Captions: The Stories Behind the Photos

Thumbs Out Across Alaska

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By Kirsten Swann

Story Created: Jan 28, 2013 at 8:32 AM AKDT

Story Updated: Jan 28, 2013 at 8:32 AM AKDT

Presented by Snapped

With hundreds of miles of roads, but hundreds of thousands of miles of wilderness, exploring Alaska is an adventure.

For Ryan Kedzie, his Alaska wilderness adventure began much further away.

Nearly a year ago, he began his trek hitchhiking from Wisconsin to the Last Frontier. Twenty-five days, 4,000 miles and more than 100 rides later, Kedzie made it safely to Kenai. It was risky venture filled with new experiences. “Looking back, I guess the things I miss most from the trip would be the variety of people you meet along the way, and the complete freedom of the open road,” he said.

“It really rejuvenates the soul and allows you to the ability to just explore,”

Kedzie slept in tents, planned nothing and left himself to the kindness of strangers. He left the beaten path, traveled through five states and nearly as many Canadian provinces, documented everything through film and photos, and arrived in Alaska looking for the next adventures.

And he’s found no shortage of them.

From picturesque backcountry hikes on the Kenai Peninsula to hitchhiking trips with no destination, Kedzie said he’s still searching for new experiences, new views and new adventures. He shares photos from his adventures through his blog and social media pages, and the images from his travels across Alaska document dozens of the people and places that make up that Last Frontier.

In Talkeetna, he snapped a photograph of an old storefront and said he tried to visit the little town often.

“It takes you a pace behind city life and big industry and fancy architecture,” he said. “Nagley's has character and a story behind it, and you just know it because of the bleached antlers and fading red paint.”

And when it comes to his next Alaskan adventure?

“I like to let things just occur as they come.”
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