The Alaska Trip

You step off the airplane in Valdez, Alaska and realize instantly that “God lives here.” Now, I am a firm believer the God is everywhere. But, if he could only be in one spot this would be it, and I knew it at my first glance off the airplane. From that moment on it only got better. Life is a series of moments, and some stick with you forever. Some fade with time and others are imprinted upon your soul and remain vivid for the rest of your life. The birth of your first child and your wedding day are events that imprint upon your soul, and so is your first hunt in Alaska. It had been a dream of mine for years to travel to Alaska, and even more so to hunt Alaska. When my buddy Justin called to ask about the trip I was hooked instantly, I just had to figure out how to make it happen. Through some sacrifice I was able to make it happen, and on Thanksgiving Day of 2009 I would board a plane to Alaska. The flight was uneventful, save my anxiety at wanting to get there much more quickly than the airlines would carry me. Our group consisted of Justin Harrison, Jason Zerrer, Kris Schaumburg and me. I was flying through Atlanta to Seattle, but the others were meeting up in Houston. So I was on my own until Anchorage and would arrive there several hours before their flight got in. We all finally arrived in Anchorage only to find our flight to Valdez had been cancelled and we would have to catch the flight out the next morning. Not, too big of a deal since we would arrive well before shooting time, but it our group was stressed to no end. We all wanted to start the hunt.
The next morning we were lucky, the plane flew without a problem, and after a slightly bumpy flight on a very small plane we landed in Valdez. The hunt could begin. We were greeted at the airport by Brian and Tim, our guides for the trip, and quickly shuttled back to the lodge. On arrival at the lodge we were served wonderful home cooked breakfast sandwiches and we dressed for the hunt. Once we were dressed we loaded up the boat and headed out of the port. It was the beginning of possibly the most memorable experience of my life.
. As we left the port we were accompanied by a pod of Dalls porpoises, and that was breathtaking by itself. The water is the most amazing blue and as clear as a crystal, and it is buttressed on every side by these massive mountains that fall right into the ocean. It is awesome. The first day was a microcosm of the whole first part of the trip The first hunt took a little while to get underway, but the Barrow’s Goldeneye were cooperative and a Common Goldeneye showed up allowing us to bag both in less than an hour. Greater Scaup and several other species provided some shooting opportunities. But the star of the show was the scenery. Our shooting was less than stellar, but the view lacked nothing.
Day two was the one we’d been waiting for, we had a pretty long boat ride out, but I knew a short time out that it was worth it. The Harlequin, Old Squaw, Black Scoter, Barrow’s Goldeneye, and even the odd Bufflehead made it a true red letter day. And we would finish up with a bag of birds that would make any person proud. I spent hours on a rock next to Jason Zerrer having the time of our lives, shooting decoying ducks and taking in the most awesome scenery God could devise.
On the last day we were on a mission. We still needed a Harlequin or two so we took out in search of them. Ultimately, we succeeded in doing just that along with bagging a few more Barrow’s Goldeneye and a few nice Surf Scoters along the way. That final hunt was also a remarkably memorable experience, but I am certain I am boring you all with details and you’d rather see a few pictures rather than read all the gory details. So I will wrap it up by saying; after the hunt we headed back and packed up, and the twinges of separation set in. I do not know yet when I will be back, but only that one day, Lord willing, I will.

Jason Zerrer on the rock Day 2.


Group Photo on Day 2, from left: Me, Justin Harrison, Kris Schaumberg, Jason Zerrer


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