A note: Given the limited power we have in field camp, most of these posts will be written in an hour or so. Because of this, I really haven't had a great chance to edit, so please excuse any incorrect grammar, bad spelling, or just downright confusing stuff. Otherwise, please enjoy!
With March turning the page, we are once again met with rain showers. With the rain though, came fish. An early morning net clean revealed our sneaking suspicions that once again, sockeye were returning to Waterfall. The 300 fish at the net this morning signal the start of the season in which we are expecting to see upwards of 12,000. These fish will all be caught, not one going up river to spawn. The many waterfalls on our river keep the young sockeye from reaching the lake above where they necessarily spend as much as two years of their lives. From their they will travel out to the Pacific for a couple of years and then will return as the four and five pound chrome fish we were seeing at the net this morning.
In the meantime though, we’ve been keeping ourselves busy with non-salmon related business. The 4-wheeler road is in constant disrepair and has been drawing our attention over the last few days. Mostly we’ve been fixing particularly sticky sections with trailer loads of gravel. When we’re not working and the weather is nice we’re usually outdoors either in the bay or in the woods, or, if it’s raining, inside next to the kerosene drip stove with book in hand. Bear sighting have been few and far between. In the almost two weeks we’ve been here, we’ve seen the bear maybe three times. Given the ornery nature of our ursine neighbors last year we were wary about the inevitable close encounters of this year. So far though, the one time when we were “up close and personal” we chased him/her off without issue, only being met with a few snorts and bush crashing as the bear moved off. This year’s bear, there probably will be more, is likely one of a pair from last year. She, I believe she is the sister of the pair, has honey colored ears but a dark coat. Her print is approximately 7.5 inches in length, making her about an 8 foot bear and probably weighing 500-700 pounds. In Afognak terms, she is not a particularly impressive bear.
Last Sunday we celebrated Nate’s 30th birthday by climbing Bruin Mountain, the closest peak behind the cabin. At about 2300 feet, it’s not a huge mountain. But, coming straight up from sea level it looks more imposing than it is. Still though, it’s high enough to have permanent snow fields and provides a beautiful lookout for the rest of the island.
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