By Stephanie Duscher (she/her)
As our plane first descended in Juneau, I craned my neck around the person seated next to me, eager to get even a glimpse of the place I would call home for a year. I gazed in wonder at the swarms of spruces coating every inch of mountainside. They were silhouetted by the fog, drifting from the mountain like a hot breath in cold air. I thought of every fairy tale I’d ever heard. Woods like these, I thought, are where tales write themselves.
A few weeks later, I’d just barely settled in when my housemates announced they were planning a hike up to Dan Moller cabin to stay the night. As they rattled off a list of items we would need, things we would have to do to prepare, a sense of anxiety lingered in the back of my mind. I’d never been “outdoorsy,” and, based off initial impressions, it seemed like you could drop a few of my housemates in the thick of the woods and they would fare just fine. All the familiar fears that come with being in a new group circled my head. I did not want to be the weak link, the one everyone regrets bringing along. Still, I remembered my wonder at seeing those Alaskan trees, and my childhood curiosity as Hansel and Gretel braved the shadows of the forest. So, clinging to these feelings, I ventured out.
As we meandered up the Dan Moller trail, my fascination with the natural world won out over my anxieties. I marveled over the marshy clearing and wanted to chase the gentle rhythm of every stream. All the while, my housemates and I filled the silence between bird calls and leaf rustles with our chatter. Just as we were all drawn to the forest, we were pulled to each other. Under a canopy of pine needles, we abandoned our initial hesitancies and opened up to one another, growing closer both to the natural world and each other.
Stephanie is serving during the ’24-25 program year in Juneau, AK at Catholic Community Services.
Photos: Top – The Juneau JVs hiking Dan Moller Trail; Middle – Stephanie grabbing lunch at Coppa in Juneau; Bottom – ’24-25 Juneau JVs at their November Regional Retreat.
