Alaska 2013: Salmon and Bears

Work lately has consisted of much more backpacking, camping, fish trapping and habitat surveys. Recently, most of the work I have been doing has been by way of boat and helicopters on Kupreanof Island here in southeast Alaska. Outside of work the recreational activities have been awesome. The salmon fishing is really starting to pick up as the sockeye are tailing out, the pink and chum salmon fishing is only getting better! On my last hitch in Kake, a small town on Kupreanof Island, I was able to witness a huge chum salmon run and many bears taking advantage of this feeding opportunity. On the ferry ride back from the to Petersburg I was witness to dozens of feeding and breaching humpback whales and orcas. Aside from mostly salmon fishing, I have been able to catch quite a few dungeness crab. With a diet of crab and salmon my food situation has greatly improved from the $90 a week living stipend I am on. When I am not working, as previously stated, a lot of my time is spent fishing with some of the other seasonal workers living here and working for the Forest Service, we also have done a lot of kayaking, and hiking. Next week, I will be off to Prince of Whales Island to sample some watersheds down in that region of the Tongass National Forest. As always, a few pictures from recently.