Solo Adventure

It always intrigued me why in the 50 states of the USA why the biggest is the most forgotten. The vastness of Alaska is simply unimaginable…which is what made it so intriguing.  So, when I found some free time in November 2023, I thought what better time to check out the largest city in the largest state in the US. Anchorage. 

My first Solo Trip

Leading up to this decision, I had been craving something that would break me out of my normal routine. I wanted to feel a sense of the unknown. Something to push me out of my comfort zone. . Which led me to make the decision to go…alone. On every other vacation, I have gone with my family or friends, there’s a sense of security knowing that you will be with people you are comfortable with. Although you may be going to a foreign place, you have a piece of familiarity with you at all times. What I was seeking was a way to eliminate every comfortable thing about taking a trip. I booked an air bnb that was essentially a co-living space with the owner of the property in Anchorage. I also had a tour booked to check out the wildlife reservation about 45 min away from the city center. These are essentially the only two things I planned going into this trip. 

Fear

Leading up to this trip I thought about staying home no less than 100 times. When I told people I was going to Alaska alone they thought something might be seriously wrong. Needless to say I was nervous as hell. 

I was going to an extremely remote destination. At the start of Winter. With almost no other tourists. By myself. I wasn’t nervous… I was terrified. The night before the trip was filled with anxiety. As my roommates got ready to go to work, I got ready to fly 1,000 miles away. I was all packed up and told myself that I needed to decide if what I was feeling was a bad sign, or my own head. To ease my mind a little, remember that air bnb that I told you about in the last paragraph? I got so nervous to stay with a stranger by myself, that I canceled it and spent more money on a hotel at the last minute. After that panic, it was lights out and I was leaving at 3am for my connection to Denver. 

Layover

I used to live in Denver so my connection that morning was routine. Unfortunately, there’s only 1 flight to Anchorage from Denver and it takes off at 6pm. Which meant that I had 9 hours to kill in Denver first. 

What surprised me about the first leg of my trip was how much anxiety I was filled with the entire day. I was in a place where I was extremely comfortable and I couldn’t relax for 5 seconds! The anxiety was crippling me. To the point where I thought of maybe calling up my friends and staying in Denver that weekend. These feelings are things I had never felt in my entire life. Second guessing myself constantly. Why are you here? Why didn’t you just keep working? Who does this sort of thing? You. Might. Die! 

I ate at my old favorite restaurants, but the food didn’t taste the same. I was too anxious to enjoy it. After forcing food down my throat I sat at a booth inside the Denver Train Station and tried my best to calm myself down. At this moment I had to get control of my emotions. I knew that in the back of my head, I would not regret going all the way to Alaska. But right now, it might as well have been the moon. It felt like millions of miles away from my home and the people I knew. As I sat in that booth, I realized I hadn’t felt this way before because I had been too scared to take risks like this in the past. At that moment I said to myself, we’re doing this and it’s going to be fine. Then I packed up and headed right back to the airport. 

Final Leg

The flight to Anchorage is when I truly realized what I was getting myself into. As I boarded the plane, there was an older gentleman sitting next to me who seemed to be in the mood for conversation. He asked me why I was traveling to Anchorage and I said “Just visiting”. A wide-eyed look appeared across his face. “What?” he said. “Tourist season is over, why are you visiting Alaska in the Winter?”. My stomach dropped. Even this guy, who told me he lived in Anchorage for 20 years, was questioning my decision. At that moment I genuinely felt like running off the plane. But then he grabbed my attention again and said, “let me give you some tips on where to go.” My savior. He then proceeded to give me a great list of restaurants to check out, cool things to do in the city, and he even gave me a heads up on what the dangerous parts of the city are. This interaction seemed to ease my stress a little. The flight was about 6 hours and as we landed the anxiety picked up again. 

I’m here. Now What?

It was about midnight when I landed in Anchorage and I was just looking forward to spending the night in bed. My Uber driver was an interesting character and I frankly didn’t have the energy for personal connection at that point. He dropped me off in front of a small, dimly lit motel and I walked inside. There was only one person at the front desk and she showed me to my room on the second level. The place was nothing to write home about but when I got to that bed, a huge sigh of relief poured out of me. 

The realization of where I was did not even register with me until the morning after. I woke up at around 6am and realized something immediately. The sun doesn’t rise in Alaska, in the Winter, until 10:30 AM! Since I was so uncomfortable to begin with, there was no way I was going out into a new city in complete darkness! This led to 4.5 hours of anxiety-filled waiting to see what was on the other side of that darkness. I picked a breakfast place to go to and patiently waited on my bed for the sun to rise. It didn’t disappoint. 

