The Next Chapter

Well, I know it's been a while, but things had been rather dull.  Just working hard and fishing while I could.  Luckily, the last week had been great weather and I took advantage of it on Thursday and Friday!


I went with a group of friends here to Sandy Beach, which as the name implies, is a sandy beach at low tide (and part of the ocean at high tide). After work, we went over and had a bonfire, which was good fun and since I was off on Friday, I stayed and camped out there. It was a beautiful night, and warm.  Despite seeing plenty of grizzly tracks and "dung piles" I didn't see a bear while out there.  The next morning, I hiked back to the hatchery, which was relatively easy for off-trail hiking and took just over 2 hours.  That was a nearly perfect night.  I loved my new backpack, waking up to the sunshine in a tent, and used water from the stream to cook my breakfast and coffee, then was off.

In other news, the schedule has changed, so I am off Tuesday and Wednesday now, which was supposed to be for the next two months.  As most of you have heard by now, though, I took a new job working on a fishing tender based out of Homer, fishing in Prince William Sound.  While I will miss out on summer here, and the recreation opportunities, I am excited for a change and a new adventure!  However, I will likely be pretty much out of touch from the end of May until sometime late-August or early September.

Picture Time

I don't have a lot of newsworthy updates, so I will just show you pictures.  Zach is really into wildlife photography (and has a $3,500 camera/lens) so here are some of his photos, which are way better than mine!  We haven't seen our first bear yet, but here's some of what we have got.

Keep On Keepin On

Things here have been moving along smoothly.  The weather is getting better and better.  We had two bad days last week and the rest sunny, or at least not raining, and hanging around 50 degrees.  While we haven't seen a grizzly yet, they should be out any day now.

Otherwise, last "weekend" Dallas and I went fishing for 8 hours on Thursday and another 4 on Friday and he caught 4 fish, including a 65lb halibut.  We won't discuss what I caught (or didn't catch)...  Crabbing seems to consistently catch one/day--not sure why we can't catch more, but 2 crabs was enough meat for 3 decent sized crab cakes, which were a big hit.  There have also been lots of "parties" so I have been eating plenty of seafood!  I haven't had to buy meat for 3 weeks now, which is really nice and saves a lot of money.  Shrimping is still going okay, around 30/day. I think we are at 5 octopus now, which are a lot of work for the little bit of calamari but it is delicious and the tentacles make good bait.

I boated in a pod of orcas last week, which was really cool, then saw 2 humpbacks the day after.  I've seen 3 rainbows last week, and watched 11 eagles fight over dead fish that I threw in the water.  That was really neat as they were within 20 feet of the boat!

Work is work. At times it gets monotonous, but it's outside, which I like, and doing physical labor, which I don't mind!  I guess that's why they pay you to do it! Seriously though, can't complain from here!  Hope all is well at home too.

Keeping Busy

Well, there isn't a ton to report here.

Shrimping has improved remarkably as we get anywhere from 30-60 shrimp a day.  We are still in search of the elusive Dungeness crab and I am on a secret mission to catch the first halibut of the year.

As far as work goes, things have been very busy.  Last week we all worked crazy hours in order to get all of the fish out of the incubators and in to the ocean, but were rewarded with a pizza party and some king crab!  I spent last weekend at the Takatz remote site again, which is a nice break because it's quite a bit easier there.  I went exploring a bit on my day off last week.  It will take some getting used to this area as things are crazy steep and often very muddy/slick.  It took my nearly half an hour to walk probably a quarter mile!

Other than that, things have been going smoothly.  I still like the work and the people, so that's a plus.  The weather the past few days has been awful, but today is quite a bit nicer. We were really hoping to spend a good part of the day fishing, but they need the boat for work today, so unfortunately, we're stuck on shore despite the sunshine and flat seas! Eagles are still an everyday occurrence, as are seals, and a new otter who is always floating around the bay.  I've seen two whales, although not up close, and apparently there was one in the bay here while I was in Takatz.  Haven't seen a bear yet, but last year the first one was spotted March 13, so it should be any day now!

Sunlight is getting much better and soon we will have plenty to fish and check/set pots after work, which will be nice instead of rushing during lunch break. But hey, how many people can go shrimping during their lunch break?!?

I hope everything at home is going well and I miss you all!

Back to Work

Well, for the first time since leaving the jetski company a year ago, I have started a real job.

First of all, the float plane trip out here was pretty incredible.  We got so close to the mountains and had amazing scenery despite rain and snow.  There were times where you couldn't see anything, but luckily our pilot has been flying Baranof Island for 30 years (and has a GPS, radar, etc).

Anyway, after landing, we got settled in the bunkhouse, which is pretty nice.  The rooms are basic, but the kitchen and living room areas are nice and very spacious and we each have our own bedroom for most of the season.  There are 4 seasonal staff, who live in the bunkhouse, and 6 permanent staff (4 of which are husband/wife couples) with their own living quarters.  That afternoon, we got right to work, basically with training.  The permanent staff "hosted" a potluck dinner so we could get to know them and enjoy some halibut and fresh-caught shrimp, along with salmon dip!

