By Bob Goldnetz

Alaska: The last frontier. Although certainly not what the people in Alaska think. In a way, it is wild, jaw-droppingly awe-inspiring, and another world. But to others, it’s home. Some of the locals I met there, although extremely patriotic, felt apart from the lower 48. I found a togetherness and tight-knit community in Palmer, outside Anchorage, where I spent several months.

The people had a healthy respect for the environment, and I felt much of the comradery that comes from surviving the frigid cold and minimal hours of sunlight in the winter. I also came to appreciate that Alaskans make up for any lost time in the summer. Never before, or since, have I been asked to go fishing at 2 a.m. in daylight.

I did not realize it at the time, but Alaska was a culmination of all my previous travel nursing experiences. By no means an expert in any field, I had honed many skills that helped prepare me for the adventure of a lifetime. Over the years I became proficient in skiing, snowboarding, and backpacking on several previous assignments which gave me the confidence to explore Alaska. Networking had become second nature and making fast friends was easy with so many people looking to embark on similar endeavors.

I spent the early months of March backcountry snowboarding, trying to earn my turns in some of the most picturesque scenery imaginable. I was fortunate enough to have an old hang-gliding instructor acquaintance at Alyeska, a local ski resort, and would also meet him at the resort often. I have found many of my best memories come from knowing good people in many places. All you have to do is put yourself out there.

Once break-up (when all the ice and snow starts to melt) was over, I was out backpacking every chance I could get. I took my minimally converted Astro van out whenever I could. Normally I would get off night shift, drive somewhere, take a nap, and spend the next couple days sleeping under the stars. Again, I was fortunate enough to have some travel nurse acquaintances from a previous Oregon assignment, and I was assimilated into their friend group. It’s always responsible to explore as a pack in the great outdoors.

The highlights:

• Introduction backpacking trip with my now fiancé
• Backcountry skiing with a couple in their 60s I met on my first day out in Hatcher Pass
• Portage Canoe trip through the Kenai
• Tail Gate Alaska backcountry ski and snowboard festival
• Having a guy at work show his appreciation for a shift swap with fresh halibut, several kinds of salmon, and caribou sausage (P.S. Carl, you’re the man).
• Slalom skiing at Big Lake, with snow-capped mountains in the background
• Fire weeds in full bloom in Hatch Pass
• Bike packing Denali National Park

All in all, considering Alaska is a bucket list destination for so many people, I consider myself exceptionally lucky that the timing worked out for me to make the trip. Another thing I’ve always found amazing about travel nursing is that people wait all year to go on a vacation, or a lifetime to go on a trip, and I get to go do it at a moment’s notice: visit a place I’ve always dreamed of, work there, experience it all, then on to the next one.

In the words of Trooper, we’re here for a good time, not a long time. So have a good time.

Bob Goldnetz is an ICU travel nurse who has worked at various levels of hospitals across the country. When he’s not learning how to be a new dad or taking care of patients, you may find him backpacking, snowboarding, skiing, surfing, mountain biking, paragliding, or rock climbing.