How halibut fishing in Valdez turned into dipnetting for salmon in the Chitina, which morphed into sightseeing at Kennecott copper mine

• The original plan: Head down to Valdez for a Saturday on a chartered boat to complete a successful day of halibut fishing. Got my fishing license in anticipation of a grand catch.

• Deviation 1: Due to weather reports announcing 20-30 foot swells in the Gulf of Alaska, our charter was canceled so we quickly regrouped and formulated what promised to be a stellar plan B.

• Plan B: Go down to Chitina to dipnet for red and king salmon. I got my dipnetting fishing license, which allows me to keep 15 red salmon and 1 king.

The unraveling of what promised to be a stellar plan B:

 Day 1

It all began with a cheerful caravan of a camper followed by a truck driving the Richardson Highway.

 The weather was lovely, the journey provided many scenic vistas, we had all the necessary supplies, and all things indicated the dawn of a great fishing trip. 

We encountered some wildlife along the way. Some life long friends were made.

Other friendships proved temporary. 

But friendships can be useful even after they have met their end.

On the approach to our campsite we spotted some hardcore dipnetters.

We set up camp, ate moose burgers and, since we weren't tired, decided to try our hand at an age old fishing tradition. The hike to Salmon Point, an allegedly great fishing spot, provided stunning river views.

This guy was so hardcore about salmon fishing he had constructed a tarp and stick dwelling right on the cliff to ensure he got his favorite spot.

The menfolk dipped their nets in the mighty river's flow in the hopes of making a manly catch.

The womenfolk enjoyed cold, liquid refreshments and took pictures of themselves.

The menfolk returned after several minutes of dipnetting discouraged. They joined the womenfolk in beverage enjoyment.

We decided to abandon fishing for the night since other fishers around us were also not having much luck. We asked one man at 9pm how the fishing was going. He said that he had been fishing since 6 am and had only caught 15 salmon.

On our hike back to the road we encountered this Alaskan fisherman equipped with a home-made fish cooler backpack. It is basically a trash bin roped to a steel-frame backpack with a smaller trash bin inside for storing fish. Ice lines the gap between bins. I'm sure duct tape is also involved somehow. Pretty clever.

Through the gap in the mountain we went to pursue a consolation tasty beverage in Chitina.

Since Chitina is smaller than my thumb, there were no watering holes open. We returned to camp, stopping to check out the fishing wheels on our way.

Even the wheels were empty. This was not our night for victorious fishing. We returned to camp and slept away our disappointments.

Day 2

The following morning we arose bright and early, although in fishermen's time 7:30 is rather late. Alas, we lost a member of our party to intestinal discomfort. It was a tragic loss and morale was low but we could not let such an event end our quest for the elusive salmon. So, one member short, our party prepared for a hike up a treacherous mountain to a secret fishing spot.

With 89 years of wisdom under his belt, the oldest and wisest member of our team led our expedition into rarely traversed territory. There were dead trees blocking the little marked path at every turn and, due to the risk of a bear sighting, the youngest, but also quite wise, member of our team packed some heat in true Alaskan style.

Armed with my new Canon I took shots of various vistas along the way.

Even with frequent rest periods it became apparent that the climb of death was too much for all members of our team to handle so we decided to return and hire a boat upriver. 

Upon arrival at the lovely O'Brian Creek we were informed that the boat shuttle was at capacity and besides that no one was really catching much so it was perhaps for the best that we didn't have to pay the $100 per person for the boat ride. We decided to return to where we had gone the evening before, Salmon Point, to try our luck. The point turned out to be too crowded and the consensus seemed to be that the salmon weren't running that day. We drafted a plan C and that is how a fishing trip became a sightseeing trip.

• Plan C: Drive up to McCarthy and then go up to check out Kennecott copper mine and camp in that area.

The drive proved lovely.

The gravel road to McCarthy ends at a riverside campground. You have to cross the river to reach the establishment of McCarthy or Kennecott mine. In days of yore one had to get into a chair of sorts and pull it along a line hand over hand to cross the river. This is the old ramp you'd walk up to catch the next chair over.

 

Nowadays there is a newfangled walking bridge.

The mine was interesting and the setting was picturesque to say the least providing excellent views of the valley of runoff from Kennicott glacier and the glacier itself.

 

 

The Park's Service staff get to live in historic houses. So cute I would almost quit everything and change careers just to have one for a summer!

I stuck my camera into a hole in a window and got some cool shots. This mine would have been pretty amazing when it was running.

Signs of reconstruction work are everywhere. There was a flash flood in 2006 which set progress back a bit.

There's a charming outhouse if you need to use it.

Back at the camper we ate dinner and then went for a stroll to enjoy our surroundings.

Day 3
On the 10 hour drive home we made a few stops to stretch our legs. Passing through Glennallen on the way to Chitina I had seen a traveling Thai restaurant in a truck and on the way back I was able to stop and have a delicious curry. The owners of the joint were originally from Fairbanks but since there are so many Thai restaurants here they decided to hit the road. The owners credit themselves with single handedly diversifying the traditional Glennallen diet of steak and potatoes.

 

A river near Delta Junction provided a fine view of the Alaska Pipeline.

And so the three day fishing turned sightseeing weekend adventure comes to a conclusion. I hope to someday make it to Valdez to catch a halibut the size of me, but until that day I must content myself with images of pretty scenery.