Once An Alaskan Always An Alaskan

Monday, October 24, 2011

On Alaska: An Alaskan Boy Talks of Life With A Bush Pilot Dad

by Robert L Gisel

To publish or not to publish: it is getting really down on the line, and as usual the author is never yet satisfied.

There have been a lot of questions of when the book will come out showing that there is much interest in it, which is a good thing. This may even encourage the author to stop choking up on the bat and slam it home.

Publishing is a wonderful gig, but you have to appreciate the trepidations of a writer. Once you hit publish, it is out there, public domain forever, minus retractions. Regardless of how many times before you have hit the publish button it is always with a sense of anticipation and generally undue concern.

With today's electronic society we have a high speed freeway of information. Flub a tweet putting out a nonsense word like "refudiate" and it can become the subject of two million articles in a matter of months. What is the worst that can happen? It could make it really tough, if not impossible, to run for President. That suits me fine, as I never aspired to run for President.

With that in mind the book, On Alaska: An Alaskan Boy Tells Of Life With a Bush Pilot Dad has been finished three times, at the least. This time the deadline line is to be released in December.

The delay is in part for final thematic edits. The book will actually be one you will be glad you read. The other part has to do with the final fact checking which is requiring some adjustments to the text. Then there is the report yet to come by from the Private Investigator on some particularly salacious...(just kidding).

Contrary to popular speculation it is not an expose. I'm sorry if that disappoints the gossip columns, but I cherish my friends. It might be amusing in a weird sort of way, but my philosophy is that juicy is for chewing gum, screenplays and romance novels. So my friends are off limits for that kind of tripe. Except for my big brother.

There is a lot of humor in the book just so you don't get bored. In case you have any problem with that there is a drill. You bounce your stomach while saying Ho, Ho Ho, and it will come naturally after a bit. We can't have anyone saying it wasn't funny.

This is all camouflage for the real reason for the book, something I have wanted to say that has to be said without sounding too serious. When my family first arrived in Alaska it was the year of Statehood. It is not something I would have voted for, but they didn't ask me. After the official tally it was only a State in name and still wearing the mantle of Territory for many years yet to come.

The flavor of frontier is what makes Alaska what it is, and Alaskans proud to be a part of it. In too many ways this has been threatened by clueless politicians four thousand miles away and "well meaning" Chechaquos. The last stronghold of the freedom, independence and rights to life of the nation founded on those tenets is seeing a last stand against mongers of endless rules and control. Heaven forbid that Alaska will subdue to a mindlessly boring status quo.

Why do people go to a frontier if not for freedom to have and independence to do and enough space to be what they want. There's all of that, and there's also usually some really good outdoor eatin'. I just went there for pan fried trout.

Then there was this novelty that Father was a Bush Pilot. One who loved fun, was mischievous, highly respected, exceptionally courageous and very good at what he did. It added dimension to life. Everyone should grow up that way. But then, if everyone could climb in and fly off from their back yard the the population rush might overcome the remoteness and smother the frontier.

With all that, here is a book, coming soon on an ePlatform near you.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Alaska's Monsters

Loch Ness Monster

by Robert L. Gisel

Now the Loch Ness Monster is in Alaska, soon to be showing at a theater near you. Since the Kushtaka (spirit people) bear in Chuck Keen's movie Timber Tramps didn't make adequate history we need a remake.

The Strangest Story Ever Told first made famous, outside of Alaska, the Kushtaka, the spirit people of Alaska Native folklore. Looking for a rich vein of gold reported to be in the Thomas Bay just north of Petersburg and Wrangell, the prospector came back truly scared out of his wits with an unbelievable tale.

In what is now known as the "Devils's Country", the story teller Harry D Colp's miining partner was chased by these half humanoid, half ape devil creatures. Hairy all over, about four feet tall with very large feet and overlong arms, they took up pursuit of him from which he barely escaped alive.

He was so shook up about the incident he was very reluctant to talk about it. All he wanted to do was go immediately back to the States. All that drama and other supporting stories gave credibility to the tale which has only garnered more tales since its first telling in 1900.

The gold rush to the Canadian Cassier area was itself prey to to the Kushtaka that stopped the mining from happening sooner than it did. The Indian Chief refused to take them to the head waters of the Iskut River as he was convinced there were spirit people there killing anyone who went there.

That was in British Columbia off of the Stikine River which comes out just south of Alaska, but also winds up into Canada on the other side of the border from Thomas Bay. Before that you hang a right onto the Iskut River a hundred miles due west of Thomas Bay. That's perhaps not coincidental, as the spirit people can really get around.

