Alaska season

Well it’s been almost a week since I got back from Alaska. The season was weird. We had a lot of fish for several days and then had almost nothing. I heard from my cousin who is still up there that more fish have come, so that’s good news for those still working, especially my cousin who needs money for college. I ended up coming home with less to 2 grand. That’s a lot lower than previous years, but at least I don’t absolutely need money for my mission. I have wonderful parents and grandparents ready to pay. I and my sister made deals with our parents that we’ll buy all the clothes and they’ll cover everything else.
About a week and a half into the season we got to see bears!
 
My camera doesn’t have a great zoom, but you can tell there’s a mom and a cub. The mom was looking for salmon on the river at low tide. I loved getting to watch the cub run and play.

It was often cloudy this summer so I only got to see one gorgeous sunset, but it was amazing enough. the clouds there are beautiful because the air is so clean. On our first Sunday there we had the morning off. The river was so smooth. The picture on the bottom left is my sister’s work. It says “gloves”. Part of our job is to clean the floors in the break room. In order to get all the dirt up we had to scrub it with water and a stiff bristle broom and then mop it up.
Overall my experience in Alaska was good, though I wish I could have stayed longer. It’s been a blessing to be back this early though. We got to go see the final Harry Potter movie at midnight! Such an amazing movie! We watched the 5th, 6th, and 7th pt.1 with friends before going to the showing. It was a great experience. I also got to see some extended family who passed through town and begin preparing for my mission.

Alaska Week 1

Last Monday began a 4 to 6 week adventure one of the least populated states of the US: Alaska. I am currently stationed at a fish processing facility just outside of a tiny town called Naknek which is along the Naknek River a couple miles inland from the Bristol Bay( or in other words, on the south western coast of Alaska just north of the large peninsula and long chain of islands).
Monday was quite the adventure all in itself. That day alone, I was traveling or waiting to travel for almost 24 hours. At 1 AM we left home and drove to the Boise airport. At 7:00AM I boarded the first of three planes and flew for 1 hour and 20 minutes(most of which I slept), crossing the first of two times zones to arrive in Seattle 20 minutes after takeoff…talk about screwing with my internal clock. My sister and I then stored our luggage at the airport and took the Light Rail to downtown Seattle (30 minute ride) where we spent several hours at the Aquarium and walked through Pike Place Market. I’d have to say that my first time on public transportation was a good one…except that it was a little tricky to find the entrance to get back to the rail. We saw the Space Needle only from a distance from the Light Rail, but we did see it.
We met up with my cousin back in the airport at 2pm, checked in, and waited for our next flight. At 6:30p our second plane took off and we flew for 3 more hours to Anchorage, AK. When we arrived we heard our names among others being called for boarding our next plane and ran to our small gate on the lower level. There we had the fastest layover in my history with that airport. We were there for a total of 30 minutes before taking off in a small 30 passenger plane for King Salmon. It was 10:30pm, rainy, and still light outside when we arrived…typical Alaska. We got on a yellow bus and rode to the facility where we were given room in the simple bunkhouses and settled in. I finally got to sleep around 12:30 am after filling out my paperwork…which back home would be 2:30 am. I only got to sleep for 5 hours before I had to be up again, but that next night I got to go to bed supper early and got a full 10 hours in…it was heavenly.
Though my job up here is not glamorous, I do enjoy the simple wild beauty of the scenery around us. We don’t have any tall mountains in the area, but the tundra is deep green with vegetation, the river ebbs and flows with the tide, if up late enough (about 11pm) you can catch a glimpse of a gorgeous sunset, the air is so clear that the clouds have extra detail you will find few places, and every once in a while you can feel the warmth of the sun warming up the cool earth. Bald eagles and seagulls hang out in the river at low tide, bears wander through the area (no, I haven’t seen one yet), and mosquitos abound when it warms up a little. Alaska is a land all of it’s own, and I enjoy the time I spend here.

The small 30 passenger plane lifted off the tarmac into the air. As the few buildings bellow shrank, a wide view of green and brown tundra dotted by ponds sprawled out below. Grey mountains lay in the distance. The white misty ceiling of clouds loomed closer and then engulfed the plane. Soon the craft was above that ceiling, gliding between it and a second that was streaked with blue and pink...

5 weeks + 400 pictures + 15 cold showers + 1 mosquito bite + 10 extra pounds + Bristol Bay sweat pants + a few new friends + several thousand green ones = oodles of memories of my second year working in Naknek, Alaska.

Some of my favorite memories include a gorgeous view of white cotton candy clouds over the river after a week of rain, Brandon constantly nodding his head, wonderful views from the airplane, Abby's squeaking laugh, the sleepover in room 7, the mealtimes when we would sit and talk long after we were all finished eating, the lazy hours hanging with the Jades, mug up after mug up, Sarah's hugs, Mike's Civil War beard, the rubber band ball, Amy's adorable laugh and posture when she's eating, Carlos's constant attempts to lift us by our nostrils, Abigail chasing Gerald around the gear room, Jojo saying "Na, na", singing parties and movie nights, tomato soup and grilled cheese, Sunday devotionals, hellos and goodbyes.

I hope I will get to go back next year. The wild spirit of Alaska is calling me back...

Off I go to Alaska

In a little less than two days, I'll be leaving on a jet plane surrounded by a few friends and family. Destination: Naknek, Alaska. Time: 4-6 weeks.

I'm excited and calm, wary and happy. My sister, brother, our good friend, and I went together last summer, so I am familiar with the atmosphere and life at a fish cannery. We worked, struggled, laughed, slept, and earned during that month last year. This year, my brother, sister, and I will be joined by a cousin, two of her friends, an old coworker of my brother's, and another friend. I am tickled to know we will have so many comrades working alongside us. I am intrigued to see what laughs, trials, and experiences this group will share.

My only fear for this year is that my tendinitis will worsen because of a constant use of my hands. I recently began physical therapy and have had intense sessions often over the last week and a half. With this therapy breaking up the calcium deposits (scar tissue) and the tips from my therapist (who happens to be the bishop of my parents' ward :) ) I am well on my way to healing and prevention. I think as long as I am true to the doctor's prescription, I won't have too much difficulty.

Well, off I soon will go with a full day of travel and many weeks in the wild frontier of Alaska where bears and moose roam, King Salmon swim (and are soon caught up in a net, dumped into a tender, unloaded at a dock, and processed for canning or freezing...), mountains tower, tundras dominate, and I drink in the beauty of the green landscape and gray river beyond the dock from my chilly bunkhouse at the AGS facility 1 mile from Naknek, 3 miles from Bristol Bay, and 40 miles to the Bearing Sea. Wish us luck!