She had coppery hair; this isn’t a metaphor. It was shiny, metallic, like fine copper wire. And it was styled, her bangs sprayed stiff and pin curls by her ears. Her eyebrows were painted on her wide open face. It was impossible to guess her age, she could have been forty, she could have been …
We were supposed to fly to Kantishna, but the sky was heavy with rain. Too low, too low, with no visibility, we were not allowed to fly. Instead, we drove two hours to the gates of Denali National Park where we boarded a rattling school bus piloted by a guy with a perfect radio announcer …
My travels were paid for by Alaska Tourism. Alaskans have a really complicated relationship with their government and they will tell you all about it. Repeatedly and in great detail. It is possible to eat salmon every day for a week and not get tired of it. Distance is relative. I’m sure there’s an equation …