Out beyond Sitka sound, our small fishing boat- amidst the mountains, the islands, and the commercial ships- must have looked no more than a toy bobbing in a swimming pool. Eileen and I stayed quiet as Joesef grunted, readjusted his now blistering hands, and yelled that he definately saw 'something.' Tyler, our captian, told Eileen to look through his backpack for his handgun.
'Will I really need to shoot the fish?'
' If its over 100 pounds, sometimes it's just the easiest way to kill it...no wait, its big, but just hand me that gaff.'
'What?'
'The mallet with the hook at the end."
At the end of the run, pulling in 1000 feet of line from dark waters, we stood on the rocks staring at a 50+ pound halibut and three ling cods, roughly 20 pounds each. I can't really take too much credit, I basically stood back with my mouth gaping as tyler crushed each one's skull.
We now have enough fish to get us through the fall, which helps when you have 300 dollars worth of grocery money between 5 people for the month.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Final Frontier
"Just talk to the bear in a regular voice. I just say, 'hey bear, Hi. I'm here.' You know, let him know you're human...What you absolutely do not want to do is turn around and run, becuase then, you will just look like food."
Within our first 24 hours in Sitka, my fellow housemates and I are invited to a dinner party by a former Jesuit Volunteer (JV) who is now a local. This is a friend of his letting us know what to do when we see a grizzly on the trail. 'Don't be surprised if you see one while hiking, or even on a run.' We are told we will have plenty of adventures, which could be as simple as a hike that begins from our front door. Another guy at the party lets us know that any time we want to get out fishing, to simply give him a call. Another offers us kayaks. The night is cut short, tragically, due to an accident. A small two engine plane, low on fuel and en route to sitka, has lost contact with the airport. Matthew, our host, is a volunteer for the area's search and rescue group.
And so begins my year as a jv in Sitka, Alaska. Remarked by many-a-cruise-passenger to alaska to be one of the most beautiful places they have ever seen. It has only been a couple of days now, and I am taking the week off to get to know the town and my new 'community' (Josef, Eileen, Meg, and Whitney). We will spend this week visiting each other's placements, and if today is any example, learning to get out rain or shine. Probably rain. Hopefully I will also spend some personal time understanding our financial situation, as the house book keeper.
For those entirely out of the loop (as I was), here are a few quick demographics tid-bits.
Population - approx 9,000
Weather - Average annual rainfall is 86 inches (2,200 mm); annual average snowfall is 39 inches (990 mm) - Seattle's average rainfall is 37.1 inches (which is not actually all that much)
Geography - Mount Edgecumbe, a 3,200-foot-tall dormant stratovolcano, is located on southern Kruzof Island. It can be seen on a clear day from Sitka
Weather, cont'd - I have yet to see the sun since landing. It has rained three times today.
Some upcoming activities include kayaking (wednesday) and salmon watching, as they are traveling upstream to lay eggs and sadly perish (I hear the smell is god awful).
I will update soon with a picture, and keep checking your mailboxes for post cards.
Within our first 24 hours in Sitka, my fellow housemates and I are invited to a dinner party by a former Jesuit Volunteer (JV) who is now a local. This is a friend of his letting us know what to do when we see a grizzly on the trail. 'Don't be surprised if you see one while hiking, or even on a run.' We are told we will have plenty of adventures, which could be as simple as a hike that begins from our front door. Another guy at the party lets us know that any time we want to get out fishing, to simply give him a call. Another offers us kayaks. The night is cut short, tragically, due to an accident. A small two engine plane, low on fuel and en route to sitka, has lost contact with the airport. Matthew, our host, is a volunteer for the area's search and rescue group.
And so begins my year as a jv in Sitka, Alaska. Remarked by many-a-cruise-passenger to alaska to be one of the most beautiful places they have ever seen. It has only been a couple of days now, and I am taking the week off to get to know the town and my new 'community' (Josef, Eileen, Meg, and Whitney). We will spend this week visiting each other's placements, and if today is any example, learning to get out rain or shine. Probably rain. Hopefully I will also spend some personal time understanding our financial situation, as the house book keeper.
For those entirely out of the loop (as I was), here are a few quick demographics tid-bits.
Population - approx 9,000
Weather - Average annual rainfall is 86 inches (2,200 mm); annual average snowfall is 39 inches (990 mm) - Seattle's average rainfall is 37.1 inches (which is not actually all that much)
Geography - Mount Edgecumbe, a 3,200-foot-tall dormant stratovolcano, is located on southern Kruzof Island. It can be seen on a clear day from Sitka
Weather, cont'd - I have yet to see the sun since landing. It has rained three times today.
Some upcoming activities include kayaking (wednesday) and salmon watching, as they are traveling upstream to lay eggs and sadly perish (I hear the smell is god awful).
I will update soon with a picture, and keep checking your mailboxes for post cards.
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