Field Notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2021 | Week 35/52 | Summer
Aug 22, 2021
Field notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2021 | Week 35 of 52 | Fishing Alaska 
The first 24 hours…
Alarm went off at 3 am to catch an early morning flight out of SeaTac to Anchorage. I’m meeting up with the Silhouette Outdoors crew Scott Turner and Dakota Miller to explore 9 days of fishing in the Kenai Peninsula. If all goes well, I’ll be shipping home Coho, Sockeye and hopefully halibut to share with friends and family.
Day 1 arrival:
We arrived to sunny skies and sat out on the upper deck 49th State Brewing - Anchorage for “Yak-a-dilla’s”, (quesadilla with yak meet), ahi poke and clam chowder enjoyed with a local ale. After a brief stop to load up on tackle and bear spray, we began the 3-Hour drive to the Kenai Peninsula. We arrived at the cabin, dropped off our bags, and headed out to the river, taking advantage of the fact that it doesn’t get dark until 10 pm!
Day 2 from dawn to dusk:
6 am rise with Reindeer meat breakfast burritos from the local gas station! We arrived at Chugach National Park to fish the Russian River and I caught a big bellied rainbow trout. Both Scott and Dakota were successful so I prepared a salmon dinner with an avocado/red onion/cilantro and fresh squeezed lime topping. This was a much needed nourishment after fishing in the cold and rain all day. I had my Orvis waders on but managed to slip and fall in the River…. Twice. I have a bump on my upper butt the size of a baseball!
We did some late night fishing after dinner. I didn’t get a bite but the silence and repetitive movement gave me plenty of time to reflect on the beauty and reverence I have for this wild place. I didn’t see a grizzly, but I did find rose hips, wild mushrooms and watermelon berries in the lush forest. The Sockeye I observed in the River was no doubt a spiritual experience for me. Alaska is filled with wonder!
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