Alaska Visit

In late June (2005) I flew to Anchorage, Alaska, and proceeded by car to Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula, home of the world's greatest salmon fishiing. Amazingly, the Kenai River had people almost shoulder to shoulder competing in what is known as "combat fishing." If that sounds like a far cry from the sedate and peaceful pastime of dropping a line in the water and lazily waiting for the bobber to go under, it certainly is. Judging from the folks returning to the mainland with heavy coolers full of fish, apparently they were victorious in the fishing war.

Except for eating them, fish were not the focus of my visit. Through the invitation of Steve Horn and others, I was consulting with Peninsula Medical Center regarding the installation of a community labyrinth. Building in the far north has its own special considerations. We will most likely use heated concrete to avoid the problems of freezing. Providing a labyrinth in a publicly available space is a very community-minded service on the part of the hospital. When I arrived, the labyrinth was a possibility. When I left, it was a definite project, with a plan of action and the beginning stages of planning, funding, and commuunity involvement. This is the part I like best about being a consultant -- seeing a concept become a reality.

I have now personally been to all 50 states. (We have sold labyrinths to 48 states. We are missing Wyoming and South Dakota.). Alaska was just as I expected it to be, with rugged beauty and independent people. Moose graze by the side of the road, salmon swim upstream to spawn, and bears require constant vigilance. Perhaps to moose, salmon and bears, we can add labyrinths as an attraction. I look forward to future visits as the project moves forward.

Postscript:

As sometimes happens, there was a change of administration in the hospital, with the new leaders less dedicated to making the labyrinth a high priority. As of this writing, July, 2009, there is still no on-site labyrinth but the dream remains. They do have a portable labyrinth to use for special events.