It was just gonna be a quick trip....

Hello everyone and I hope this Monday finds you warm and dry. Over the weekend, we had another tremendous snowstorm here, piling snow and then ice in huge drifts all over the island, filling the bay up with more floating chunks of menacing ice. This time they were too big for my boat to cut through - I had to try and avoid them.

Jim Paul and I decided to go hunting at low tide , which was 3:30 a.m. Saturday night/Sunday morning because with all this snow, the deer would be flushed down out of the woods onto the beaches. You have to go at low tide because there's room for the deer to come out of the woods - not to mention you have to have room to beach your skiff after you shoot, go get the deer, and get it into the boat. This is all considerably easier to do after low tide has passed, because the tide starts to come back in. Now obviously, this makes sense, or should anyway, because with the water rising, there is no danger of your boat getting beached. If the tide is going out, and you beach your boat, and turn your back for one minute, it's really beached. With constant vigilance, you can do this if you keep pushing it out repeatedly while holding on to the bow rope, and you can still get in it and leave. If not, you're screwed for about at least 6-8 hours unless you can move a 1200 pound aluminum boat filled with equipment and an engine mounted on the back.

Now, having said that, here we go. We took off around the back side of Wadleigh, and headed towards 11-Mile, which is heading almost to open Pacific Ocean waters - inside the Archipelago, we have the security (or danger) of many little islands and rocks to break the monotony of the open seas. That is why we run around in little beach seining skiffs that aren't really meant for ocean usage.....but I digress.

We were fine when we first started out - it was actually kind of nice, not bitterly cold, with a pretty steady pelting of huge snowflakes. If you opened your mouth for a few seconds, it was kinda like a little snack. Instead of bailing the boat out when we got in, we used a snow shovel! We crept along (now mind you it is PITCH dark outside - and we're using the moonlight to navigate - if you even turn on your flashlight when it's snowing, you're blinded for hours - the only thing that works is an amber light_) , easing past island after island, along the shores, watching over the sides of the boat for rocks, making our way past Chinaku, towards the 11 Mile Marker. During the day, this is where I bomb out in my little skiff to fish - it takes me about 30 minutes - it took considerably longer this night because we couldn't see.

Then, the snow really started to swirl, swirl, swirl, around us, and as we rounded the corner which allowed us to view the marker, an 8 foot wave picked us up and slammed us down. It killed my back, as I was closer to the bow than I should have been, but I was looking for rocks. Now Jim Paul is excellent in these situations, and he was not worried, not one bit. We rode out these waves for a while, until we finally fought our way there. When we finally found a spot to turn around without getting bashed onto rocky cliffs, we did, and started our journey back to the house. However....we still had no deer. But, this was when we were supposed to start looking for them anyway, right? So we did - but it seems as if the storm we encountered actually turned around and began to follow us in. We thought we'd get out of it when we turned, but we were wrong. We saw 12 deer over the next few hours, and Jim Paul shot at 5 of them. Now Jim Paul never misses - I've seen him come back from an evening drive down the road with 5 bucks on top of his car, and he wasn't even going hunting! The waves precluded shooting straight. They were 6 feet, 7 feet, 8 feet, it was so scary to watch him. He would stand up, hold the boat motor with his left thigh, put his right foot up on the seat, hold his gun, wipe the scope, and shoot. But about that time, the waves would throw us for another loop. His rifle kicked at the same time a wave threw the boat around sideways, and he cut his nose open. He could have cared less. The waves were brutal, and merciless. Then they started crashing over our heads, and we both got water down inside our Mustang suits. BAD. WET BAD. WET COLD.

Long story short, the journey home took hours. We hit rocks, we had other troubles that aren't worth mentioning. I ended up in the floor of the Lund between the middle seats, wrapped in a blue tarp, waiting for the stupid sun to come up. We got home at 10:30 in the morning, and let me tell you - I have never ever been so glad to see this place!!!! Needless to say, we didn't get any deer, but we didn't care. The best part of my journey, however, was when Jim Paul looked over the side and said "WOAAAA!! ROCKS!!" and immediately shut off the motor. How we didn't destroy the prop I still don't know, but we were drifting over the biggest reef I've ever seen, and it took us a while to get off of it. But, while I was looking over the edge, swathed in my tarp, I saw a family of seals, bobbing up and down in this beautiful floating mass of kelp, happily playing with each other, chasing food underneath the icy surface, flipping and bobbing with no cares in the world. I looked at one of them eye to eye - and for a moment, he almost winked at me, telling me to hang in there, slow down, and this too would pass.

Truthfully, even though it was an awful circumstance that most people would have considered to be horribly scarring, it was glorious. It was one of the most glorious nights of my life where I got to see and hear things that I never would have, and won't again, till the next time......

