Wilderness Blues- Ramblings from the Great Land

Digging on the mud flats for crabs Success- five Dungenss Crabs ready to cook Star fish A Sun Star Star fish on the beach Sea Cucumber A Horse Clam  When most people talk of going to the beach, there are visions of warm water, bikini clad beauties, sand, surf, wading in the water and swimming. I decided to join my family members the other night and we didn't experience any of the above. Instead we faced snow, wet boots, mud flats and exercise with clam rakes. On December 23 and 24 of this year, we were blessed with unusually high tides. As I've mentioned on this blog before, really high tides create really low tides about six hours later. It seems that the lowest tides are usually in the evening, as was the case the other day. Both nights experienced a minus 4 foot tide. When that happens, all the areas that would usually be covered by water are exposed, and it's the prime time for going beach combing, looking for clams, cockles, or Dungen...

  Several days ago, Hoonah lost yet another one of it's residents. With all that's going on in the world, Ukraine, Obamacare, Flight 370, it didn't get the slightest bit of national attention, but here in Hoonah, the word spread like wildfire that Jack Brewer had passed away. We've had any number of folks die here, just like anywhere else, but when some people pass on, their passing leaves a void and a sadness that seems to impact the whole town. Jack was one of the good guys, and in an era when there seems to be less and less of them, his absence is noticeable. He worked at the school as a janitor, but not because he didn't have talent to spare. He was a world class welder and could do any number of hands on projects with a degree of skill that was greatly admired. He was one of those guys that every town needs and is glad to have. You don't think about them much until you have a project that needs done and then you're damn glad they're around. Jack...

 I can't really remember why I took this top picture.Several weeks ago I was out and around with the camera just enjoying the day and the reletively mild weather. I guess I wanted to show anyone who might be interested, a shot of the booming metropolis of Hoonah, Alaska. This is Front Street, the main drag. Actually, it looks pretty good compared to what it looked like when I arrived back in 1976. Back then the road was about half the width and was an unpaved,muddy, potholed disaster. The only cars I saw were the ones that other people from Mt. Bether had brought up here with them.  They  had to leave them in town  because there was no way to transport them to the farm; even if there was, there was nowhere to drive. Now it seems like there are almost as many cars as there are people. It's really apparent when  you're trying to get into the parking lot at Hoonah Trading. Lord knows how many accidents there have been in that lot. I guess it was fine...

It's the end of the day for this troller, the Mickey V (five). Like me, he's chosen Flynn Cove for his resting place for the night. It's a popular harbor with quick access to Eagle Point, Point Adolphus, Pleasant Island and about an hour and half away, Homeshore. It's a great place to anchor if the wind is coming from the East, though any Westerly will find it's way into there and you can rock and roll all night. When the coho salmon are running later in the season, it's not uncommon to find twelve or fifteen boats anchored in here. This year though the fish have been hard to come by on the inside. Even the guys outside haven't done all that well that I can determine. There's been a steady stream of boats passing by lately, partially because of the poor fishing, and in part because of the horrible weather we're experiencing now. ( Forty knots and twenty foot seas out in the ocean and Icy Straits isn't much better today, with thirty five knots and...

It's May 12, and so far spring has been all that anyone could ask for. What a contrast to the past several years. It runs in my mind that there were only about 18 days of sun last spring and summer. This year has far exceeded that already. I love this view. There is a dirt road above the town that stretches for several miles. There are only a few breaks in the trees like this one.As you can see, the view is fantastic. On the left is the entrance to the small boat harbor. The breakwater extends all the way to Graveyard Island. I'm not sure how many people are buried there, but it I believe the city is looking for a new site. The mountain off in the distance is Seagull Mountain. Like all the area around here, it has been extensively logged, which is evident by the large bare patches on the sides of the mountain. The area on the other side of the breakwater is shallow and supports a healthy stock of Dungeness crabs. Quite a few of the locals keep crab pots in the area. It'...

One January evening I was out with the camera and was so impressed with the view down by the cold storage that I had to preserve it. www.wildernessblues.com