Half of summer

So far I think I’d have to say it has been a decent summer here. Last year, with all the rain, I think many of us that live here were embittered. However, this year it was a bit dry – and some fires took advantage – but there’s been some good rain and enough nice days to make it enjoyable.

We’ve taken a few good camping trips in our new trailer. We went king salmon fishing at Montana Creek – had one on and lost it – and a trip to Eklutna and Hope. Amanda’s cousin and wife were in town for a couple weeks and we did a rafting trip with them. And, a boy’s weekend where Connor and Andrew and I went and camped out at Matanuska Glacier.

About that weekend… Amanda had to go to Valdez for work and Grandma and Grandpa were taking the girls for the weekend. So, the boys and I planned a camping trip. We were going to fly to McCarthy and spend the night there checking out the mine. Friday night the plane developed a chronic case of fouled plugs – 2 plugs actually fouled on takeoff at Merrill and I had to abort the takeoff. So, flying was out, which became a good thing since we would have gotten weather in at McCarthy Sunday.

We decided to drive up to Matanuska, about an hour and a half North of Anchorage. We camped on a bluff overlooking the glacier – we literally walked from our campsite to the glacier! It was gorgeous and the night was perfect. We went for a hike, taking Rosa with us. We had to cross quite a bit of the moraine and there were some pretty muddy parts. We came over one hill and there was Rosa, buried up to her chest, in silty quicksand-like mud. I went in and rescued her, losing my shoes and covering myself in mud in the process, but she was saved. I decided a leash was in order and we went back to camp and got that before heading back to the glacier.

That evening at camp we made a fire, ate dinner, and played football in the big clearing. It was great. Over the course of the night the rain came, though, and by morning the valley was socked in with clouds, the rain was still coming down, and we were sleeping in a mud bath. We ate breakfast in the tent and then packed up and headed home. The boys love sleeping in a tent and we all had a memorable camping trip.

Now we are coming up on serious fishing season. The second run of reds is starting up in the Kenai, which means dipnetting, and silvers are starting to show up some places, also. We have a couple weeks planned down in the States but there will be a lot of busy weekends and weeks, I imagine with fishing, canning, smoking… and lots of eating!