Love you guys, Jamie
By the way, here is Wikipedia's definition of where I live:
Alexander Archipelago (ärkĭpĕl'əgō) , island group off SE Alaska. The islands are the exposed tops of the submerged coastal mountains that rise steeply from the Pacific Ocean. Deep, fjordlike channels separate the islands and cut them off from the mainland; the northern part of the Inside Passage threads its way among the islands. The largest islands are Chichagof, Admiralty, Baranof, Wrangell, Revillagigedo, Kupreanof, Mitkoff, and Prince of Wales. All the islands are rugged, densely forested, and have an abundance of wildlife. The Tlingit are native to the area. Ketchikan (1990 pop. 8,263) on Revillagigedo island and Sitka (1990 pop. 8,588) on Baranof island. Lumbering, trapping, fishing, and canning are the main industries. The archipelago was visited by the Russians in 1741 and was later explored by Britain, Spain, and the United States.

Only seven-hundred miles up the coast from Seattle lies Alaska’s magnificent Alexander Archipelago. The outer islands of the archipelago form one of the most wild, beautiful, and little-explored temperate rain forest coastal ecosystems on earth. Inaccessible by any means other than private vessels appropriately outfitted, these wilderness areas lie far off the beaten path of tourism, waiting for your exploration and discovery. Among the designated wilderness areas of the Tongass National Forest that we visit are Coronation Island, Kuiu Island, South Prince of Wales Island, and remote Forrester Island, a part of the Alaska Maritime Refuge.

Called by some biologists "the Galapagos of the North", 2800 acre Forrester Island is home to some one-million seabirds, including horned and tufted puffins, Leach’s and fork-tailed storm petrels, Cassin’s and rhinoceros auklets, ancient murrelets, as well as one of the largest healthy Stellar sea lion rookeries in the world. Other wild residents of the Archipelago include the pigeon guillemot, yellow billed loon, Barrow’s goldeneye, harlequin duck, oldsquaw, red-necked phalarope, whimbrel, red-breasted sapsucker, varied thrush, Townsend’s warbler; numerous marine mammals including the sea otter, humpback whale, minke whale, orca (killer whale), Dall’s porpoise, Pacific white-sided dolphin; 49 terrestrial mammal species including the Alexander Archipelago wolf, and massive black and grizzly bear; a spectacular variety of colorful inter-tidal and marine life; an endless collection of unique temperate rain forest flora and fauna.

Is it already Thanksgiving again?

I remember last year and the crazy events preceding the Holidays. I can't believe an entire year has passed and I'm still here - still working on this house and these surroundings. The creature comforts have improved .....I'm online, I have hot water, I have 3 different sources of heat to choose from, and I have a wind turbine for power now.

I will have to say this - the wind turbine was a $900 ass kicking. It was supposed to change our lives out here - save $$ on generator gas, charge the batteries quicker, etc. What a disappointment!! Not only does it not keep up with my power needs, it doesn't seem to really do anything at all. If the wind is blowing at gale force speeds, the turbine will go, and the lights come on as if it is charging the batteries. It is charging the batteries, but not like the generator does. We have an old battery charger out of a motor home hooked up to our battery bank, and it works way better than the new-fangled technology that was supposed to be a godsend.

Sigh....another disappointment. I shouldn't have let the lady talk me into the more expensive marine model either. I should've trusted my instincts and gotten a cheaper one to try out, I should've made that left turn in Albuquerque......

Anyway, it has been snowing like crazy here - a couple of feet at least over the weekend. Big, thick snow that is hard to walk through - hard to shovel, hard to drive in, easy to make snow cones out of!!! Luckily we had a jar of Huckleberry/Blueberry syrup from Arlene Buoy (Short Round as I like to call her) that made the most delicious snowcones ever!!

On the way home during the first heavy snowfall last Friday, it was too dense to see the house. The only thing to do was turn off the motor, listen for the doggies, and hope we were pointed in the right direction. Kinda scary, but no big deal. We had worse times getting home last year. Every time I go to town and head back home after dark, I get asked the same question, "You go home in the boat after dark?" Of course, I say, how else would I get there? You go home in your car after dark, don't you? I gotta get there somehow!!! And believe it or not, it's been cool to learn to train my eyes to see at night, using the landscape to guide me. Another challenge for the city slicker.....

Anyway, Happy Holidays from the wilds......stay warm, safe, and dry. For me, that is the equation for a long and happy life......what is yours?

P.S. Has your hair ever frozen into two strips of ice on your way home? Reference the photo.......

A really crappy day was had by all...

Yesterday was one of the highest tides of the year.

My boat floated off. My windows floated off. I wanted to float off. Tlingit boys saved my day again. They came over, found my boat, and hauled off a 60 foot log that was ruining my day.

AND, they brought me another piece of furniture from my storage. I must be living right.

Alaska Boys - I love 'em.....


So my sofa which got here almost a year ago after much strife and a delay in Seattle (which is a whole other sordid tale) finally just made it to my house. It's the shittiest day imaginable as far as it's windy, probably 35 mph or better, it's in the 20's, but it's high tide and the sun is out, so it is deemed an appropriate day to deliver my long-awaited sofa. Now keep in mind that before the sofa can be brought into my house, my king sized wrought iron sleigh bed must be disassembled and moved upstairs.

