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About Justine |
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Justine spent another year as the Program Coordinator of GeoFORCE Alaska. This involves one major trip -- taking a group of 35 high schoolers from all over rural Alaska for two weeks (using university undergrads as counselors... some of whom were helpful) -- and running a Learning Community for Geosceince undergraduate students who come from backgrounds typically underrepresented in STEM. The job also requires asking large corporations (oil, mining, and Alaska Native corps) to donate to GeoFORCE. She also started teaching more Mental Health courses and workshops, now through her own company. She taught a bunch through the university (UAF), the North Slope Borough School District, and through the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments. And her last job is as an adjunct professor for the Interdisciplinary Studies department. All the while spending lots of time outside (she & Josh still get two months off in the summer!)  |
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This year she traveled with the kids to the desert southwest (in June!?)  |
None of them suffered from heat stroke
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She got to travel to many villages too; here she is in Nuiqsut  |
And here she is in Anaktuvuk Pass (also visited Venetie, Fort Yukon, Beaver, Arctic Village, and Utqiagvik)  |
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She & Josh still worked on house
projects,
including some new steps  |
And splitting
LOTS of wood (Lisa & Steve got to help while they visited!)  |
She provided emotional support for many different dogs |
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She still loves the Alaskan winter. Some of this year's winter trips include: fat biking in the White Mountains and Alaska Range; Caribou hunting on the North Slope; running the Chicken checkpoint for the Yukon Quest. Also: -30F runs, watching the start of the Iditarod, and frozen fish caught on the Coleville River           
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Justine and best friend Emily got to see each other twice, here they are in Juneau  |
But mostly she spends time with her other best friend, Josh.  |
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With their two months off they did two awesome trips. The first to kayak-camp through Wood Tikchik State Park for 12 days. They paddled around 100 miles total; through lots of weather; and lots of grizzly bears; what a glorious time!     The second to spend four weeks touring Australia: they rented a fun camper truck; saw all the iconic fauna; got too hot; swam a lot; went to the Bungle Bungles; also glorious!       |
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And now Justine & Josh are back home outside Fairbanks, right by the J pole  |
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