Cultural Immersion
Today, like each day on this journey, we began with a time of prayer led and directed by the students. Using the Book of Common Prayer they choose the “spiritual tone” of the morning.
Our journey today led us through an exploration of the spiritual roots of
Juneau, its culture and geography. After an extensive tour of the city and Douglas Island we headed to our fist appointment of the day – the Russian Orthodox Church. The caretaker of this beautiful building is a 5th generation Tlingit Indian and Orthodox Christian.His father was one of the first Indian Orthodox priests.After learning the history of this
place,some great stories, and had some Q and A we headed to our next challenge – the Mt. Roberts trail.
The hike represented one of this teams first physical/mental challenges.At 3 miles long, 1800 vertical feet and boasting narrow passages…this
adventure challenged the entire team.Upon our arrival at the top we
watched a movie about Tlingit life and culture while learning a few
phrases.After we were done the team took a tram down, had a quick look
downtown and departed once again for the Shrine.
We enjoyed a quiet evening together reflecting on the day, what we saw and
experienced.