Come February in Alaska, I turn into the worst version of myself. The ringing alarm becomes the music of my dreams every morning for a full hour. Once I'm finally out of bed, I sit on the couch in the dark with my glowing smartphone to my nose, slurping coffee and feeling sorry for myself that I have to be awake. I go to work, then once home for the night, I do more smartphone thumbing followed by movie watching.
I do not live in Alaska to experience these things. Actually, no sentient being should do as much of these activities as I do. Similarly, my marriage should not involve so much gazing at individual hand-held screens side by side on the couch, followed by a movie where our hands might touch if we reach for the popcorn at the same time. There must be something better.
Luckily, Valentine's Day presents an excellent opportunity to turn February around. Anyone with a healthy curmudgeonly side will agree that this Hallmark holiday is pretty obnoxious, with all of its mass-produced schlock and diabetes-inducing chocolate. However, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. And what better way to take back the night than to make a plan that actually helps you enjoy Feb. 14? Whether you're an old married person like me, single and fabulous, single and bitter, single and sad, or going on a first date, heading outside with someone else is one of the best things you can do on Valentine's Day.
Doesnt have to be difficult
Listen. If you're going to take this idea and run with it, hear me out: Going outside for a date doesn't need to be epic. If that's your thing, wonderful, do it. Skin up that mountain and ski down. Climb your way up that icy waterfall.
However, the same rule of thumb that applies to taking kids outdoors applies here: Keep it light and within your ability level(s) so you can keep it fun. Don't be the couple that took a cool outdoor date and turned it into a death march or ski that ended in tears (you know the date I'm talking about; we've all been there). Especially if the weather is not cooperating, which it tends not to, keep it quick and light.
There is a wide spectrum of activities from which to choose.
The easiest, least technical thing you can do is walk. This isn't (necessarily) as boring as it sounds. If you don't normally walk around your neighborhood, choose a destination -- a natural feature, park, or coffee shop -- and walk there. Or try somewhere new. In Anchorage, you can get a completely new perspective on Cook Inlet by walking on the beach alongside it. You'll be stunned at how fast the ice floes move, and grateful for the sunlight reflected off the water into your Vitamin-D-deprived face. There are several access points along Point Woronzof Park on the Coastal Trail (look at the perimeter of the woods for footpaths that drop down from the trail). A great spot, especially for Valentines with kids in tow, is the relatively new Campbell Creek Estuary Park. Spot wildlife around the estuary, look at ice patterns on the silt, and check out the vast tidal flats giving way to a view of Fire Island.
Give something new a go
Upping the coordination required by a level, try something you normally don't do. Rent a pair of classic skis at REI and find a flat trail. Good beginner options around Anchorage include the Chester Creek trail, the trail system around Campbell Creek Science Center in Bicentennial Far North Park, or even Portage Lake, where you can ski close to the glacier if the lake ice is thick enough.
Or, rent a fat-tire bike and try out those same trails.
This winter has been particularly kind to ice skaters. If you haven't gone out on the ice yet, find a pair of skates and bring a thermos of hot chocolate. You can light a fire in one of the municipality-owned burn barrels on Westchester Lagoon. This is classic Valentine's Day fodder, and we have world-class terrain in our backyard. Take that, Rockefeller Center. You keep the concrete and skyscrapers; we have a view of the mountains!
Youll feel better
Whatever you decide to do, here's the real reason you should get outside on Valentine's Day: It will jolt you out of your comfort zone.
I'm always amazed at how it requires a monumental effort during the winter to do something that feels new, unheated, or requires any physical work whatsoever. That said, once out the door, I feel that I have accomplished some incredible feat. The world out there is gorgeous, and I feel proud for having urged myself into it. I experience Alaska in a new way every day depending on the light or weather, and that gives me optimism about the possibilities in the rest of my life.
Having that experience with someone else is amazing. I always imagined the kind of relationship that would last for me would be one where, instead of always focusing on each other (as I did when I was, say, a teenager) we each focused outward, but in roughly the same direction. I guess this happens in front of a TV. But when you go outside with someone else you are facing the same direction, while also moving toward something. The shared experience of doing something a little unknown, potentially uncomfortable, and always new keeps a shared element of surprise, and accomplishment.
So even if you do the wine and dine thing this Valentine's Day (I will), end up at a movie, or snub your nose completely at the holiday and wait impatiently for chocolates to go on sale, do something a little weird first. Go outside, in February, in Alaska.
It's romantic all by itself, and you'll remember it more than the chocolate.
Alli Harvey lives, works and plays in Anchorage.