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“There is so much culture and diversity of thought within the communities of Alaska, and it’s so rewarding to steward the material culture that belongs to these groups,” she says. “I have my dream job, and I don’t think I’d be here without my UD mentors.”
As for Halloran, after he paid his dues serving as a housekeeper in Denali hotels, he spent 20 years working his way up the ranks—waiter, bus driver, transportation manager—until he took the reins from his boss as head of park operations. Following that, the Anchorage-based Blue Hen applied his communication degree to serving the state in numerous ways: director of tourism for the town of Skagway, board member for an Anchorage visitors bureau and, now, tour guide for a string of companies. Ask him about guiding people through roiling, class-4 rapids, or that time he witnessed a David Attenborough-worthy standoff between a caribou and a wolf, and he’ll tell you his career is all about connecting people—to adventure, to fresh air, to a sense of freedom in the great outdoors.
“A lot of folks have very regimented lives,” he says. “They get up, go to the same office every day. It’s a privilege to see wonder on their faces.”
Today, with the encouragement of his former roommate, Halloran is turning his attention to connecting the alumni who call Alaska home. So far, bringing the group together for happy hour drinks in Anchorage has proven tricky. The state is twice the size of Texas, which makes travel difficult, especially during inclement weather—a snowstorm nearly torpedoed the initial effort (read: two attendees). But Halloran hopes to plan another get-together sometime in the future, and he’s confident his peers will embrace this newest adventure.
After all, he says, it’s as clear as water in the famed Egegik River: Blue Hens in the wild are always up for a challenge.
Diane Stopyra
January 3, 2024