Alaska was a gift I gave myself after a long season of hard work—nearly 70 pounds lost, almost five dress sizes gone, and two marathons that showed me just how far determination can carry a person. When my friend Kat and I hopped on that plane, it felt like choosing a new chapter. We didn’t look back.

We packed those days full, rock climbing, rappelling, facing fears on cliffs I had no business standing on, laughing, swearing, and pushing through anyway. Alaska definitely called my bluff in the most wonderful way.

Some moments were big and bold, others were quiet.

These photographs are pieces of that journey, strength, fear, friendship, joy, and the kind of wild beauty only Alaska can provide.