The goal is to travel often, right? I mean, Juneau is a great place to live. But in order to truly appreciate its beauty, you have to get an outside perspective. For this reason I will be putting a pause on my photoblog for a few months to get some outside perspective.
In my experience it doesn’t matter how much time you give yourself to prepare to travel you still end up running around at the last moment. Or is that just me? “Oh I leave in three hours? I should start packing.” “Oh boy, this feels heavy. I sure hope it’s not over 50 pounds.”
I will be out of Juneau until the spring. For this trip I need clothes for lots of occasions: layover layers for the airport, nicer clothes for Christmas in California with family, rainwear for Ireland and camping gear for every chance we get to be outside. Not to mention the ridiculous amount of camera gear and the wires and adapters.
[Hiking abroad: New Year’s in Ireland]
This amounted to; 12 miscellaneous wires, 11 pairs of socks, 10 stuff sacks, nine pairs of underwear, eight memory cards, seven undershirts, six camera lenses, FIVE golden chocolate bars, four pairs of shoes, three backup batteries, two external hard drives and one very heavy backpack!
Just kidding. I don’t even know what all I threw into my duffle. Outdoor gear takes up too much space. I’m not going to pretend to organize my stuff for the photos. Instagramers like to lay out their gear. Ain’t nobody got time for dat.
But I will say, if I had Bezos’ bucks I would definitely invest into more sustainable gear solutions using all natural fibers. Actually, not just outdoor gear specifically but all things wearable. 100 percent cotton, wool, qiviut.
Now to convince a friend to take me to the airport. Thanks for coming through, Keagan!
Oh no, my bag is 61 pounds. Do I have $75 to blow to get my oversized bag checked? Or should I explode my entire life right here in front of everyone in the line and stuff my carry-on pack as heavy as possible?
Trying to manage a budget (what budget?) and prioritize my needs (hahaha, who am I kidding?), I end up with the cheap flights with extended a.m. layovers. This often means eating vending machine food when all other stores shut down and hoping one of those rocking chairs near the cold windows is available so I can watch random YouTubes and pass the time. But now with the new remodel, those rocking chairs are gone! Instead, I pass out on the seats without armrests.
Not much is nice about covering commercial traveling; sitting in an upright position in a metal tube with a bunch of smelly strangers for hours.
Seattle is a layover city for most of us when headed south from Alaska, a place we pass through on our way to new adventures. I enjoy every chance I get to escape SeaTac and see Washington. I documented a quick trip to Pike Place market with a few photos.
Happy consumerism month! Good luck finding those fairy lights!
• California-born and Alaska-bred, Gabe Donohoe is an adventurer and photographer. He is a graduate of the University of Alaska Southeast Outdoors Studies Program. His photo archives can be seen on www.gabedonohoe.com. “Rainforest Photos” photo blog publishes every other Friday in the Empire’s Outdoors section.
Travel gear, “neatly organized.” (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)
New buildings in the new Amazon district on 6th Avenue. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)
Pike Place Market. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)
Tourists, Alaskan Way and the skyline of downtown Seattle from Pike Place. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)
A biker ruins this photo of Bezos balls in downtown Seattle. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)
