They say, of course, that a picture is worth a thousand words. And, gosh darn it, I came home from this adventure with 1,564 photos.

It’s funny what turned out to really be valuable on my trip. After all the planning and training and classes, the single thing that was the biggest help was something I learned in rock climbing.

Dateline: Bellingham
The one thing I had convinced myself not to be disappointed about was not seeing the Aurora Borealis.

Yep, that’s me – fully decked out in rain gear, life vest, rubber gloves and boots, and a bunch of warm layers – and having a blast!

“Holy Cow!” has turned into “Holy Shit!”

In the rush to get ready to drive, I haven’t had a chance to tell you about all the fun stuff I’ve been doing in my battle against being the weakest link.

Hey, listen up all of you who told me what a long, difficult drive this would be, how awful the road conditions on the Alaska-Canada Highway are.

Dateline: Fairbanks
There is so much I haven’t told you yet! There is so much more I wanted write about before I headed into the Refuge.

I know it’s bad grammar, but “Me and Daisy” just sounds right. It is much more enthusiastic and communicates the excitement much better than the staid and responsible “Daisy and I.” This decision is absolutely not staid and responsible.

Remember the bullet proof game plan for buying my gear? How I was going to enter REI calmly, with laser-like focus, and exit with a full complement of equipment? Didn’t happen.