Eric Estes brought his co-worker and friend, John Long, to StoryCorps for a couple of reasons. One is that John has a wealth of knowledge about Alaska. After all, John was just six-years-old when he sailed on the SS Aleutian through the Inside Passage and arrived in Alaska. The year was 1947, twelve years before Alaska saw statehood.

John’s stories can often be seen as historical accounts. He remembers seeing Anchorage for the first time in 1947 when the city was made up of just three streets. “It was pretty primitive compared to what it is today,” he said. At the age of seventeen, John joined the Territorial Guard, now known as Alaska’s National Guard, in Ketchikan.

In 1963, while serving on the National Guard, John had the honor of holding the Alaskan Flag over the head of Alaska’s first state governor, William Egan, as the very first ferry ship of the Alaska Marine Highway arrived. Since John’s mother had been a precinct chairman in Ketchikan, Governor Egan would go to their house for dinner when he was in town. John said Governor Egan had a photographic memory, “He was quite a remarkable character. He was a great governor.”

John worked as a pipe fitter in Alaska for twenty years in many of the state’s industrial plants. He worked at a pulp mill in Ketchikan and one in Sitka, at all the refineries in the Kenai, and worked on oil development in Deadhorse. John also helped build the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. This involved sixteen-hour days and seven-day weeks. “I like to tell [my grandkids] that I built the Alaska Pipeline all by myself,” joked John. “The other guys just stood around while I did the job.”

Alaska, as a state, is unique in that it’s still home to many people who, throughout the past 50 years, have literally helped build it. John is an example of one of these people.

The other reason Eric brought John to StoryCorps is a reason many people use StoryCorps – to express appreciation. Eric commended John on his personality. “You’re such a happy-go-lucky guy. And you do have a sympathetic ear, I’ve noticed, with the other co-workers. You try to help a lot and you pass on your knowledge. Hopefully I’ll be able to pass on more of my knowledge.”

Eric also took the opportunity to express respect. He marveled at all the hard work John continues to do, work that’s mostly done by younger men. “You’re a sixty-eight-year-old man and you’re still doing it,” Eric said to John. “To tell you the truth, I’m amazed that you’re still out there fighting this. Most people would just give up but you haven’t and I admire you for that.”

The Greenes not only have a profound love for each other, but also for the wilderness, which is why they choose to make their home in Alaska. They were living in Anchorage when Ben got the opportunity to move to Barrow and work for the North Slope Borough Planning Department, an opportunity so unusual there was no way he could turn it down.

“After all,” says Ben, “how many people do you know are given the opportunity to live amongst an Inupiat whaling community 300 miles north of the Arctic circle? You get to see a very unique slice of life and you get to participate.” Ben and Deborah have been in Barrow since May.

One of their wilderness adventures since living in Alaska was paddling from Valdez to Whittier, a trip they had been dreaming about for years. In 28 days, the two traveled over 300 miles and came across a plethora of wildlife.

On another adventure, Deborah and Ben were hiking the prominent Wolverine Peak located outside of Anchorage when they encountered a huge brown bear. Deborah says, “She was so close you could see the guard hairs on her body.” Ben adds, “It wasn’t as though we were looking at a bear, it was as though we were studying the intricate detail in the bear’s eyes.” The bear pursued them for a little while, but Deborah and Ben managed to escape unharmed.

Being in Barrow has not stopped Ben and Deborah from being active. Even in the harsh and cold conditions, the two still manage to explore on their cross-country skis, their bikes, and even on their kayaks in the Arctic Ocean. They’ve already spied bowhead whales and grey whales, Arctic foxes and snowy owls.

Ben says one of the most important things in his life is to celebrate the wilderness, which means playing in the wilderness and exploring. What’s important to Deborah is her personal relationship with family, friends, and Ben. Together, what’s most important to each of them is beautifully and naturally combined.

“Wilderness is an incredible anecdote to whatever ails us,” says Ben. “Maybe when we’re not doing that well, it’s just because we’ve spent too much time on concrete and under fluorescent lights.”

Deborah responds, “May we always be there for each other to get each other out of the house, out of the buildings and into the grasslands, the tundra, the mountains, the rivers, the creeks, the ocean,” and Ben replies, “I’ll keep chasing you.”