There is a version of life where the meetings can wait and the only thing demanding attention is what’s right in front of you.
Gii Astorga and Heather Berry know that feeling well. Gii serves as Business Engagement and Events Coordinator for the Downtown Development Authority of Greeley, and Heather is the founder and owner of Balanced Movement. Between the two of them, stillness isn't something that happens by accident. It has to be chosen, deliberately and from far away.
“We both are so busy that to truly disconnect, we have to go somewhere far away and be in nature,” Heather said.
They spent nearly two weeks on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, staying at a friend's property overlooking the Kasilof River. Bald eagles were a constant presence overhead, and wild berries grew just steps from the front door. The pace shifted almost immediately.
“No matter what needed to be done during the day, it didn't have to be rushed,” Heather said. “Everything just felt slower.” By the end of the trip, her daily screen time had dropped to 20 minutes.
Fishing became the rhythm of the days. On the Kenai River, Gii learned a technique called flossing and hooked a fish within three minutes of picking up the rod. They later floated the Kasilof River in search of Silvers and King Salmon, bringing their catch back to prepare fresh that evening.
Gii, who will be the first to admit he hates touching fish, found he didn't mind it this time. “Learning about salmon changed things,” he said. “They live such extraordinary lives. Catching and eating them felt earned.”
The fishing eventually led them to Homer, Alaska and out into Kachemak Bay, where puffins skimmed the water, sea otters drifted in clusters while eagles circled overhead. One rockfish they pulled up was so striking, vivid red on the outside with a brilliant blue interior, that they slid it back without hesitation. The day ended with a stop at Seldovia, Alaska, a small community only reachable by boat or plane, where life moves at a pace that feels almost unfamiliar. On the water heading back, they watched one of the most remarkable sunsets of the trip.
Not every day was built around the catch. There were quieter stretches, hikes through trails, Heather stopping to photograph mushrooms while Gii looked up at the open sky. They came across what locals call zombie salmon, fish that have finished spawning and move slowly through shallow water at the end of their lifecycle. One evening, Gii cooked fresh salmon while the sun set through the dining room window, with nowhere to be and nothing to check.
“Alaska is the best place to unwind,” he said. “There's so much to look at and explore that it's hard to think about anything else.”
The final two days were the ones they'll be talking about longest. They boated from Homer out to a remote cabin accessible only by water. There was no road, no shortcut, and no option but to be exactly where they were. Along the route, sea otters floated past, puffins cut low across the surface, and then a family of humpback whales appeared until they slipped beneath the water and came back up right beside the boat.
“Having a whale pop up right next to us was terrifying,” Gii said. “And an absolutely crazy experience.”
At the cabin that night, they anchored carefully to account for the tide. By morning, the boat sat beached on the exposed shore, but what surrounded it made the inconvenience easy to forget. The shallow floor around the hull was covered in sea stars in shapes and colors neither had seen before.
“I wasn't expecting the tide to drop that much,” Heather said. “Seeing all of those sea stars in all their different shapes and colors was incredible.”
They stayed up late stargazing, fully removed from everyday life. On the way back, they stopped at Halibut Cove, home to one of the only floating post offices in the United States, before eventually heading toward Anchorage and the flight home.
They didn't leave empty-handed. Packed in a box checked at the airport was 50 pounds of fish they had caught themselves, a reminder of a trip that offered more than expected.
“It truly does something to you,” Gii said. “I've been to Hawaii a couple of times. If I had to choose, I'd choose Alaska.”
For anyone who has been thinking about making the trip but keeps finding reasons to wait, their advice is simple.
“Go,” Heather said. “Don't wait.”