Wilderness Blues- Ramblings from the Great Land

This has been quite a summer. In the thirty three years I've made Alaska my home, I can't remember ever experiencing such a warm, dry summer. I bitch a lot about the heat and the westerly winds that accompany the dry, sunny days, but I know that when I'm neck deep in snow and hugging the toyostove for a little extra warmth, I'll look back and wish I had a little of this heat that is bringing so much discomfort right now. This top picture is of Spud Creek. It's not uncommon for it to run dry for a bit in the summer, though this year it has been longer than usual. In the winter the water that is usually there freezes and long icesicles form on the rocks and steps. The astilibe grows wild here. I was fortunate enought to snap a shot before the flowers turned. I guess the locals used to bring buckets to the creek years ago to get their water. I don't know why it's called spud creek- maybe someone used to grow potatoes in the area next to it. Now it forms a bar...

I should be out fishing right now, but the other day when I went out, the hydraulic pump, which I kind of hoped I had a fixed with a shot of WD40 and a rap with a rubber mallet, decided to give up the ghost. Fortunately I was able to get all the gear up this time without having to resort to the pipe wrench. When I first discovered I was having a problem with the pump, I had all four lines in the water and I had to pull two fifty pound leads plus gear and fish, and two thirty five pound leads with gear and fish with the pipe wrench. I had about fourteen fathoms of gear out and could only pull in about six inches at a time. Needless to say it took awhile and I was a little stiff and sore when it all finally came aboard. However, all that's in the past. I sent the pump over to Juneau to be worked on and it's supposed to be coming here on the next flight. Hopefully I will get it all squared away and get out fishing this afternoon. Breakdowns are one of the down falls of being sel...

These are a couple of pictures that I took from the first king salmon opening outside. When I say outside I mean out on the ocean, away from the Inside Passage here in Southeast Alaska. I always hate having to go out there. Almost always there is a swell, which in itself isn't so bad, but if it's a westerly, which it often is, and there is any wind on top of it, which there usually is, then it can be miserable. The area I fish is such that I have to be right in the trough of the waves, which means I'm constantly fighting to maintain my balance while at the same time watching out for other boats and pulling the fish aboard. It makes an otherwise enjoyable experience a real pain. In order to get to the outside, I have to pass through South Inian P ass, which is also a real challenge for me. The idea is to try to time your passage through on the outgoing tide, so you aren't fighting the current. The bad part can be if there is a westerly wind blowing in Cross Sound, the...