Amie Just: Reflections on my Alaskan Adventure, reaching all 50 states before my 30th birthday (2024)

JUNEAU, Alaska — I stood in disbelief.

On Voyager's bow, I watched humpback whale after humpback whale surface in Auke Bay. There was Flame, a world-famous super-mom challenging previous scientific beliefs with the five calves she’s had since 2019. There was Kelp. And Juneauite. And Tucker. And two calves. And several whales who were too far off in the distance to identify.

All told, Captain Joe estimated that we saw 10-12 whales that afternoon — a rarity that we should feel fortunate about.

Before we boarded the vessel, I didn’t know what to expect. But it wasn’t that. I would have been happy to see one whale. But double-digits? Phew.

A few years ago, I realized that I was painfully close to having visited all 50 states. In 2022, all I had left were Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Alaska. So, I decided I’d prioritize getting to all 50 by my 30th birthday.

With my Alaska Adventure, I crossed the 50th off the list a few months ahead of my milestone birthday. I went to New England last year after the Lincoln Marathon and was in Wisconsin last fall for football.

Was it worth it? Oh, absolutely. But I was lucky at just about every turn of my trip which made it all the more special.

DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE

Four days in Denali National Park and Preserve. Thirty miles of hiking with nearly 8,000 feet of elevation gain. Eight moose sightings, all from a safe distance. Several caribou sightings, only one from an unsafe distance. At least eight Dall sheep sightings. A run-in with a woman from Adams. No bear encounters.

As a national parks junkie — my next goal is to get to all 63 before my 63rd birthday — Denali National Park and Preserve was incredible.

Of the 30 miles of hiking I did in the park, my favorite had to be the off-trail hike I did with my mom in the riverbed of the Toklat. I was in awe of everything around us, the colorful rocks lining the riverbed, the towering mountains of the Alaska Range that stood in front of us, and the grazing caribou that we may have gotten a little too close to.

In the hours I spent on trail, I only dealt with adverse weather conditions once: when I was hiking along the Savage River when Mother Nature decided to open up the heavens and unleash some pea-sized hail for several minutes. Not ideal, but that’s why you pack layers.

My favorite photo I took while in the park? A wide-angle shot of the Nenana River also showed a baby moose coming out of the water.

While I enjoyed my time in the park, I can't wait for the rest of the park opens back up. There’s just one road that stretches through the vast Denali National Park and Preserve, and only the first 43 miles of it are accessible right now because a climate-change-induced landslide washed out part of the road around the 45th mile.

The road is expected to reopen in 2026 after a bridge is constructed and then the remaining 46 miles of road will be able to be traversed again. I’ll be back.

DENALI STATE PARK

Not to be confused with that national park, Denali State Park is south of the national park and boasts some of the best views of Denali (since the interior road to the national park is closed).

You have to be incredibly fortunate to get an unobstructed view of the tallest peak in North America because of the persistent cloud cover. They say only 30% of people who visit the area every year get a glimpse of Denali because of it.

And who was among that exclusive group this year? Yours truly.

Actually, I was fortunate enough to see it thrice — once when I drove down to one of the viewpoints to journal in the morning, again a few days later when I was walking along the Susitna River in Talkeetna and again at my lodging accommodations near Trapper Creek.

The pictures don’t do it justice. The way it stands, imposingly, so far above the surrounding peaks is jaw-dropping. At my lodging accommodations that night, I lost track of how long I just stared at it.

GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE

Going into the trip, this is what I had circled and highlighted on my itinerary as the thing I looked forward to the most.

Getting to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is tricky. It’s remote. No roads lead to it. You have to access the park by plane or cruise ship, and we chose the latter.

Even though I was under the weather, I bundled up in layers and a blanket and sat on our balcony for hours — listening to the Park Ranger’s commentary as we sailed through Glacier Bay.

Imagining that this massive body of water was covered in glaciers as recently as 1780 was mindblowing. Seeing Margerie Glacier — a glacier that’s 21 miles long and changes every day — was incredibly powerful. Honestly, there are few words to describe its awe-inspiring beauty.

We were also supposed to see the Lamplugh Glacier, but someone on board had a medical emergency, so we had to rush back to Bartlett Cove so they could be transported to a medical facility.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Taking the train from Denali National Park to Talkeetna was a must. Wish we could have been on it longer, say from Fairbanks to Anchorage, but there’s always next time. Meeting Aurora, the cat mayor of Talkeetna, was a fun few minutes. (I’m a cat person, don’t judge me.)

Seeing the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau before our whale-watching expedition was fantastic. Walking along the gorgeous coast from the cruise ship dock in Icy Strait Point to Hoonah was memorable. Sea kayaking in Ketchikan was windy and difficult but incredible.

GENERAL TAKEAWAYS

When I think back on this trip – a bucket-list adventure for the ages — I’ll remember all the hiking, all the wildlife and the memories I made with my mom, of course.

But there’s a sentiment that a 79-year-old man shared with me at the food court in Denali National Park that’ll stick with me, too.

You see, he wanted to get to all 50 states. And he did. Right before his 80th birthday.

There was beauty in that, the two of us, 50 years apart in age, celebrating the same milestone accomplishment at the same place on the same day. The joy we both shared at learning about each other’s achieved goals was special.

Take the trip. Do the things you want to do instead of saying you’ll do it and never get around to it. Life goes by fast. You don’t want to wake up one day and realize you never did the things you wanted to.

I can’t wait to get back there.