Contemporary stories of the Kushtaka abound around Petersburg. My best friend worked there for a summer, surveying, when he talked to a young man who talked to a lady who had a face to face with a Kushtaka. The man would park down a road with his girl friend near the lady's house. Her husband had gone missing and she put candles in the windows keeping alive a hope for his return. After about a month the candles were no longer there. The man and his girl went to her door to ask about this, that maybe they had found her husband.

It happened like this. One night she had a knock at the door. When she opened it there stood a Kushtaka. In silence he raised his left hand knuckles towards her to show that he had her husband's wedding band on his finger. She closed the door and that was the end of that.

Modern enthusiasts for this sort of urban legend claim the Thomas Bay Kushtaka is a Bigfoot. There is no mention of the difference in height from the four feet of the former and the eight feet or more of the later. Don't worry about that -- Wookee or mini-Wookee, we can just adjust the camera angles.

East of there in Canada is also where Albert Ostman was held captive by a family of Bigfeet (is that the plural of Bigfoot?). That is his story and he is sticking to it.

Iliamna Lake, Alaska is now presumed to be the host of Alaska's own Loch Ness Monster. After reported sightings the Anchorage Daily Times sent a reporter to investigate. Finding nothing, a reward of $100,000 was offered for any solid evidence. Perhaps the closest encounter was another writer, Craig Medred, who says he lassoed the monster, but he had to let go when it was dragging his kayak in excess of 30 miles per hour. What was he thinking?!

Alaska's Loch Ness Monster now has attracted the attention of the TV people of The Greatest Catch. An Alaskan fisherman caught a video of the creature in Kathemak Bay good enough to send the TV adventurers looking for it themselves. The critter is being called a Cadborosaurus, just so they have a somewhat legitimized species to give bonifides to their search.

We'll see. Legends are great things, aren't they?

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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Glacier Trekking in Juneau

by Robert L Gisel

So you want to go home with a wild tale of Alaska? What better yarn can you tell back home than touching and crawling around inside a glacier for your own personal rendition of Jack London.

In Juneau there is an opportunity to experience the glacier that you won't easily get anywhere else in Alaska. Because the Mendenhall Glacier is so accessible this makes for a very memorable adventure, can be done within a day, and get you back to the ship on time.

On a trip up the inside passage possibly the best way to experience Ketchikan and the Misty Fjords is by kayak, but in Juneau you can get close in on the glacier, and that is something you don't want to miss, while it lasts. That is a sad tale, for us old time Alaskans.

Of the glaciers in Alaska roughly 20% are advancing and about 80% are receding. Taku Glacier is advancing. Mendenhall used to advance 40 feet in the winter and recede 80 feet in the summer. Now it is receding 400 to 600 feet a year. It still comes up to the lake, but only for another year or two. Get up there soon, in other words, before it backs off entirely leaving rock in front of it.

You can go there on your own, if you have any experience with prowling around glaciers. The fairly easy trails on either side of Mendenhall glacier require no guide, East Trail for viewing it from above, West Trail to access the glacier itself.

Mendenhall Glacier 2002

If you want to explore the ice caves, though, it is safest to go with a guide. The caves can be unstable and dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. For ice climbing, go with a guide.

You can rent a kayak, if you didn't bring your own, and paddle on Mendenhall Lake up to the glacier to view its magnificence that way. That doesn't require as much vigor and still the scenerama is awesome.

To make sure you have the best hands-on glacier adventure get a real Alaskan guide to take you to their favorite spots known to be exciting . There is a good tour guide service that will make sure you don't get lost in a crevasse or crushed by the glacier, which I recommend, Above and Beyond Alaska, LLC.

Born and raised in Alaska that makes them Sourdoughs, for Sean third generation, second generation for Becky, and they are professional, experienced, and licensed guides. Heralded as "a real Alaskan experience", "life changing", and "the highlight of our Alaskan trip", these are great testimonials to their glacier trekking and ice climbing tours.

Go there while it lasts and get close in on the glacier, bring a camera, and bring back a good yarn.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

On Alaska, The Book

Chilcat Ferry to Juneau, 1959

by Robert L. Gisel

Soon the eBook will be done and published. Seems much more to do comes to light as I take another read of it and consider its elements. This will just make it that much better. Still, there is an end in sight.

Having grown up in Alaska with a Bush Pilot father made for some interesting times. We were always going somewhere in the plane or the helicopter. It was an exciting lifestyle. Being neither a city dweller nor a ground animal was ever my gig, so this played to my desires.

Growing up is a crystallizing experience as it is. Having flying vehicles and the wealth of adventure afforded by that is edifying to a lad. Peers of mine had never been up in an airplane, what I took for a regular occurrence. It just means you get to experience the land from the top to the bottom. Those experiences make for an interesting story.

Statehood was voted in the year we moved there but in most respects that didn't catch up with the land until much later. We no longer called it a Territory but it acted that way nevertheless. Decades of Federalization has hammered at those freedoms but never taken away the wild side.

