Epic Blog
“Radios Off” (finally)
11.11.22
Phil, Davis, Pete, Rus, Shane, Don, Paul (AKA Savage, Cookie, Junebug, Big Worm, Black Widow, Obi-Don, Frog)
(This is our first post after the 2022 season, and yes, it was definitely more delayed than typical. More posts coming in the near future.)
“Radios off” is declared over our handheld 2-way radios when the last guide is back at SAFARI camp at the end of each day. It’s symbolizes that everyone is safe and the guided fishing day is complete. So yes, we are all home safe and sound, and by now decompressed and readjusted back to city life.
Well, I’m not sure anyone crazy enough to spend the summer in remote Alaska, sleeping in a tent for 3.5 months each year, ever fully adjusts back to city life… the fact that we don’t really ever fully adjust to the city is why we live part time in remote Alaska.
I digress.
Aurora Borealis sighting at SAFARI camp, early September
The notable highlight of this season: it was wet! We didn’t experience a lot of severe weather, but we did see a lot of steady rain. Thankfully, we missed the remnants of Typhoon Merbok that pummeled the western coast of Alaska in mid September.
Other 2022 season highlights… at the OUTPOST camp, June was hot and dry. July was wet and river levels were high. The chum and king salmon arrived a bit late. Rainbow trout fishing was pretty good. The grayling were larger than typical and numerous. Dolly Varden fishing was very good. And we saw a decent number pink salmon. At SAFARI camp, August and September were wet. The chum run was strong but the silver run was very light (apparently common throughout Alaska in 2022). The pink run was fairly typical for an even year. Bear activity and sightings were high. Moose sightings were high. For the first time ever we saw no whales in the bay! And we had a great aurora borealis sighting – the first one [at camp] in over 15 years!
Both the OUTPOST photo gallery and the SAFARI photo gallery are ready to view. (Reminder: please send us your good and interesting photos.) Then at some point, hopefully, we’ll prepare detailed fishing reports from each camp.
There’s no way we could operate in remote Alaska without the guys from Egli Air Haul and Trygg Air.
It’s a real honor to spend time with an exceptional group of guys in the middle of nowhere. THANK YOU AGAIN to the 2022 staff for doing an amazing job, Phil, Don, Davis, Pete and Paul. Good job to Don, the camp manager. To the pilots – Sam, Shane, Chris – that keep us full of guests, food and supplies, and take us heli-fishing, THANK YOU. Andrew, thanks for helping us get SAFARI camp up and running in the right direction. And most importantly, THANK YOU to my wife, Carrie, who still puts up with this sh-t (aka, the Alaska rodeo).
“Radios off.”
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