Alaska Day #6

Today J.J. and I went back to the Nushagak River to fish for King Salmon. It was very cold and rained all day long. We got very wet and tried to stay warm. Both of us were wearing multiple layers of coats, sweatshirts, rain gear and gloves and even with all that the cold cut through us like a knife. We caught about 12 fish and kept 5 of them but our biggest fish was only about 15 pounds. We are only allowed to take two King Salmon per day - and one of them has to be smaller than 28 inches so it becomes a bit of a quessing game which fish to keep. Everyone was very surprised when one of the fish I caught was a Pike and not a salmon. Pikes are usually found in the lakes and not streams so this catch was kind of unusual. Pikes have very sharp teeth and our guide cut his finger as he handed me the fish for the picture. We put the Pike back in the river for someone else to catch. We are returning tomorrow to fish for salmon again - hopefully it will be warmer and we will catch bigger fish.

One of the things that has been difficult for everyone is the fact that it never gets dark at night. I haven't seen darkness since we left Los Angeles last week. I now understand why Alaska is known as the land of the midnight sun and have a greater appreciation for what Kyle had to deal with in Russia. The picture of the lake shown above was taken at 11:00 at night. It gets a little darker around 3:00 in the morning but not by much. And then by 5:00 in the morning it is sunny again. It will actually be strange to see a dark sky, the moon and stars again.

After we return from fishing tomorrow we will have about 1/2 hour to shower and change and then jump on the float planes for a short 15 minute ride to Iliamna - a very small town on the banks of Lake Iliamna. There we will catch a nine seater twin engine charter plane for a 90 minute flight back to Anchorage. In Anchorage we will catch a taxi to go to the Anchorage International Airport and wait for our flight home which doesn't leave until 1:00 in the morning. We have a direct flight back to SLC which will arrive Saturday morning at 7:30. Hopefully we can get some sleep on the plane.

All in all I have to say that this trip to Alaska has been one amazing experience that I will never forget. The country is unbelievably beautiful and the fishing experience is really a once in a lifetime adventure. However for me the best part was being able to hang out with J.J. for a whole week. I will forever be thankful for his kindness to bring me along for the ride. Thanks J.J. for giving me these wonderful memories. I know it will be something we will talk about for the rest of our lives.

Enjoy the photos