Aloha, Alaska style

Resslin' Around, by Casey Ressler

The mountains tower over you, and you can't help but be awed by their beauty. No matter which direction you look, you'll find a mountain nearby, and suddenly, you feel at home.

That scene isn't from here in the Valley, although it probably sounds like it. The two mountains I'm talking about are actually volcanoes, and they formed the island of Maui, a place I recently visited for the first time. After two weeks of Maui, I left feeling quite at home. Not because I'm ready to pick up and move to the 50th state, but because of the similarities between Alaska and Hawaii.

That's right, similarities.

Of course, you have to get past the obvious differences, first -- the weather rarely dips below 80 degrees there, and there aren't a whole lot of beaches where you can boogie board here in Southcentral Alaska. But there really are a lot of similarities.

Hawaii is the most isolated piece of land in the world, with San Francisco being the closest land mass, more than 2,000 miles away. While Alaska certainly isn't that isolated, at times it can feel that way. As a result of that isolation, Alaskans have a strong identity and take great pride in calling themselves Alaskans. The same holds true for Hawaii residents. They, too, talk about those from the "Mainland" as Alaskans talk about people from the "Lower 48."

I recently saw a bumper sticker that read "American by birth, Alaskan by the grace of God." Many people share that philosophy here. Across the Pacific Ocean, many Mauians feel the same way about their island -- sporting "Maui Built" stickers and decals on their vehicles. While everyone is naturally proud of where they are from, Alaskans and Hawaiians tend to have more deep-rooted pride than others, for good reason -- it takes hard work and dedication to be considered "Alaskan" or "Hawaiian."

That pride is also rooted in history, and the diverse cultures that both Alaska and Hawaii boast. Native populations contribute heavily to the cultural feel of both states, more so than a state such as Idaho, for example. Both states -- thankfully -- feel a responsibility to preserve the history of those who first settled the area, thousands of years before white people ever showed up in the first place.

Maybe the similarities are why Alaskans visit the islands with such regularity. Or maybe it's just because when the thermometer dips below freezing for the fourth consecutive month, paradise is just six short hours away. And Alaskans do like the islands -- while there, I ran into a couple of people I knew from here, and the number of Palmer High School T-shirts being worn at the airport by people coming home was more than impressive.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor. He has a bronze-colored bald head, which should last for another seven minutes.