That sounds simple, but in my case it involves a chainsaw, and that's all I'm gonna say. I'm still cleaning up the mess. But my bed made it upstairs, and the sofa is now in its place in my home - after a perilous windy boat ride in an open skiff - 16 feet of aluminum between it and the sea - those good old Alaskan boys brought it in, hacked up my floor, moved my bed, brought in the sofa, and were off to their cold boat ride home before I could say boo.

Waving to me, that's the last thing I saw before they blew into their skiff and headed off. I love them for it.....to the brothers Buoy and Kennedy, I love you both.....Jamie

Summer's over - and it's sad

Well hello to everyone in the rest of the world - it's a sad day for me as I watch the skies cloud up and the rain begin to fall - a cold rain - not the summertime rain. The weather is shifting here, and it causes a change in gear. Clothing, hats, gloves, rain gear, boots, everything changes that goes on our bodies. I never realized how much clothing plays a major role in living somewhere like this. Every day when we get ready to leave the house, we make sure that staying dry is part of the program. I don't know an Alaskan who has lived here all their life who doesn't stress the importance of staying dry. We wear rubber boots made out of neoprene that are great actually - feet never get wet - and stay warm too - the bottom of the boots sucks to any docks or rocks that are slippery. I only fall down when I don't wear my X-Tra Tuffs. That's what they're called. Also, we all wear Rain Gear - bib overalls and hooded jackets over whatever clothes you're wearing. That way, you stay dry while in transit. The same goes for transporting anything, groceries, supplies, etc. Wrap them in plastic, or extra rain gear!!! Well, this was just my thought for the day - looks like I have something to do now - go upstairs and unpack all the winter gear.........winter is here....Jamie

Alaska Wild and Free - for a Texas girl

Alaska Wild and Free - for a Texas girl

Alaska Girl

Oct 3, 2006 - 22 Photos

Various fishing pictures - or dinner as I like to call them!

 
 
 
  

Jim Paul with the girls

 

I caught all these fish in one day...except for the funny looking dog - she's here every day....

I'm so glad I live here.....

This has to be the most beautiful place in the world! Southeast Alaska - who knew the weather was so nice here? When I thought of Alaska before, I pictured a frozen tundra with penguins and walruses sliding around on ice. Boy was I wrong! Here on Prince of Wales Island, the 3rd largest island in the States by the way, the weather is usually beautiful and the fishing is grand. Year round temperatures are between 30 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, with a good deal of average rainfall per year. The result is a true temperate rainforest, with beautiful old growth yellow and red cedar, hemlock, spruce, and alder trees, along with a selection of just about any kind of wild berry you can think of as well as an exotic array of wild mushrooms twice a year.

On any given day in the spring, summer, and early fall, one is likely to see a pod of killer whales, humpback whales, sea lions, or seals coming to share in the salmon harvest that is so plentiful here. The native Alaskan people still practice the traditional fishing methods of beach seining to get their yearly supply of fish to last through the winter. Sockeye, Dog, and Coho salmon are plentiful at different times throughout the spring and summer, and other fish such as Red Snapper, Rock Cod, and Halibut can be found as well if you go out a little further and fish the bottom. The Sitka Black-tailed deer are everywhere, and they are delicious. Vastly different from deer that I've eaten in Texas that had that gamey venison flavor, Alaskan deer taste more like a fine veal. It's the best meat I've ever had. The only other residents here are black bears and timberwolves, which one doesn't see very often. The wolves are pretty stealthy, and not a big fan of the human. The bears however are hungry, curious, and plentiful. It's not unusual to see them fishing or picking berries, mama bears out with their cubs playing on the beach. They're smaller than the grizzly bears I've always seen on TV, and they don't have much interest in bothering the humans.

My house is right on the beach, and I have to use a skiff to get to the town of Klawock, which is a 5 minute boat ride to go grocery shopping, gas up, etc. My island, Wadleigh Island, is virtually uninhabited year round, with mostly summertime travellers coming to stay for 2 weeks or so in July or August. The rest of the year, I'm just about alone out here, which is fine with me! It's the most peaceful place I've ever been. I have learned alot from being here, from myself as well as the beautiful people of Klawock. I have never met a nicer bunch of folks than the people who live in this tiny fishing village , pop. 1000. They are mostly Tlingit or Haida, and most of them have lived here all their lives, and are descendants of multiple generations of residents. They still practice many of their traditional cultures, and they are vigilant in making sure that their children know of the ways of their people as well. The rest of the world seems but a distant memory to us here....the island moves at an island pace. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. We don't get too upset about it, because tomorrow is another day, and there will be another plane coming in eventually!! The mail and the groceries will get here when they get here. We take care of each other, and live in respect to each other and the land. It is a community in the truest sense of the word. It's pretty cool to live somewhere where there is one policeman who doesn't even put on his uniform every day, unless he has to when the phone rings!!! The rest of the world should take an example.....