Big Sigh...

Most people that live in Alaska enjoy winter. Most people that choose to move to Alaska are into skiing, snowboarding, hockey, snowshoeing, or some other cold weather activity. Most people see the snow starting to slowly climb down the mountains and start getting excited about steaming mugs of cocoa and the Northern Lights and all the tourists leaving.

I have never been like most people…

I hate to admit that I am not a huge fan of winter. I never learned how to ski and the last time I lived here I devoted all my time to snowboarding. And what a crap ton of wasted time that was! I hated every single, solitary minute of snowboarding and I vowed never to get on another snowboard as long as I live. I am going to try skiing this winter, but having a dozen 6-year-olds zipping by my fat ass on the bunny hill is something that I know I am not going to relish.

I joined the beginning women’s hockey league last time I lived here, but I realized that I really need to learn how to skate before I do that again. Plus, trying to get motivated to go play hockey at 10pm on a Tuesday is hard. The hockey leagues here get some pretty crappy ice times.

It’s going to take me a year or two to get used to Alaska winters again. This is the time of year I absolutely loved in DC. All the leaves bursting with color and that crisp, clean smell in the air. I drove up to Shenandoah both autumns I was in DC and it is a gorgeous time to visit. In contrast, the fifty deciduous trees in Juneau all turn yellow and then fade to brown. I think I have seen two trees that actually turned red or orange. Everything is wet, it starts to get dark earlier and earlier, and winter looms on the horizon – literally. The snow creeping down the mountains is a constant reminder that we aren’t going to see daylight for the next few months. Winter is not why I moved back to Juneau.