Alaska is Quiet… Especially in the Winter

My window pointed out to a beautiful Alaska sunrise. At night it was impossible to notice, but a giant mountain range hovered over the city. As I left the Hotel, I began walking through a quiet and empty city. Anchorage gets busy in the summer but I had decided to go during the down time. This made for an interesting morning as I strolled through streets that were silent. I had heard from my Uber driver that the city can be pretty dangerous which was surprising as I hadn’t read this in any of my research. This only added to my concern as I truly realized how remote this city was. Coming from Chicago, it was hard to find a moment of silence at any time of the day. Here, I’m walking around in the middle of the day on a Thursday and it’s dead.

I walked into a breakfast place that was highly regarded online and grabbed a table for 1. It quickly occurred to me that I am not used to eating alone. While nobody gave me any weird looks, I felt like it was awkward to be dining by myself. As one does, I reached for my phone as a way to escape the loneliness. Looking at the same social media I see everyday, I had a thought… “This isn’t why I’m here!” “I could just do this at home”. I therefore made another promise to myself. NO. MORE. PHONE. (Pictures excluded). I then sat there in silence the rest of the meal. It was awesome. 

Anchorage

There’s a few things I learned about Anchorage on this trip. The first was that if you want to experience the real Anchorage, go in the Winter. This place clearly doubles in population during the summer and it’s hard to find even a squirrel in the winter. This is what makes it so great. It’s like having an entire city to yourself. 

The downside to this is that there is a good sized unhoused population that seemed to roam around the streets more often since the city was empty. I found myself avoiding certain blocks due to homeless communities. It is a place you will want to be careful walking by yourself. 

The upside to this is that all the stores are open in the city but you’re the only one inside. I had some of the most unique experiences with shop owners and local Anchorage residents because I was the only one crazy enough to visit Anchorage in the Winter! I stopped by a store right on the corner of the two streets where the famous dog sled race “The Iditarod” starts. The woman inside could not have been kinder and she even gave me a history lesson on the race. I learned so much about Alaskan culture just having a conversation with her! At the end, she even gave me a discount on some gifts to bring back home. Then, she pointed me in the direction of a store she said I “must” check out. 

As I went to open the door to this storefront, something surprised me. It was locked! Did I go to the wrong place? I swear this was the place she pointed to from the previous store. When I went to turn around I heard a loud “Buzz”. Was Somebody was buzzing me into the building? I reached for the door handle again and it opened this time. I stepped inside. To my surprise, the room was filled… with Gold!

Immediately, an older gentleman who towered over me approached where I was standing. After quick conversation, I found out he was the owner of the store and I was the only customer he had all day. This meant I got the VIP treatment. He showed me the biggest gold nuggets I’d ever seen in my life! Chunks of gold worth over $100,000 and he was putting these in my hands! I had to focus all my concentration on not dropping such a valuable piece. As he showed me around the store, he pulled out all of his most unique items. He even let me hold an axe made out of a walrus’s penis… I ended up spending hours inside of this store and exchanging stories with one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. This was the benefit of coming in the off season. All the attention is on you. He then pointed me in the direction of a lunch place in which they sold a filet mignon burger for $15. One of the best burgers i’ve ever had. That experience made the entire trip worthwhile and my anxiety quickly disappeared.   

After my experience with the local store owners, I was recommended (again by a local) to check out the Anchorage Museum. The museum was filled with cultural stories and artifacts about Alaska and how the natives still live to this day. 

I decided to end my trip after that as a snowstorm was rolling in that night and didn’t want to get stuck in Alaska for a few days. I grabbed a few souvenirs on the way to the airport and caught the night flight back to Denver.  

The Spirit of People Goes Easily Unrecognized
I didn’t know what I was going to learn on this trip or what unpredictable situations I might get myself into. The interesting thing is that almost nothing unpredictable happened…except for one thing. I came into this trip predicting that I would have to prove my independence and show that I can handle situations on my own. At 23, this was the first time I had truly been…alone. But, the most unpredictable thing that happened was how friendly people truly were. I was anything but alone. I was brought in by strangers and welcomed as a curious traveler. They showed me their homes and invited me into their lives. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I may have never had these experiences if I spent the entire time talking to my friends or family. Instead, I was alone and others took it upon themselves to become friends of mine. Going to Alaska in the middle of winter showed me the true kindness in humanity. In a city like Chicago, I pass by hundreds of people a day and I never stop to think about their lives or their personal stories. To this day, I try harder to understand others and treat them with curiosity and friendliness that I was treated with in Anchorage. Because in everyday life, The Spirit of People Goes Easily Unrecognized.