Alaska Five: Last Day on the River

 

Andrews Creek. Pristine and sublime.

By the time we left our cabin yesterday morning, I was actually beginning to recognize places.  When I first arrived the river and surrounding wilderness all looked the same to me.  By the time we left I could tell when we were approaching our home base.  I think its amazing how people become so at home on the river that it's just like driving on the roads for city folk. But I also see how I could get there with time and experience.

For our last day, we had a leisurely breakfast, packed up the cabin, loaded the boat and headed back to the Hot Tubs for one last soak. We arrived around noon and stayed for an hour, this time enjoying the sheltered tub.

After that we headed over to Andrews Creek, a quiet, gorgeous spot that is one of the Cottas' favorite swimming spots. We saw a lot of humpys in the creek, which was cool. I did not realize that there are so many varieties of salmon until I came here.

Finally, we headed for home, aiming to catch the four o clock tide.  We had to go back a different way than we came since Chris wasn't about to risk damaging his boat by jumping the log again. We had a little time to stop off at the homestead of the father of one of Chris's  best pals. Unfortunately, he wasn't home at the time so we continued on home. As it happens we just missed him; we saw his boat going by as we approached the boat launch.

We got cleaned up, had an outstanding steak dinner that Chris grilled up, spent many hours talking of course, and closed out the evening watching a couple episodes of the HBO miniseries, Chernobyl.  While the hot shower and lack of mosquitoes was nice, I have to say it didn't hold a candle to being out on the river.

Life in this part of the world is so different from what many of us are used to crammed into the urban centers of the world.  There is something really right about the hands-on, practical nature of life up here. I think there is a real disconnect between those who live in spaces like these and those who live in the cities.  Simple things like the debate over guns mean something totally different out here. One might find it odd that Chris would carry a gun with him as we took the short hike from the boat to the Hot Tubs. But the threat of bears is absolutely real here--the stories I've been told of people who got caught without protection from an aggressive bear will make your skin crawl and turn your stomach.  Guns in this part of the world aren't about being some kind of "tough guy" or for settling scores. They are a practical tool for life in the Alaskan wilderness.

Walking to the Hot Tubs. Look closely and you'll see Chris has his trusty bear gun in his right hand.

I get that it may not be for everyone, but the appeal is undeniable. Especially, for kids this life is really healthy I think. I watched Aidan spend three days away from an electronic device and not once did he complain of being bored--and this despite the fact  we weren't really engaged in any form of "entertainment" other than simply being together out in nature.  I love watching how he has developed practical skills out on the river.  He's s not quite sixteen but he can handle a boat, he knows the river well enough to get around, and was a constant help to his dad throughout the trip without being asked or reminded.  I am impressed. And determined to get my boys back outside in our little city way, before its too late. When they were younger they were eager to go explore our "secret place", the woods and creek around Sugar Run and just like Aidan they were never bored even though we weren't doing anything entertaining other than being together in nature. My initial plan is to try to visit every Columbus Metro park with them. It's no Alaska, but it's a start.