Summers in Alaska are magic. Why else would anyone endure nine months of dark and cold in the great white north if not for the near limitless potential for adventure and recreation come summer time. Nothing seems to come easy here though.

Incredible as the summers are, they go by far too quickly and this year has been no exception. It seems like yesterday the last of the snow was melting, water levels started to climb, and the first real fishing opportunities were being realized. Now, the dark is starting to creep back in, the temperatures are cooling, and just today I have seen the first few leaves drop signaling the leading edge of fall.

Rewind the clock a week and change. Staring down the barrel of an increasingly busy work schedule and with summers finish line growing closer by the day I was feeling the need for little time in the deeper in the woods and a something a little more adventurous. At more or less the drop of a hat I grabbed the wife, rolled up the raft and left obligations in the rearview mirror to spend a week on a little wilderness crik not too far from home.

I couldn't conjure up much in the way of grand stories to tell. For the most part it was business as usual. Super scenic setting, highly engaging rowing, excellent fishing, spotty weather and good company. I will try and insert a few anecdotes and mini-stories amidst batches of photos and it might take a day or three to put it all together. With marginal weather for most of the trip I didn't pull the big camera out much so you'll have to make do with mostly point and shoot photos.





The plan had been to catch a float plane flight to the lake where this particular trip starts. The weather was pretty iffy on the morning of day one and we wound up turning around about halfway there with clouds being on the deck. Between weighing in twice and the false start we packed and unpacked all of our crap in my rig 6 times. It was getting old by the time we finally reloaded at the airport in a wheel plane and made it to the lake not too long after we had hoped to be there.



Rico would be proud.












The de Havilland Beaver, workhorse of Alaska.












Beaver triple 7 Tango on the slide
















Take two. After a failed first attempt to get in, we regrouped at the airport, unpacked and repacked again, and set off in much better weather later in the day.




























Adios Chris and thanks for the ride.






The lake's outlet and start of the floating, 55 miles through tundra and several canyons would lead us back to the big muddy rivers and hopefully a ride home at the end of the week.




The float starts at a super scenic little lake tucked into the hills at the base of the Alaska Range. On a clear day, Denali, Foraker, and other peaks and glaciers of the range dominate the skyline.






More to follow.