North to Alaska ’98

Music copyright © 1960 by Mike Phillips
Words Creative Commons License 1998 by Jim Bearden

We made our first family trip to Alaska in 1998, and as with some of our other ventures, the trip didn’t go quite as planned. Thinking about it afterwards, I thought reworking Johnny Horton’s classic song about going “North to Alaska” might be the best way to sum up our trip. I could explain all the references, but it would take too long, so I’ll leave it with “I guess you just had to be there…”

Intro:
Way up north, to Alaska… way up north, to Alaska…
North to Alaska, go north, the rush is on.

Verse 1:
We all left our homes in the summer of ‘ninety-eight,
And we met up in Anchorage for our Resurrection date.
We crossed that first bridge, and we saw those salmon spawn,
And we finally found a campsite, just before that day was gone.

Chorus
Where the river is winding, big bear pies we’re finding —
North to Alaska, go north, the rush is on.

Verse 2
We crossed those streams and valleys, up to Resurrection Pass;
But with that cold wind and rain, I was about to freeze my ass.
So we rushed on to the shelter of that cabin far below;
And that evening, we thought Swan Lake was a great place to go.

Chorus

Verse 3:
We packed up at Juneau Falls, and made it down to Seward camp;
Said Aaron,  “You’re a-looking at a dirty, dirty man.
I’d trade all the quarters that I’m holding in my hand
For just one hot shower to make me feel clean again.”

Chorus

Verse 4:
We cruised the fjords, and we did that glacier hike;
And we found out that kayaking was a thing we really liked.
We never saw the Yukon River, or that mountain southeast of Nome,
But we knew we’d never be the same, when we found our way back home.

Chorus

End:
Way up north, to Alaska… way up north, to Alaska…
North to Alaska, go north, the rush is on.
North to Alaska, go north … the rush is on.

 

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