It all started in the winter of 2017 when Melissa and I felt our life was stagnant. We discussed several paths to rediscover who we were and where we wanted to be. A friend of mine mentioned months earlier that their family was moving to Alaska. I thought at the time that would be so cool, a childhood dream. But I didn’t think Melissa would ever go for it. I mentioned it to her, and Melissa said, “yes,” much to my surprise. The great advantage to being a nurse, even pre covid, is that nurses are always needed somewhere, and Alaska was not different. So within a week, I gained employment, we sold our house, and 3 weeks later, we were on the road to Alaska! Melissa and I with 4 of our 5 kids and my service dog (diabetic, more on her on another day). We set out from Utah to the last frontier on the Alcan Highway (Alaska-Canada Highway). It was 3000 miles, 5 days, and 16-18 hours a day driving. I hope to share a series of blogs just on that experience. We have made the trip through the Alcan 3 times and have some insight into making it an enjoyable experience. When we arrived in Alaska, we were overwhelmed with all there was to do. I believe the first 2 to 3 weeks, we did nothing. We finally decided to go to the Eagle River Nature Center since it was highly recommended. Towards the end of our little 3-mile venture, we saw someone taking photos of something in a tree. I thought it was an eagle, but it was not. It ended up being a black bear. Here I was staring up in a tree and this black bear was staring back at me 25′ above my head. So still being basically a tourist I told my kids to come quick and look. Believe, it or not it scared the holy s*** out of them. It took a couple of years to even get a few of them back into the Alaska wild, HAHAHAHAHA. Below is a picture of our friend. You ask why to take a picture of what’s about to kill you. Well, I have learned you cannot outrun a bear, a moose, or any other wild animal. I figure you might as well get a picture of your last moments on this earth HAHAHAHAHA. Just a word to the wise. If you happen to be taking a photo of an Alaskan animal that can “KILL YOU!” If someone is walking towards you, be kind and give them a heads up! While this was our first terrifying experience in the Alaska wilderness it would not be our last! We have been caught in rain, wind, and snowstorms. We have been lost in the middle of the night in the Alaska wilderness. I have been so exhausted I have had my sons come and basically carry me out of some of our adventures (that was a fun tail for all). These situations have made us be more aware and realized how important it is to train physically for our outings. Being kinda in shape and backpacking in Alaska is a great way to be on the front page of a newspaper. Melissa and I decided that being mentally tough was not enough, but we had to improve our physical fitness to continue our adventures in Alaska. Our training and Gus’ desire to be the Worlds Strongest Man has spawned the creation of “Beast Alaska.” We are not super athletes or insanely strong. We are normal people trying to do extraordinary things!

With this first blog, I have focused more on how are life started in Alaska and how we began our quest for being more fit. Future blogs will discuss the formation of “Beast Alaska and Gus’ Journey to be a Strong Man.” I hope you will enjoy our experiences. Each week we will cover all kinds of topics from some of our most amazing hikes, trips, adventures to trying to figure out workout/meal programs to get Gus where he needs to be, “Worlds Strongest Man!” Enjoy the journey with us and always remember the next adventure is “just one more mile ahead…”