I must admit that it was difficult to go tech free during a time in which I had lots (and lots!) of homework to get done. For this reason I knew that I wouldn't be able to maintain a tech-free status for a full 24 hours. Thus I shot for 8 hours. The big thing was preparation. I had tons of reading to accomplish this weekend, so I printed out the assigned journal articles. Really, that was no big deal. The harder part was not being able to check for texts and not being able to check Facebook. While I am away, I rely on these two to keep my homesickness at bay. If I can't be enjoying an awe-inspiring summer in Alaska, then I want to vicariously experience one through my friends. Also, I worried about the ability of my friends to reach me in the event that something bad happened to one of  my sled dogs. It is somewhat ironic that I was assigned a tech-free period during a time when I am most dependent on technology. Here at IUP, and here in the Lower 48, technology seems more imbedded, more "normal." In Alasks, many people live completely off the grid--no electricity, no indoor plumbing, no road system. I have lived without the first two and actually found it quite freeing. Right now, I am negotiating to buy a cabin, to live in, that is not connected to an electrical grid. Any electricity that I need will have to come from a generator. The cabin is plumbed, but there is no well. That means that until I put in a well, I will have to haul water (provided free by the local gas station) for myself and for my dogs. At night, I will warm a large pot of water and use that to take a sponge bath. I will wash my hair over a bucket. I am actually looking forward to living this type of low-tech existence again because my previous experience doing so brought be closer to nature in that it made me work for and appreciate two of the most basic necessities--water and heat. Although Alaska is the biggest state in the union, about 90 percent of it is inaccessible via road. My existence in my new cabin will be considered luxurious by those who live in the bush (off the road system). Those living there either maintain a completely subsistence lifestyle, or have to pay high prices for modern necessities to be flown or boated in. For example, gas in the bush is $8/gallon. I am looking forward to evenings in my new cabin using a pencil and paper to do my creative nonfiction and poetry while snuggling with my team by the soft light of a lantern.