Just got back from spending 2 great weeks in a truly amazing state! If you love the outdoors then you will love Alaska.

 

My fiancee & I, along with my brother and his fiancee, flew to Anchorage July 20th to spend 2 weeks touring Alaska with our parents, who are there for the summer. Being retired, they decided to escape the southern heat by heading there for a 3 month vacation.

 

For the first 9 days we toured & explored Denali National Park where, amongst other things, Kristen (my fiancee) climbed her first mountain!   It was not a very technical climb at all (crux was a short 5.6 section) and only a 1500 ft elevation gain to the top, from where we were camped, so I had no worries she could do it. It was a blast though! We packed a couple small packs, set off in the morning & 5 hours later we were kicking it back at camp. With the views she had from on top, she finally got experience what life above treeline is like. While in the Nat Park we saw a total of 18 Grizzlies, 8 Moose, lots of Caribou, and a host of smaller wildlife ( ground squirrles, porcupines, pica, etc..). The Alaska Range has some of the most beautiful mountains I have been to. If you like vast open wilderness, I highly recommend Denali National Park! 

 

After 9 great days, we packed up and headed 350 miles southwest to the Keni Peninsula. That means its time to break out the fly rods!!!

Salmon fishing in Alaska has been on my bucket list for a loooong time! It was here we heard the first bad news of the trip...the King Slamon fishing had been closed by Alaska Fish & Wildlife. The runs were so small they had to close them to fishing to preserve future runs (something I fully understand). Since the Kings were off limits, we booked a trip for some Sockeye that were finishing their run. Although the Sockeye were just about finished, we still managed to hook into quite a few of them. Got our limit for dinner plus a few just for fun. The next bad news of the trip was when I got home. Apparently my waterproof camera's focus got jacked up and almost all my pics are blurry!! The closer the pic, the better the clarity. Oh well...at least I still have the pics. Sorry bout being long winded, on to the pics!!

 

First fish of the day! A Dolly Varden.

My first Sockeye!!

This Dolly fought hard!

This was a beautiful Sockeye!

Kristen's first Sockeye!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice fish...congrats on an awesome trip!

Congrats on the awesome trip and welcome back!

 

Jeff

Awesome trip. Everyone should do this trip while your still young.

When I was in my late teens my co-worker always told me if I love the outdoors so much I should move to Alaska and live out my dream. I regret I didn't do that now at 62yo. I always felt I was born 300 years too late. I love being outdoors with nature in the wilds more than anything else.

Thanks guys!!! I am glad to be back! It sure was nice to sleep in my own bed last night!! 

 

We had an awesome vacation though. The toughest thing to get re-adjusted to was night time. We had 20 hours of daylight and 4 hours of (what they call) night. It wasn't dark though, you could sit outside at 2 am and read a book with no flashlight!!

 

We will definitely be heading back for a King & Silver run. Catching salmon on a fly rod is an awesome experience IMHO! They said Sockeye are (pound for pound) the hardest fighting salmon. I know it was definitely some fun fishing. I had my saltwater reel on my 8 wt rod & had the drag all but locked down. I got taken all the way on the backing by 2 different fish! (That's 90+ yard runs for those not familiar with fly line length) We cooked up a couple salmon at camp, which were delicious, & was still able to freeze & bring back almost 30lbs for future dinners 

Sounds like a very worthwhile trip. Congrats on taking the time to really enjoy that great state.

Sounds like a very worthwhile trip. Congrats on taking the time to really enjoy that great state.

 

Thanks Dwight! Its was a very worthwhile trip. I'm going to have to back because 2 weeks is not nearly enough time to enjoy all Alaska has to offer.

Where were you fishing? I've had some great days fishing for reds (sockeyes) on the Klutina River.

Where were you fishing? I've had some great days fishing for reds (sockeyes) on the Klutina River.

 

Those were caught on the Upper Kenai River. We dropped in at Cooper Landing and pulled out just above Skilak Lake. We also fished the Middle Kenai at Soldotna but didn't do as well there. Caught a few nice Rainbows on the Russian River as well.