Right now we are primarily ponding and rearing chum, which essentially means we have to get them from their incubators (trays in a dark room) through some PVC tubes out to a raceway (a long rectangular tank).  After sitting there for 24 hours to adjust to light, we put them into net pens (giant nets floating in the ocean) where they are fed until they are the right size to be released.  Most are released at 2 grams, but some are going to be kept until 4 grams and they are released in 3 different stages.  While it probably sounds pretty simple, it is enough to keep us all busy for 8 hours/day.

The weather was unusually pleasant in the mid-40s and sunny for nearly 4 straight days and the area is beautiful.  We attempted to find a lake with trout in it, but as we learned, "trails" here aren't what we'd normally consider a "trail" to be.  Nearly an hour into our hike (which was supposed to be 10 minutes) we ended up on top of a ridge with great views!  We also bought a shrimp and crab pot, but have only caught 6 shrimp so far, and way more starfish than I ever wanted to have to pull up from a couple hundred feet.  It's trial and error at the beginning is what they keep telling us!

Anyways, other than my groceries getting mysteriously forgotten about (no one is sure where that went wrong), things have been good.  We have kept busy playing pool, fooseball, watching movies, working out, and even attempting to learn guitar.  One other guy and I spent the weekend at the satellite site in the next bay south, which was cool. The work was very easy and the house is floating, but unfortunately the weather was awful, so we didn't get to enjoy too much outside, although we did give fishing our first attempt (unsuccessfully).  On the way back we saw the spouts of whales, but couldn't see the actual animals, while seals, eagles, and various ducks are an everyday thing.

Otherwise, all is good here and I am really looking forward to the late spring when the fishing picks up, then hunting in the fall, and plenty more exploring!  I must admit, though, that I do occasionally miss having the ability to get ridiculously delicious and even more ridiculously cheap Asian street food at times.

Random info--I obviously get some internet, albeit typically awful.  I get cell service if I am next to a booster, so you'll probably have to leave me a message.  My days off are Thursday and Friday.  My address is :

Brian Merewitz
Hidden Falls Hatchery
1308 Sawmill Creek Rd
Sitka, AK 99835

Moving On

In about 2 hours, I will leave Homer and slowly make my way out to Baranof, but we will get to that later.

The rest of last week was relatively uneventful, but Friday we went up to Seward for Ry's basketball game--another blowout win.  On the way up, though, we decided to make a stop at Johnson Lake again to ice fish and it proved fruitful.  We ended up with 7 rainbow trout in under an hour!  And of course we were stalked by an eagle.  Apparently I got to see Seward on an unusually sunny day, and the drive up was beautiful.  Except all the trailhead signs got me thinking about all the trouble I could get into out there!  Resurrection Bay looked stunning as well in the sunshine, but everyone told me it is rare to see the sun in Seward.

Anyway, after getting back late Friday night, we headed out to the cabin on Saturday morning.  While they keep complaining that there isn't enough snow, it certainly is more than I'm used to and I had a great time riding again!  I am definitely getting more confident and comfortable driving the snowmachines.  Despite seeing lots of ptarmigan tracks, we only found one bird, which Ry hit and I ate!  After learning how to play cabin ping pong (in which Ry and I smashed Mickey's record...) and a great night's sleep, we woke and spent most of Sunday riding again.  There were still tracks everywhere, but we only came across three birds, and got them all, on the last day of ptarmigan season.

Monday wasn't particularly thrilling, but necessary.  Mick and I spent most of the day in the garage doing repairs to the sleds and then got dinner with some of their friends in town.  Tuesday consisted of grocery shopping, among a few other errands, then going to sight my rifle in.  Unfortunately, rather than sighting the scope, I broke it, but the company is sending me a newer and better one, so that's a plus I guess!  We figured that was enough work for one week, so we spent Wednesday and Thursday riding again and actually enjoyed the snowiest days I'd seen here yet, although it wasn't quite like what Maryland got. I did manage to stay upright and not stuck for the entire last four days of riding!

Now, I am all packed up and we are heading to Seward again shortly for a basketball tournament.  Depending on energy levels, we are discussing skiing Sunday, or somehow getting me to Anchorage on Saturday or Sunday, where I'll stay with Ian again for a couple nights.  On Monday I have a meeting with someone from the Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage, then on Tuesday at 8am I fly to Sitka.  I will spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Sitka, then fly to the hatchery on Thursday the 11th, but don't begin work until the 15th!

I'm not sure what my internet access will be like, but I'll do my best to stay in touch!

New Day, New Animal

So last post mentioned ice fishing, but we changed up animals for this one.

