Short stories

As the recipients of the Lael Rides Alaska Scholarship, we spent the summer of 2018 bikepacking 1,000 miles across Alaska from Seward on the southern coast to Deadhorse in the far north. We recognize that long bike rides can be intimidating and inaccessible, so we sought to create a project that used honesty and humor to inspire and empower other women cyclists. We also brought in our passion for climate justice, creating a route that would allow us to learn about environmental issues facing Alaska. We pedaled through iconic landscapes such as Denali National Park and the Brooks Range and population centers such as Fairbanks and Anchorage. For much of the ride, we biked along the Trans Alaska Pipeline--a constant reminder of the scale of resource extraction in the state. We listened to stories from people experiencing and studying climate change, such as glacier guides, indigenous organizers, permafrost scientists, national park rangers, subsistence hunters, youth activists, and many more. A high schooler in Barrow summarized our findings well when she said, "Alaska is an environmental paradox." The state is on the frontlines of a changing climate, experiencing rising sea levels, thawing permafrost, wildfires, and melting sea ice. At the same time, over 90 percent of the state's revenue comes from the oil and gas industry. We walked away from each interview with more questions than answers. However, we found hope in the state's vast, wild beauty and the determined spirit of the people we met along the way.