My father and his friend Miles like to indulge in wild wilderness adventures with every chance they get. We chartered a small aircraft into the vast expanses of southwestern Alaska, and were then left to our own survival devices for 8 days. We spent those days meandering the Tikchik River until it spit us into the beautiful Tikchik Lake. Despite having little sleep, countless mosquito bites, and aches in areas my body had forgotten, this turned out to be quite the valuable experience. I was overcome with new loves for both the place where I was raised, and the man that raised me.