By yesterday’s standards, today was a quiet one but don’t be fooled by my opening statement. We traveled about 100 miles over to Soldatna, through some more of Chugach National Forest. Our main reason for heading over there was to book Carl’s fishing trip and my bear watching trip. Lucky for us there are several companies that offer qualified guides to do both. Right after we turned off the Seward Highway, Alaska State Highway 9 and onto The Sterling Highway, Alaska State Highway 1 on our left was Tern Lake. On the lake was a single Tundra Swan feeding on the abundant aquatic life. Then things started getting busy. I’m not familiar with the area but apparently Carl was. He knew we were approaching the Kenai River, the Salmon fishing Mecca of Alaska. And sure enough, there were campers and boat trailers in every turnout, parking lane, rest area, picnic area and even at the Visitor’s Center. There were people in the river on both sides as far as the eye could see. There are 5 types of Salmon that leave the Pacific Ocean and head up the streams of this area. Right now, 3 of the Salmon species are working their way from salt water into the waters of their birth. It’s the responsibility of every good angler to stop as many of them as possible. And then, there are the bears who do their fair share to eat as many of them as they can possibly catch to put on the much needed fat layer that will see them through the winter. In very heavily used area of the river, the town of Soldatna has erected a boardwalk for people to use to access the river. They’ve provided picnic tables along the way for families to enjoy the out of doors while the parents fish. Behind the visitor’s center is also a table with running water where you can clean your catch and toss the bones and entrails back into the river. All of the unwanted parts of the salmon provide valuable nutrients for the river ecosystem which includes birds, bears and even other fish. I guess I came away a bit perplexed by the actions of these “anglers”. Each stream or river has certain rules and regulations. It’s the angler’s responsibility to know what they are on the section of water they are fishing. They have a rod and reel in their hands but may not be able to use bait, lures or weights so they thrash the water over and over hoping to hook a fish as it swims by. There is no skill in this, only luck and that luck extends to any fish that are snagged. You must hook them in the mouth or gills, not snag them on fins or in the body. The guy next to you could be Fish and Game. They’re out there “fishing” too. The decision to use Talon Air was made after visiting their operation and asking a few questions. Our pilot will fly us out to a gravel bar on the Cook Inlet. We’ll be met by our guide who will take just 4 of us out in an 18 foot boat. We’ll fish, take wildlife photos and with luck, while Carl is fishing, there will be both Brown and Black bears fishing in the same place. We’ll have lunch cooked right there on the beach and then do a bit more fishing and photography. On the flight back there will be photo opportunities for other wildlife and two of the most active volcanoes in Alaska, Mt Redoubt and Mt Spur, both more than 10,000 feet high. With any luck, I’ll have some awesome photos to post next week and we’ll be looking for a place to flash freeze and ship Carl’s fish back to NH. It will be my first trip in a float plane. The weather here is even more crazy than in New England. Out the window of the truck is a bright sunlit sky but it’s raining. Off in the distance, there are black clouds piling up against the mountains but to our right is blue sky. One minute the tops of the mountains are obscured and then I’m experiencing one of those jaw dropping moments when I’m struck by the sheer beauty of the area we’re driving through. Part way back to Seward is this little place called Moose Pass, population 90. Next to the coffee shop / gift shop / grocery store is this operating water wheel. When I get out to take a few photos, I notice what’s really going on here. Someone is making a political statement. I notice a long belt coming of the wheel turning a grind stone very slowly. The sign next to this set up says “Moose Pass is a peaceful little town. If you have an axe to grind, do it here.” I think that’s pretty cool. It’s still early when we get back into Seward so we head off to Exit Glacier. Along the approach to the Visitor’s Center are dated signs posted every so often. I didn’t think anything of the first couple but noticed the numbers going up, 1815, 1849, 1894, etc. It’s Carl who figures out the dates reflect where geologists estimate the glacier was during that year. It’s a visual reference to how far the glacier has receded in just under 200 years. The hike in was just about a mile and was well worth the effort and strain on my knee. Carl pointed out where the bedrock had been scoured quite deeply from trapped rocks caught up in the ice as it retreated and even though the glacier is one of the smaller in the area, it was still pretty cool, both literally and figuratively. We could feel the cold coming off the glistening surface. The path took us close enough to hear the melt water pouring off it in little rivulets. But it also brought us close enough so we could see the gravel and dirt imbedded in the ice. So many of us have this impression the ice from a glacier is crystal clear and it’s anything but. Bottom line, Exit Glacier has retreated more than 10 miles in the past 200 years and shrunk in width as well. There may come a time when there is nothing left of the glacier in the valley. The Harding Ice Sheet is still immense but all glaciers around the world are receding. As we were leaving, we spotted Mountain Goats above the glacier. The wind was pretty stiff but I managed to get one good photo. Before I left the camper this morning, I through a pot roast into our little crock pot. The camper smelled so good when we walked in and best of all, supper was ready and all I had to do was get out a couple of plates. Now, that’s called planning!
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