Alaska, Vermont and life in between ..........: BY WATER, BY AIR

As you all know by now, Alaskans love to fish and salmon is a mainstay for the populous. Carlisle keeps a boat on the Talkeetna River and Bucky and I enjoy seeing the backcountry by waterway. During the summer, the Talkeetna is a silty grey river a result of glacial runoff at its headwaters. In September, the water begins to clear as the glaciers lockup and runoff ceases. The salmon spawn is almost over and the water's edge is littered with dead and dying salmon. It is somewhat hard to see the fish in this state, but the nutrients provided to the animals that eat them as well as to the river and surrounding land makes this a valuable time. On this trip, the water was filled with dying chum. This species of salmon is not one favored by humans for eating. Along the way, we saw many tents being used as base camps for moose hunting. Alaskans move quickly from a summer of fishing to a Fall of hunting. Fisherman were still along the clear streams which feed the Talkeetna hoping to catch trout or a final Silver Salmon.

Getting started, Carlisle in command.

fish camps along the banks

In the Fall, when the fish lay dying, there is a good chance of seeing bear feeding. Both Black Bear and Brown Bear are living here.

We were a bit nervous about walking up a small stream nearby as we hadn't brought along a gun. Carrying a firearm makes venturing off the beaten track a little safer. However, we decided that we had safety in numbers and headed along the stream. I have no pictures to show the hundreds of salmon we found pooled up dying. They occupied every bit of water in every eddy. Bucky noticed one with a yellow filament protruding and set about catching it. Before long he had it for investigation. Evidently, this salmon had been tagged with a locator to follow its passage through life. We returned it to the water realizing that its life would end here shortly. I have to keep reminding myself that these fish were not always here, but have journeyed hundreds of miles from Cook Inlet to spend their final days off the Talkeetna.

Peaceful

Carlisle lives and rents from Tony. Tony is single, probably 60 and has flown and landed in and on the Alaska Range for many years. His experience and Carlisle's insistence resulted in Bucky and I taking advantage of 2 open seats on a flight see and landing on the Eldridge Glacier located on Denali. This occurred on what Tony described as the best day of the summer, one that allowed us to travel to the north side of Denali and view all sides of the range. My pictures cannot allow you to sense the enormity and beauty of these glaciers and mountains. Some of us find the mountains surrounding Denali to be more interesting, but there is no denying Denali's presence.

Tony provided us with information about the mountains, the glaciers, the rivers and the pioneers who climbed and settled this part of Alaska. We were thankful for his kindness in bringing us close to what we had seen only from a distance.