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KASILOF, ALASKA
WHERE WE LIVE…
My wife Melissa, my newborn son Brody, my dogs, and I feel
extremely fortunate that Kasilof, Alaska found us. Kasilof,
a small fishing village of approximately 500 resilient year
round residents, is located on the banks of the Kasilof
River and the Cook Inlet. It is located on the eastern side
of the Kenai Peninsula which is an area about the size of
the state of Vermont (where we are from) and is inhabited
by only 35,000 residents.
People are different here and we like it that way. It is
just as common for our neighbors to be working outside in
a boat at 3:00 am as working inside in an office at 3:00
pm. Time around here is not measured by the clock ticking
on the bedroom wall, but rather by the sun, which doesn’t
set until well after midnight in the summer, and by the
massive ocean tides, which crest up to 17 feet and bring
with the surge millions and millions of migrating fish.
The change of seasons is what is important here, not what
is playing on TV or what can be found on the internet. As
predictable as the budding of the trees after a long cold
winter, the fishermen return, traveling from all corners
of the globe, to spend another summer on the beaches over
looking snow capped volcanoes under a true midnight sun.
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World famous "king"
or Chinook salmon (weighing up to 80 lbs), millions of “red”
or Sockeye, “silver” or Coho, and “pink”
or Humpback salmon complete their four to six year lifecycle
by returning from the sea to their spawning grounds in the
freshwater rivers that originate from the glaciers that
surround us.“Barn door” halibut, the largest
in the world and weighing as much as 400 lbs, also thrive
in these waters and create another sport fishing industry
all its own. Under the watchful eye of Alaska’s Fish
and Game, the salmon runs and halibut are harvested, and
the fuel tank that drives the economic engine of the area
is filled once again.
It is a lifestyle that hasn’t changed much since before
statehood and is one of a simpler time that many savor and
feel fortunate to be a part of. Bonfires on the beach occur
nightly, after the catch has been delivered to the processing
plants, and beer, whisky, and fishing stories flow freely.
People are tough, “real”, and all our willing
to lend a hand to their neighbors whenever there is a need.
The area is sparsely populated and unspoiled. The air, which
originates far away in the Northern Bering Sea, is always
cool and clean. It invigorates the soul.
Wildlife flourishes here, where moose calves with wobbly
legs only a few hours old, try to keep upright and struggle
to stay close to their foraging mothers. Grizzly bears occasionally
create an up roar in the neighborhood and the latest intruder
came within 20 feet of me in my dog yard. Bald eagles are
everywhere and often have aerobatics battles in the skies
just above our property as they dive bomb each other establishing
their territorial boundaries. The winner will perch, with
pride, on top of the tall pine trees in our dog yard for
hours, incessantly watching their domain and the dog and
human activities that transpire beneath them. For a nature
lover like me, who was raised on the streets of Philadelphia,
I am constantly in awe as I go through my day by day to
be living in the midst of some of the most amazing wildlife
and scenery on earth.
Temperatures peak at about
75 degrees in the summer. A gentle sea breeze blows away
any bugs that exist which leaves a sunny day with low humidity
– a perfect lazy day for our sleeping and playing
sled dogs. The temperatures in the fall cool off quickly
so dog training can begin early. We usually start training
our pups around September 1st.
Winters are mild compared to the colder interior which provides
ideal temperatures to train our dogs. Snow can be unpredictable
at times, but when it does fall, it rarely melts because
the angle of the sun is so low. What falls in November doesn’t
usually start melting until April when the sun rays get
more intense.
The entire region is dog friendly and all the trails are
open to dog sledding as well as snow machines. Everyone
is extremely welcoming to the ones who have decided to travel
at slower speeds - the ones who have chosen to “run
silent and run dogs”. Dog mushers are not only welcome
here, but actually cherished, honored and respected which
is a refreshing change from the entitlement attitudes of
the snowmobilers back on the East Coast where Melissa and
I moved from. Life is incredible here and we feel very blessed!
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