A lot of what it means to be an Alaskan has to do with the fact that it is so newly a State. The rest lies in its circumstance of being so far off the traveled paths, and in being so vast that there aren't even paths to travel to most of the land.

It has always been that the Great Land provides much opportunity for excursions into the frontier wilderness. The land is so spectacular even the more sedate Tour Boat route takes your breath away.

The book has much to say about all of this. It is worth reading. Now I need keep my fingers on the key board and make it available.

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Saturday, August 13, 2011

Remote Alaska Backpacking

by Robert L. Gisel

The sweet spot of The Great Land is that its wilderness is so vast and its wilds are so uninhabited you truly can go where no other has trekked for some time.

It has been noted that separating from the crowds and getting out to activities off the beaten track is gaining popularity in Alaska. A trip is a lot more memorable when you get off the tour ship, way off.

Frontier wilderness can be as dangerous as it is beautiful. Before you set out on a roll your own Lewis and Clarke expedition you should consider going out with an experienced Alaskan guide for this kind of adventure. This is for your protection, whether you are an experienced hiker or initiate, but as much so, to protect the virgin land from careless incursions.

I have come across a guide service I would recommend. Alaska Alpine Adventures has as a purpose to reach out to "...the most remote and spectacular places in the state..." This fits the growing need to part from the crowds and experience the untouched scenearama (that's a word, now, Wikionary take note).

Their web site at first (text, not images and layout) seems a bit boring, until you go through it all, read the testimonials, the blog and the staff thumbnails. You will leave civilization and enter remote wilderness. It is an opportunity to touch the natural beauty, to connect with your travel companions and to assume a new peace with yourself.

Their hiking trips are generally 10 to 13 days, a small group of 8 at the most, with a 1 to 4 guide ratio, running about $3-4,000, rave meals included, with a satisfying package well designed to please.

The outfit has been in operation since 1998 and have been recognized by publications such as National Geographic, Adventure, and Outside Magazine for their professional service. They have not shown up in Hustler, Mad Magazine, or the 5 O'clock News, which we take as a recommendation as well.

Their trips are mostly hiking but they do have some some kayaking, inflated canoe rafting, and skiing trips where solitude, wildlife, and nature make for an even more unforgettable trip.

If you can't hitchhike the universe you can still hitch along on trips into the bush with these professional and personable folk.

See their site: Alaska Alpine Adventures

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Saturday, August 6, 2011

Blue Whale Close-Up

by Robert L. Gisel

Some people insist they must watch whales from really close. At feet away, on a paddle board, this was just about too much for the rider.

It is the season of krill runs off the coast of the organic health food capital of the world, Orange County, California. This has attracted a good number of whales to feast on the delicacy, not missing the fact that nothing provides Omega 3s as well as krill.

With the whale some tens of yards off, the paddler decided he could slip into the water to get some great underwater footage. When the path of the whale takes it a dozen feet away that is evidently too scary, and the paddle boarder is back out of the water like a shot.

It is just as well. Twelve feet from the side of an eighty foot blue whale what is there to see? A wall of blubber. Watch out for fins. When the whale dived the fluke surfaced a mere 20 feet in front of the surfer. Seems he could been swatted by the massive tail.

Truth be known, these sea mammals are quite aware of their surroundings, very alert about people, they are not clumsy, and are not likely to step on you accidentally. They are decidedly not aggressive.

The guidelines of the National Marine Fisheries Services declare a separation order. You are prohibited from deliberately approaching within 50 yards.of whales. Evidently, when it is other way to, the whale approaches you, you have an alibi. The best interpretation of this is that it is not Moby Dick that is of concern, rather it is the matter of offending the whales lest they change their behavior. We wouldn't think an 80 foot mammal would be so sensitive.

Communing with cetaceans, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, is like going to a Mensa gathering: they are very intelligent, much smarter than politicians, in fact.

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Once An Alaskan
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Robert Gisel's Posterous

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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Best of Kenai Fijords National Park

Kenai Peninsula tour, day 2.

by Robert L. Gisel

Surfing links today I came across a great 5-day tour that has a variety of activities and gets one involved. It is too weird to use a cliche and call it proactive?

Still, you get a train ride, kayaking, boat tour, whales maybe (they have to be home), over water, over land, Alaska fjords and glaciers. This is a pretty good 5-day package for doing the Alaska thing. Just leave your laptop at home, you won't want it where you are going.

Alaska Heritage Tours calls this their Best of Kenai Fjords National Park 5 days/ 4 nights. This is one of the partner companies of of the CIRI Alaska Tourism Corporation of Alaska Natives, links at the bottom of their web page. In other words, authentic Alaska.

Look at their itinerary below.

Kenai Fjords 5-Day Tour: