Girls Gone Wilderness -Alaska Style!
Category: Travel and Places
June 4th-8th, Captain Rob (yours truly), hosted another NW Backroads Show filming expedition aboard the Saltery C in SE Alaska, outside of Ketchikan. This trip was vastly different than the first show last Sept with the guys. The trip last week was the "GIRLS" showing off their fishing prowess and expedition ary adaptabili ty! While we didn’t get into the freshwater fishing (Salmon aren’t in the rivers yet) like the previous show.....w e DID however get to the outside waters where the action was fast n furious! From start to finish everyday was different than the previous covering 100
miles in just one of those days to meet up with a helicopter to film us from the air cruising through the majestic fiords with spectacula r 2000-3000 waterfalls in the background . Keven Strehle of SMG production s also worked deliriousl y hard before the trip to get advanced PADI Certified in order to conduct underwater filming of the SE Alaska marine life too! From Killer Whales, Dall Porpoise, and Humpback Whales to kayaking, fishing, floatplane s, to crablegs n shrimp, the bottom of the sea to the tops of the mountains. ....we pretty much covered it all!
;
Teen a, Katie, and Kelsey were the gal fishing/ex ploring crew, Keven n Jason the film crew, with myself and Chef Cheryl to round out the trip members. The ladies were a great mix of experience with tons to little.... .ALL of them were ready for action and demonstrat ed their intentions to really get into everything with enthusiasm .
;
Teena is from Seattle and a seasoned fisherwoma n traveling to exotic destinatio ns to fish, often on her own. Her love of waterfalls just got an overwhelmi ng dose of majesty and beauty beyond anything she’s
experienc ed.....and she’s still stunned by the beauty a week after the trip. Her topside visits with Capo allowed for a magnificen t 360 degree view of all the there is to love about Wilderness .
Katie is Capo’s protégé. ....yep, previously known as Chef Katie aboard the Saltery C! Talk about a transforma tion, in 2 years from knowing nothing about fishing to becoming a fish "assassin" , Katie has soaked up Capo’s knowledge and training to tackle the big fish and has performed beyond all measure. I’d put her up against ANY fisherman or fisherwoma n anywhere. As Chef Katie her culinary talents scared Bobby Flay away from a "Throw Down"..... and it resulted in more like a "Back Down"...th e way I see it! lol She came through in the fishing department , as you’ll see.
Kelse y was the "wild card" on this trip. While her childhood included outdoors experience s, she initially "appeared" to be the "Gucci Link" (as Keven would say)! Well.....a ppearances ARE deceiving and I’m proud to say that Kelsey rose to every outdoor challenge with enthusiasm , courage, and yes.....sk ills recently dormant and now ready for action! She got wet, dirty, fishy, tired..... .paddled the kayak like crazy....a nd kept going in for more, and made it all look good! You’ll see......
This group of ladies bonded beautifull y and provided an entertaini ng demonstrat ion of how quickly the skills are mastered to thoroughly and fully enjoy the Alaskan cruise n fish experience s with Classic Alaska Charters and Captain Rob.
;
On with the trip details:
On Day One the weather seemed a bit "iffy" and yet really didn’t materializ e into anything to bother us and within the first hour, cameras were rolling on a pod of Killer Whales we spotted between Mary Island and Annette Island on our way to Duke Island. Capo maneuvered within filming range, while maintainin g the prescribed 100 yd "viewing buffer". The SHOW begins!&nb sp; After leaving the Killer Whales to hunt for food, we cruised to our first destinatio n at Ryus Bay and anchored up and settled in. The goal this first afternoon was to have SMG producer/c ameraman, Keven Strehle do some scuba diving in the area with his HD Underwater Camera. Talk about gearing up! Kev had it all going on and after splash down spent almost an hour exploring the underwater cliffs and kelp beds with great success. The gals relaxed, we talked about goals for the next day, and demonstrat ed the techniques to be employed for catching the big ones! After dinner Capo had the girls "design" their own jigs for the next day of fishing while watching Blue Planet on DVD on the flat screen TV.
Day 2 began with a glorious morning of lifting clouds draped across the mountainsi des and mirror flat water. We pulled anchor and headed across to Cape Chacon and a fishing bonanza! Hovering over several pinnacles loaded with schools of fish the gals heard the call to "DROP EM!"! ; They did....and wham....wh am.....wham .......scoo ped up a wide variety of keeper Rockfish, BIG Yelloweye, and some dandy Ling Cod. Filming was awesome with lots of action and the gals having a blast. We got our limit of them all as the action was fast n furious! The ladies did a spectacula r job and Capo was VERY impressed with their skills. On to anchor up for some afternoon scuba diving and some sunset filming scenes. The gals kayaked before and after dinner while Kev dove and Jason filmed...a nd Capo cleaned, filleted, and processed/ vacuum packed, with Teena’s help, all the fish from the day. Gorgeous sunset!
On the morning of Day 3 as we left our protected anchorage a Humpback Whale greeted us....came ras
rolled... .and then we moved up the coast and back to town to refuel and drop Kev and Katie off for the helicopter run later in the day. Yes....I said helicopter ! Capo hired a helicopter for Kev to hang out of and film the gal crew aboard the Saltery C as they cruised through the majestic fiords of Walker Cove, Misty Fiords National Monument. Walker Cove is a phenomenal ly beautiful Fiord with 3000-4000 foot sheer rock granite walls that hosts several waterfalls 2000-3000f t tall pouring off the sides of the mountains into saltwater. The chopper followed the Saltery C, circled around left and right several times, hovered, flew off and then back straight at us.....fil ming all the while. What a rush for us...AND.. .for them in the chopper, including Katie who was thrilled to the core to fill the jump seat in the helicopter .....and actually filmed too with a second HD camera! Jason, the second cameraman, was filming from the boat some of the chopper action and then ducked below to avoid being filmed himself. With one last pass and "rotor wash" spraying the lady guests to their excitement , the helicopter headed away and into the mist of the fiords on their way back to Ketchikan.
While Kev and Katie continued their excellent helio adventure to town and the awaiting floatplane to bring them back, the remaining crew aboard the Saltery C baited n set the shrimp and crab pots to pull the next day. We settled in at anchor in a most pristine and secluded cove and began the process of winding down from all the excitement of a tremendous day. His work never done, Jason (assistant cameraman) kayaked to shore with Kelsey’s proven paddling proficienc y to set up for a boat scenery time lapse filming session... .and to interview Teena about her experience s so far. Teena heard a bear...... Jason didn’t.. ....Kelsey wanted to hear it again..... they were having a scary fun time! ; Kev and
Katie flew in a couple hours later just in time for dinner. As the floatplane circled around in the air we prepared for it to "dock up" with the boat. The "female" pilot gently brought the plane in for a landing and steered it cautiously to the boat and cut the engine. The floatplane drifted in perfectly to connect up with us and bring Kev and Katie back. I’ll never forget Katie’s face filled with overwhelmi ng joy and wonder of what a wild and wonderfull y exciting day she had. It was her first time in a chopper... .and a floatplane .....and in Walker cove! She was brimming with pure satisfacti on. That’s the kind of reaction/e motion..... .however you term it.....I live to see from my guests, clients, friends, and family. It’s an awesome feeling to be this kind of "memory maker"!
Everybody says the "hot" floatplane pilot Michelle was hitting on me....wha? .....I can never tell what a women is up to! lol After the floatplane left we all gathered to share the exciting day from all perspectiv es......and did more kayaking and photograph y.....the days are long and the fun never seems to end.
;
The 4th day we awoke to another glorious day of mountains shrouded in mist and the white noise of the
surroundi ng waterfalls . After a great breakfast by Chef Cheryl the gals pulled the pots for a whole bunch of Dungeness crab in every one! They were measured, with the small ones going back, and most of the keepers kept.....w e didn’t need them all and didn’t need to be greedy.&nb sp; The shrimp pots proved well placed too with a 5 lb bucket of huge Spot Prawns and Coonstripe Shrimp gathered from the pots to go along with the crablegs later for dinner. Before we left the fiords of Walker Cove, Capo slowed up and carefully navigated right up to the base of a couple of the largest waterfalls .....that s right, within INCHES of the 2000-3000 foot plus granite walls!&nbs p; One we pulled up and actually underneath the flow of water (see for yourself in the pics and upcoming show!).&nb sp; Teena....o ur guest resident waterfall enthusiast was stunned speechless after being "baptized" on her face by waters falling from above. Later she shared with Capo how numb with awe she was by the raw beauty of it all and what a moving experience it really was. She’s sooo right..... .you can’t help but to be inspired and moved by the beauty of such a place!
We fished more in the next set of Fiords of Rudyerd Bay and caught alot of Yelloweye (big orange ones) and caught our limit again. At a couple of particular ly interestin g reefs Kev jumped in with scuba and camera equipment again while the boat circled off site and within sight, trying to catch a big Halibut. With daylight dimming we got Kev back in the boat and cruise farthar into the Fiords and anchored in"Captain ’s Cove", one of Capo’s fav places. This night was our crab n shrimp feast and the 10 or 12 fresh, steamed in beer crab, proved way more than "all you can eat" as the gals and crew stuffed themselves to gastric delight.&n bsp; Mmmmmm.... .. fresh shrimp n crab dipped in warm lemon n garlic butter.... ... like candy....a nd doesn’t even need the red sauce!&nbs p; Everybody loved it and ate more than they ever had before in one sitting. Keven and Jason filmed the culinary carnage of cracking crablegs and peeling shrimp shells.... .deftly dipped and then dripping in the warm butter. Yummmm.... .
As Kev goes wide on a table shot he notices one of the evening Halibut "set" rods bent and peeling off line! FISH ON!!! Like a Chinese fire drill it’s a mad scramble to get the rod, set the hook, and bring the big one to the surface. The rod ended up securely in Katie’s hands. Strapped in, she struggled beautifull y in a tough tug of war with the best Halibut fight she’s had to date (and there’s been 2 or 3 others over 100 pounds notched on her "fishing belt"). Proving to be more than the Halibut could handle, Katie’s strength & endurance finally brought it up to the waiting spear of Capo’s harpoon. With a swift plunge of the tip and tug back to lock it in, the harpoon was in. Capo and Katie hung on to the rope for a wild arm twisting ride...... caught on camera of course, above and below the water. Capo requests the loaded .410 from Teena, carefully takes it from her and swings it around to quickly and accurately dispatch the water churning Halibut. One last procedure. ....Katie holds the rope while Capo gaffs the big fish and together we heave ho the big "Butt" into the huge cooler! WOW, what a fight, what a huge fish! Katie bags another 100+ lb halibut! 102 pounds to be exact..... Great job Katie! Where did you learn to haul in the big ones like that??? (Capo grins) Incredible action to end an awesome day.....no w the work begins of course. After dinner the gals assembled out on the back deck and assisted with the processing of the "Beastly" halibut. Another beautiful evening in a very special place..... ..you’ll see it all when you tune into the next CAC & NW Backroads Show!
The 5th and last day was not ending without more glory!&nbs p; With the anchor up and stowed, and on our way, just minutes later, we spotted another Humpback Whale, then Porpoises, then more Bald Eagles. Camera’s filmed it all. With our time winding down, Capo decided on one last spot before heading back to town and civilizati on. The spot was rather special as in the last NW Backroads/ CAC Show in Sept 2006, we made a drop at the same spot to begin that adventure. Flashback to the Sept Show.... "I love the smell of diesel in the morning... ..smells like Victory" Luke shares as he drops his bait 240 feet to awaiting Halibut in that previous NW Backroads Show. Here we are again, 6 months later with the gals looking for same said flavor of fish. Capo maneuvers the Saltery "C" into position and hails the call to "Drop Em"! Like well oiled machines, (more like focused power shoppers working the sale racks! lol) the ladies dropped their baits to the same 240 foot depths and slowly worked em, waiting for the tell tale slammer nibble of a Halibut. It didn’t take long and Capo announces "FISH ON" as the first of several Halibut hit and subsequent ly reeled in for a deftly placed gaff and in the cooler. The action was great and everyone caught fish.....6 more Halibut in the 15-25lb range that added to the take home bounty and a nice way to end a splendid trip!
;
As the Saltery C turned the corner and the group had Ketchikan back in sight, a sad feeling swept the group..... ..it was time for this extraordin ary adventure to end. The wonderful memories however will continue for the rest of their lives and forever fill those contemplat ive moments with the magic and wonder of a wilderness experience very few people on this planet will ever know...... ...
My heartfelt thanks to Keven for his dogged determinat ion to get the shot....an d yet remain essentiall y invisible keeping everyone natural and at ease on camera. Keven has become a great friend and I admire his tenacious appetite for producing outstandin g results. Thanks to Jason as well for the long hours he put in being very busy setting up, filming, and getting shots that otherwise would’ve slipped by.
The ladies were soooo much fun to have aboard as they rose to every occasion eager to learn and explore. They didn’t shy away from anything, got their hands dirty, fished hard and never gave up, they paddled their arms off in the kayaks and were always ready for the next opportunit y. They totally ROCKED.... ..and they looked good doing it! Thanks ladies for being such great participan ts in a most outstandin g adventure with yours truly..... Capo......a nd Classic Alaska Charters!
Check out this video: Girls Gone Wilderness !
..
Add to My Profile |
More Videos
