams and and we're working hard working hard and also like living cheap to to to reach these dreams trips to Nepal or whitewater rafting somewhere or whitewater kayaking and just these big adventures that cost money and if you're living a free lifestyle it's not like you're a lawyer or a dentist who's got you know whose day job provides you know this comfortable fund now some folks some of these we much less my group I'm using air quotes my group but there are some folks who you know that we called them trust a fire in trust fund kids who took on some of them like everything I've said since episode one these are generalities and my my opinion so you know there's there's always going to be a case to dispute the opinion I throw out there were some legit folks that happened to come from wealthy families and would never have to worry about doing without you know I think some of them may have taken that independent stand like no you know keep your money I'm gonna do my thing my way I'm not here to disparage anybody so I won't I think I was just bringing it up to emphasize that the folks I was running with were legitimate and we had we had like this work ethic in common a lot of them but work ethic yet also craving this adventure and freedom so it it resulted in having like multiple seasonal jobs at once and then having half the year to fuck off and do what you wanted to do so it was that weird mix of busting your hump and then totally well even even your relaxation could involve massive exertion of energy so these ladies from Kirkwood hit everybody fell in love with them and you know some folks are I believe some folks are still paired and and some some of these folks are still in town but not necessarily the paired ones but it was a special time and and seeing people respond to who a person really is was unique it was very much so than the sort of the prejudiced attitudes I was I was exposed to you know in my youth and then sort of more materialistic views you know like living in big city and with people people putting up with so much crap just to earn more you know just to earn that money later which you know I'm just understandable I could be I could be doing this podcast from my from my yacht so while watching all this coupling from work or the beach I was relaxing I was there was also some romance afoot in my housing so one of the roommates I haven't described because objectively sounds almost like a character from a romance novel so I didn't think it would be believable handsome young Alaskan native artist who was so personable and accomplished that during the summer to add a add a sort of extra value to the Alaska Marine highway system they in a invite various artists and naturalists to be a recurring part of cruise the cruises but the ferry which aside from moving passengers and and and vehicles also you know you know transport some essentials to smaller communities you know it's some sometimes it's the only access to the small community but the artist on board is a very privileged prestigious invitation and so that summer he actually was the artist on board so basically basically this dude is like the ultimate stud you know Alaskan summer stud this guy you know maybe maybe if you're a handsome young floatplane pilot or something or the glacier tour guide you might be in that that tier that top ultimate's a bit much I would say top tier at least so and nice nice guy and soft soft-spoken and you know intelligent articulate as you would imagine all the good things you can imagine about a top tier apex of the apex predator having one of our roommates and and I started to describe sort of the communal style of this boarding house you have the privacy of your own bedrooms bathrooms you know I think there's one on each one on either floor and then we would have communal meals and at one of these communal meals well at a few of them is it distracted young lady started and this was a new friend of the artists and she was well I'm going to start telling you about her and things that followed when we resume next episode so until then be good folks