It is with great regret that we announce the passing of Dan Branch, the author of the Walking with Aki blog.

His extraordinary life came to an end last week. He passed peacefully in his sleep.

Dan was diagnosed with glioblastoma in the autumn of 2020. The past 16 months, though punctuated by complicated and draining cancer treatments, were a triumph for Dan. He set to work completing a collection of essays and poems, tirelessly racing against the clock to leave a valedictory statement and pay tribute to the people and land that made his life. The resulting book, titled Someday I’ll Miss This Place Too, was published last year by Cirque Press.

We want to thank you, especially if you are one of his regular readers, from the bottom of our hearts for bringing joy into Dan’s life. He was extremely proud of his community of readers from all over the world, and loved seeing your comments. He enjoyed sharing his thoughts and photos, a dear correspondent whose daily ritual of ambling across Southeast Alaska would not be complete until he rendered the experience in a pithy musing.

He will be dearly missed. May his memory be a blessing to you as it for us.

-Dan’s Family