Alone on the Taiga

Facing Fears

The offer came: 16 days alone in a primitive cabin in the wilderness in Alaska's Wrangell Saint Elias National Park. I made the decision instantly. I had two days to gather my gear and be ready to fly out with the bush pilot. I yelled over the roar of the plane, “What are you looking for?” “You never know what might be among the flowers,” he replies. “I haven‘t been here in a bit over a year. Doubt if anyone else has either. Could be Mr. Bear lying anywhere down there, or something a bear drug in.”

In the process of landing, the plane plows a path through the flowers. While we are smashing the blooms and hearing them slap against the plane, I feel a mixture of gratitude for such a magnificent entry and guilt at disturbing such beauty.

©2019 Perrilee Pizzini (P)2021 Perrilee Pizzini