Senior Exhibit Journal #1 - Summer Activity

My summer activity was a fly fishing trip to the wonderful state of Alaska. While there is participated in a couple tutorials involving fish safety and my own safety, from bears. I fished for five days straight, and ate fleshly cooked Salmon or Halibut from the ocean each night. Although I learned a ton about Alaska and its rich environment, it is fair to say I also had a ton of fun on my trip. My trip started from Washington D.C. and after three plane rides I had finally made it to King Salmon, Alaska. My first experience was indescribable. No disrespect to the Alaskan because they are incredibly nice people, but it was as if I was in another country. My first five minutes included watching a middle-aged lady verbally assault an airport official in broad daylight, an act that would have led straight to prison if done in the continental United States. I knew it would be a good week.
I went on the trip with my father because we both have developed a strong passion for the sport of fly fishing. The second morning we left King Salmon in a small airplane and headed 120 miles into the wilderness. I mean this literally. After the hour long fight we landed on a tidal flat where I would spend one of the most incredible weeks of my life. We were met but six grizzly looking men that escorted us to the camp. It was easy to see they were well adjusted to the environment. My dad and I shared a tent that simply had two cots and two lamps. We were living the simple life. After unpacking and taking to short tour of the camp, we were all dying to try out the fishing. After we suited up, we walked down to the large streams and there were fish everywhere. Much to our dislike, the guide told us to keep moving because there are “too many” fish in that area and he didn’t want to disturb the environment. Never in my life had I passed up fish, this is how I knew it would be a good week. We eventually settled in to various spots and tied on our flies and were ready to cast. I begin to cast and saying mine was bad would probably have been an over statement. It had been a while since I had casted and it was very noticeable. After numerous unsuccessful false casts I let the line go and it landed a mere 30 feet in front of me compared to the 60 foot casts the other guests were making. Luckily for me within 5 seconds, I yelled “Fish On”.
After the first afternoon, I attended two tutorials on the preservation of fish and bear safety. Caring for the fish was the #1 priority. None of the fish were close to or going endangered, but still, the small population of fish we caught, we learned how to take off a fish carefully. The main point in the tutorial was not to fish in one place for too long because it can destroy the natural habitat. The bear talk was something we all knew was coming long before we arrived in Alaska. In our valley there were sixteen humans and over twenty bears, so safety was a big issue. We learned never to surprise a bear, so we literally walked around all say yelling. “HEY BEAR” or “HO BEAR”. There was actually an incident where two men in my group were charged. They were fine but it was the first time since the camp opened that it has happened. Lastly, for safety all the people in the camp, the guides carried high powered rifles everywhere.
Our typical day was very simple. It consisted of a 7 am wake up with breakfast at 7:30 am. By around nine, we were all ready to fish. We packed sandwiches every day and walked down a hill and we were already at our destination. We had some of the best fishing in the world right in front of our fingertips. We fished all day and usually retreated back to the camp at around 4:30. While there I would usually use the telescope and bear watch until dinner. The camp I was at is completely self sustaining, so the cook went out every day and caught our food. Meals were delicious and after a long day, everyone usually went to bed very early. The last two days on the trip were my favorite because a helicopter would show up in the morning and take us into new terrain that had never been touched, with that the fish were even more populated then I had every seen. Since we were away from camp, we broke the rule of not staying in the small for too long because I literally did not move all day and caught around 60 7-25 pound pick, chum, or silver salmon. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever done.
At the end of the trip, I was definitely sad to leave. I had had one of the greatest weeks of my life; my fly dishing skills improved dramatically and my knowledge on the area I was in was vast. My summer activity was a success and the information o learned is going to help me go through my senior exhibit with much less harm.