The view out to the bay

The day after ice fishing, Mick and I headed out snow machining to check out the conditions and hopefully find a couple ptarmigan.  It turned out great--the snow was good and I hit a ptarmigan on my first shot!  Mickey got one himself, which was good, but not quite enough for a feast.  So, the only logical thing to do, would be to go again the next day.  The snow was still adequate and the hunting improved remarkably!  We spent nearly the entire day in the same area and ended up with 10 ptarmigan, which was enough to make a delicious stew.  Since the hunting was so good, the only logical thing to do was to try again the next day--so we did!  We also wanted to try to ride from near the house, rather than driving an hour to the trailhead, but needed to check snow conditions.  Unfortunately, I checked the conditions a bit too closely this day as I spent more time stuck or flipped than I did riding it seemed.  At least there was snow to land in!  The week ended with a Homer High basketball marathon, although I only made it through 3 of the 4 games.

Day 1

On Saturday, I had to ref in the morning, then went to watch Rylyn's basketball game, then back to ref another game before coming home and just enjoying an evening home with everyone.  As most of you heard, on Saturday, there was a rather large earthquake centered nearly 50 miles away from here around 1am.  Luckily, no damage was done to the house or toy-hauler.  However, one second I was fast asleep, then the next it felt like I was on a mechanical bull--strange feeling!  Sunday, the fun continued as Wendy, Mick, and I went for a great ride. Unfortunately, we didn't see any ptarmigan, but fortunately (we did see a moose though), I stayed on my machine the entire time!  Afterwards, Ry and I played some cards and hot tubbed--a great end to the weekend.

Now, here we are again, starting another week.  Yesterday, I ran several errands around town, including the world's most boring sub training then went to a workout class with Wendy.  Just when I thought I was in shape again, that was a rude awakening!  Today, I helped Mickey replace the brakes on Wendy's car in the morning (thrilling, I know), then skated with Wendy's class, met with someone from Fish and Wildlife and bought my fishing gear for the job.  I ran on the spit since the sun came out today and in a 35 minute run counted 9 bald eagles!

Carcasses after day 2

 I lost track of the moose count, but it must be around 7.  Anyway, I'm loving getting the chance to get out, explore the area, make connections, and eat fresh meat.  The hunting and fishing around Baranof Island where I'll be working looks incredible too, so I'm excited for that!

A New Beginning

Well, after spending a weekend enjoying the warmth of Florida, it was time for me and my ridiculous amount of luggage to head northwest!

Sunrise from Ian's porch

After a very fun overnight-ish layover in Las Vegas with my high school friend, Matt, I carried on to Denver, where I had a much less eventful stop.  However, the Denver airport has a very homey feel to it still!  Finally, 23 hours after leaving Dulles, I made it to Anchorage with a beautiful view as we came in.

A buddy from CSU, Ian, lives in Anchorage now with his girlfriend, so he picked me up and I spent the night with him.  After a quick nap, we headed to Moose's Tooth Pizza--the number 2 rated pizza restaurant in America on TripAdvisor and it didn't disappoint!  Ian is in med school and had class in the morning, but I slept in--strange to wake up at 9am and it still be pitch black out!  I found myself some breakfast, then walked out on to the patio to admire the incredible view they have.  That afternoon, we grabbed some bbq for lunch, then I went on to the airport for the last leg of the journey to Homer.

Bishop's Beach in Homer

An uneventful, 40 minute flight, got me into Homer--my temporary home.  Wendy and Mickey were out of town, and Rylyn was at her basketball tournament, but I managed to find their car, run a few quick errands, then head to their house.  While on the Homer Spit, I saw countless bald eagles!  Needless to say, I crashed fairly early that night, and got up early to watch Ry's basketball game, which they won by 17.  It tortured her to wait until after the game to be able to hug me!  On the drive, I saw my first moose of the trip--crossing the highway nonetheless.  The school also had some cross-country ski trails, which I wasn't equipped for, but I strolled in the snow for a few minutes until I couldn't feel my bare hands anymore.  I got right into the hockey scene here, reffing two games of a tournament that night, before finally getting back and spending the night with Rylyn.

On Sunday, I was up bright and early to be at the rink to begin reffing at 8am.  4 games later, I got back home, to spend the afternoon playing in the snow and hot-tubbing with Ry.  Through reffing I made lots of new connections, some just recognizing a new face in town and other who had heard that Wendy and Mickey's nephew was coming!  Some of them could possibly become great job contacts!  Otherwise, Sunday was relaxing and we both got to sleep in Monday.

My first ever fish through ice!

Wendy and Mickey finally got in early Monday after Ry and I had breakfast and threw some food in the crock-pot for dinner.  Later that afternoon, Rylyn had another basketball game, then we got my temporary home (the toy-hauler, which is basically a motorhome) set up with heat and electricity, ate, hot-tubbed, and got the snow machines ready to hopefully use later in the week.

Finally, today, Mickey had an appointment in Kenai, so I tagged along, tried, unsuccessfully, to speak a few people about jobs, then ice-fished!  We each landed one rainbow trout, but we won't discuss who got the larger one...  Anyway, it was great to get outside!  There were, again, eagles all over squeaking and squawking and probably stalking our trout.  A moose was also casually grazing in a backyard just along the highway!

If you can't tell, I'm thrilled to be in Alaska, excited to spend the next couple weeks in Homer with the Todds, and looking forward to starting the job on Baranof Island!