Sockeye Salmon Fishing

We made the 6-hour journey to Chitina, AK to fish for Sockeye Salmon at the confluence of the Copper and Chitina Rivers.

The drive out there was long, but very pretty.  With 20+ hours of light, you're able to enjoy the view for the entire way.

Fishing for reds is done by dipnetting.  The nets are huge, and extended into the water using 6-12' poles. Shi's friend Mandy accompanied us, and here she is with Dave and the dipnet for perspective.

Since I am not a resident of Alaska, it was not legal for me to handle the fish or assist in the fishing in any way.  I spent the day perched on my ledge, reading, watching, and enjoying the views.  It was funny to think about how in two months, I had gone from one shoreside lounge to another...but in very different climates and capacities.

Success!

Shiway with part of her loot:

I learned how to properly fillet a fish.  It's harder than I thought...but there's delicious payoff.

A batch is in the smoker, and the rest are making their way to the vacuum sealer and freezer.  Already dug into a fish for dinner, and can't wait for the smoker to be done tomorrow!

Blueberry Picking

Part of the fun of being in Alaska is harvesting your own food.  Shi and Dave are usually kind enough to share their bounty every year when they visit in December.  This includes salmon, halibut, berries, and the occasional large, four-legged animal.

Today, we went blueberry picking.  It was exhausting but fun and rewarding work!  The land was soggy and full of mud, puddles, and round-topped grass clumps called tussocks, which made it extremely difficult to navigate and balance.

Dave has a good eye for berries...and so does Emma.  In the higher grasses, you could see just her tail, bobbing up and down as she happily gobbled down berries.

Here she is, snarfing down a decent batch.   She pretty much plows through the fields with her mouth open, filtering out the berries, feeding like a whale.

Our final harvest for the day.  Emma is staring longingly, hoping that by some off chance, we are harvesting just for her.

We can all attribute the craze of tucking-in-your-pants-into-your-boots to Xtra Tuffs and Alaskan residents.  :)

Fairbanks, AK

I have arrived safely and soundly in Fairbanks, AK to visit Shiway and Dave.  My plan is to be here for two weeks, seeing the sights and enjoying the company.

Shi and Dave have moved since I last saw them for their wedding three years ago, from Seward to Fairbanks.  Their house is fun and cute, although they choose different four-lettered words to describe it.

As always, Emma is excited to have another person to pay attention to her.  

We have been walking around different trails here, enjoying the nice weather.  Boulder was reaching triple digits when I left, and Fairbanks is a nice change of pace, staying shy of 70 deg.

The World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO) is in town for the weekend, so we went to go check it out. We had hopes of viewing the seal-skinning contest, but they were short on supplies...so we saw the men's two-foot high kick, women's blanket toss, and the regalia contest. 

Berry picking is on the agenda for today!

Mt. Harvard

This past weekend, I summited my first 14er. I know, it's practically shameful to be in Colorado this long without having done one...

Katrina invited us to tag along on her trip to Buena Vista for a night of camping before hitting up the Collegiate Peaks early the next morning. We decided to start with Mt. Harvard, and leave the option open for Mt. Columbia if we were feeling particularly enthused.

Mt. Harvard proved to be enough to wear us all out. 10.5 hours round trip, 14 miles, and 4500+ ft elevation gain kicked me in the butt!

Some photos:

If you look carefully, you can see people scattered to show the true elevation gain on this "fun" climb.

Somehow, the most delicate flora find way to survive.

The gang @ summit!

Obligatory solo shot...representing GoLite and my Blue Origin hat!

View from the top!