Hostel update 6/17/2021
Wow !! how summer is speeding away from us when you are having fun. It is already the 22nd of June and after yesterday we are officially on the other side of gaining sunlight. We are losing daylight from here on out. It will be hardly noticeable for the next 2-3 weeks but come end of July those endless summer light nights will slowly end and the nightly campfires will gloom over the hostel ground soon again.
Filling those bear containers with goodies
Packing for a 40 day Brooks Range trip takes a lot of logistical planning and preparation.
Exciting faces
Ever since we opened our doors it has been a nuthouse. People from all corners of America are visiting us this summer. What a difference a year can make. While I pretty much was missing all my guests last year, this year has been incredibly fun. We are pretty much fully booked on most nights and the hostel has been able to bounce back to its lively daily vibe.
It has been remarkably interesting to see the development of tourism while the pandemic is slowly coming to an end. We are hosting many couples this year. Way more than pre Covid. Lots of couples told me that she wanted to get away on a girl’s trip with her friends, he wanted to travel somewhere, and both could not do it due to various travel restrictions. This year, with everybody feeling claustrophobic after having to socially distance, they can finally get out and explore. Americans are still a little hesitant to travel abroad and most everyone wants to stay in the US while enjoying their summer vacation. Alaska is that ticket, yet again.
I remember very well last year that I thought this recovery would take a few years but being right back in the trenches working full throttle everyday is not what I thought would happen so quickly. I am very optimistic about international travel for the summer of 2022. Canada will most likely open its borders to leisure travel, and America will probably let foreigners back into the country as well.
Various projects have been completed and the garden is blooming like it never has before thanks to my helpers Sabe and Madeline. Heidi is back into her “barking at everyone-mode” that comes to visit (what a wonderful welcoming) and my crew is kicking a%$^& and taking names.
The Mad Trapper coffee shop
Linus has been working hard to put my vision into reality and the Mad Trapper coffee shop is almost ready to open its doors. Check out the pictures, as usual they speak more than words.
Greetings from the Hostel
Sven, Jared, Hallen and Itai.
The ,,Mad Trapper“ coffee shop
The „Mad Trapper“ outdoor ordering area
Our YMCA groups