I’m from Alaska, and no, I don’t live in an igloo

When I walk off the jet way in my home town, I am greeted by a small gift shop named “Mooselaneous.”

The pillars on either side of the shop have been disguised as totem polls and the inside sells Alaskan jams, moose nugget earrings, the very popular candy pooping moose, and my personal favorite, the clapping salmon hat.

This little gift shop reminds me of home because it’s familiar, not because it’s authentic. I love my airport. It highlights some of the most beautiful aspects of our state, stuffed polar bears and all, but it promotes the same image of Alaska that is perpetuated by the reality television shows that my college peers have come to define Alaska by.

Since going through the rush process at Duke for selective living groups, I have come to realize that most of my peers have little knowledge of what I would consider to be the “real” Alaska.

My hope is that this article will debunk some of the popular myths surrounding the state and convince just a few people to quit relying on “Gold Rush” episodes as their primary source of Alaskan education.

There are a few statements I would like to get out of the way upfront:

1. We don’t all have beards, I wasn’t born with a beard, and yes we have razors.
2. It is not dark all winter long and it is not light all summer long.
3. Yes, I have seen a moose. I have seen many moose (not meese). Also, if the tourists could stop pulling over in the middle of the highway to take pictures of the moose it would be greatly appreciated.
4. I’ve seen as many polar bears as I’ve seen igloos. Which is zero. Unless you count television sightings…
5. Camouflage is not the only available clothing choice.

Now that the most pressing issues have been addressed, let’s get down to business.

There are cities, and I am from one.

I am from the City of Lights – Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is the most populated city in the state at 350,000 residents. Over forty percent of the population lives here.

In the winter the twinkling lights of the city can be seen from the airplanes descending into the state. The window above my bed at home faces the city, and on nights when I left the shade up I could see the city lights painting the far wall of my bedroom.

While it’s true that the darkness that comes with the winter can be challenging, it can also be cozy and wondrous.

The houses in my neighborhood are dripping with twinkly white lights October through March or April. Winter is also the season for aurora borealis, star gazing, and fireworks since the summer nights are light until three or four in the morning. Fourth of July fireworks are not nearly as impressive as New Year’s Eve fireworks.

We don’t ice fish for our meals.

Cross country skiing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, and snow machining are all winter sports, and most Alaskans do at least one of these activities. Most of us do not, however, ice climb, or camp out in blizzards just for shits and giggles.

The one thing that these crazy ideas do convey correctly is the love for the outdoors that most Alaskan’s possess. We like to say there is no poor weather, only insufficient gear. This sounds intense, but the point is that you should always be prepared. Alaskans are essentially boy scouts.

Alaskan summers are spectacular

Nature comes out of hibernation and the cruise ships start arriving. Summer means hiking, camping, fishing, river rafting, kayaking, wildlife viewing, weekends spent inner tubing at lakes, campfires, and road construction. It means gardening at midnight and playing volleyball in the yard until one.

Not to mention you can drive without headlights all summer long. After all, there is a reason Alaska is known as the land of the midnight sun.

It’s not light all the time in ALL of the state

Anchorage is one of the southernmost cities in Alaska so we do get some darkness in the summers, but there are towns farther north that have sunlight 24/7 for a couple months in the summers.

We are the largest state in the US

NOT Texas. Alaska is about fifth of the area of the continental U.S. Due to its size, the terrain and climate in any given region of the state can be highly variable from any other region.

All of Alaska is not a fringe community

The reality television shows people seem to be so familiar with all take place in fringe communities, not where the population centers are.The people from smaller, heartier communities in the state get a lot more screen time than all us boring people from the cities.

I did not write this article to get you to quit watching the Discovery Channel. I love the discovery channel. I love watching “Deadliest Catch” and cringing on the couch as the Time Bandit traverses rough seas.

All I ask is that next time you turn on “Deadliest Catch” or “Gold Rush” or “Alaskan Bush People”, invite me, too. I’ll bring the popcorn.