Recently, I visted the beautiful, fresh state of Alaska. Also known as the Last Frontier, Alaska occupies the northwestern-most tip of North America and was the 49th state to join the Union.

    It is the largest state but hardly the most populous, as we came to find out. Alaska is known for its native tribal traditions, as well as its abundance of gold and precious metals, bears, snow-capped mountains and salmon.

    While staying in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, we hiked a 3-mile loop up a mountain where we had an incredible view of the famous Mendenhall glacier. The trails were nearly flooded from the recent rains, but getting a bit muddy was definitely worth it as we navigated around the waterfalls and lakes. We even got to see a black bear catch a salmon dinner!

    Next stop was Skagway, a town with only 800 residents. The town had one school, and its graduating class had only four students. We took a train ride up to a beautiful, vast lake surrounded by pine trees and mountains. It was absolutely freezing — like winter — and we were about to go kayaking. After receiving a few simple instructions and a life jacket, my brother and I slid into a tiny, two-person boat, and off we paddled. When we finally rowed back ashore, we were soaked through, exhausted, and unbelievably awed.

    The last stop was Ketchikan, the salmon capital of the world. We walked alongside a stream and found that it was teeming with sockeye salmon struggling against the current.

    Though it was often cold and sometimes rainy, there was a certain beauty to Alaska that I had never experienced before. Having the chance to kayak in her lakes and walk her trails was an opportunity that I’ll cherish until I set foot in the Last Frontier again.