My previous post left off in early May when I took two weeks off between my contract extension to drive around southern Alaska, and more importantly to have some time outside Nome for the first time in three months of winter. My partner Zeph met me in Anchorage up from New Mexico and we got to driving. I did my routine things in Anchorage such as eating out at good restaurants, going to appointments, enjoying large grocery stores, buying outdoor gear, and having car maintenance performed. I had missed my Subaru so much in those 3 months while she was in storage!
Over those two weeks we slept in the Subaru each night, and we had one argument the whole time which was: sleep in Subaru tonight or pitch a tent? We first drove south to the Kenai Peninsula to check out historic Hope, Seward, and Homer. Both towns are set with stunning mountain landscapes, and even though we had a lot of clouds, we made the most of it. After driving back north to Anchorage, we drove east the entirety of the Glenn Highway and south to Chitina. Chitina is a small town on the Copper River which is famous for fish wheels and their salmon run. We spent the night there talking with the locals at the only building in town. Nothing is open before Memorial Day in those parts before tourist season- we prefer it that way. I even got to catch my first fish ever- a grayling, on a fly rod, in the Copper River. After Chitina we drove the 60 mile rock gravel road to McCarthy which is a slow go; at the end is McCarthy, a historic town at the base of the Kennicott Copper Mines. We walked five miles from McCarthy to the mines, then another 2 miles to the base of Root Glacier. It is super cool to walk on a glacier without the hullabaloo of going through a tour guide! We managed to walk back with near no energy, but we were graced with the presence of a lumbering black bear and porcupine. After McCarthy we somehow pushed through and drove all the way back to Anchorage in one evening and indulged in Moose’s Tooth Pizza. Next we flew down to Kodiak Island and met some friends for a few days, and while there got to see some interesting landscapes whilst fishing for black rockfish! (I have NEVER been fishing). We camped out near Kincaid Park, hiked Flat Top, and ran a few last errands before heading back to still snow covered Nome.
Back in Nome, springtime was in full effect and even the snow was still most places, I was seeing streets and the dog lot with dirt for the first time. And with everlasting daylight and calm seas, our first weekend we were lucky enough to get to Sledge Island. This island is ~30 miles from Nome and only accessible by boat and zodiac. Zeph is working on a commercial fishing boat, and his captain Phil was gracious enough to take a bunch of us out to hike the hill.
Nome has 3 roads leading out of town, each about 80 miles. One ends in the native village of Teller, one ends in Council, and the last ends at an arbitrary bridge of the Kougarok river. The mountain range in our peninsula are the Kigluaiks. In the summer, the numerous rivers are filled with salmon runs, the mountains are hike-able, and the roads are spotted with family camps that are visited often. It is the time to be able to leave town and experience the wilderness one step further.
Over the past three months, I’ve been very fortunate to learn a ton about living in Nome. When the pink salmon came in first, I was elated to catch one every few minutes at the mouth of the Nome river. It could not get any easier! I was also able to participate in a seining trip to get prized red salmon, whilst removing all of the purple and green spawned out dog salmon from the net. To get to a lot of these places, an ATV or side by side is a must. This was the case for the seining trip, as well as a hike out to the end of glacier creek road (more like a trail). At the end of this road is Mt Distin, which was a stunningly beautiful hike. My friends with their 6 week old baby and our dogs camped overnight, watched the fog lift the next late morning, and hiked to the top for ridiculous views.
During Iditarod, the last checkpoint is at Safety Roadhouse, which is open in the summer as a bar. Outside, there is a green pad for golf; there may not be a course in Nome (permafrost, right?), but this square is a piece of heaven for Zeph. Inside, there are dollar bills posted all over the building from past visitors, so I had to make my mark with an O-H of course. The I-O to my O-H is Vicky, who was here for 13 weeks as a PT traveler. I don’t think my time here in Nome would be as special without her. Vicky is from Cleveland, so we had a lot of midwest bonding off the bat. Vicky and I also got to go along with Captain Phil to check subsistence crab pots for Alaskan king. Contrary to the terrible commercial year for crab, we had great success in checking the pots for that night’s dinner- delicious!!! Vicky also got to experience her first shooting experience at the end of Kougarok with Phil as well as beans and cheese in a solo cup for dinner! She is now working in Kodiak, and we get to go visit her in Anchorage so soon.
My sister Adrianna visited for 10 days in mid-August, and that was such a treat! It may have rained 8/10 days but we were still able to accomplish a lot. The first weekend we took the road to Teller, picked the remainder of good salmonberries (i.e. cloudberries), had amazing pastries from Pingo, and gathered the local plants to make tundra salve. Adrianna caught her first fish, also a pink, reluctantly as she does not prefer to kill animals. But these fish are for Cord dog over the winter! We got to go camping at Salmon Lake and pick heaps of blueberries there with Cord romping around; not a soul was there, and we had a good break in weather. A and Cord got tons of bonding time in- I kept saying that this trip was essentially a photoshoot of A with dogs.
The following weekend we drove out to friend Kamey’s camp at mile 67 of Council road where we relaxed and unwound there trying to find mushrooms, berries, and more plants. After driving home, I took A on the same trip out to Mt Distin, and we had a fabulously not-rainy but high enough cloud ceiling to see the beautiful views. Driving out there on ATVs is a fun, adventurous time; along the 26 miles I’m glad we saw no bears.
Last weekend a group of hiked 3870, a mountain named for altitude, and the second highest in the peninsula. We had clear weather for most of the hike except for the last 400 feet or so; at the top, we could not see a single thing, sadly. However, now we know the route of the hike and will be able to return to do it again next year, as snow will be arriving soon at the peak.
Looking back, summer was filled with quite a few activities, and that’s the way it should be when you have never ending daylight. Even during the 2-3 hours of “night”, it is not darker than dusk. Now that September has arrived, darkness is creeping in rapidly. We have 14 hours of daylight right now, but losing the sun is welcoming as it means we will all get more sleep now. Although picking berries, fishing, riding ATVs, hiking, and picking plants is more fun and engaging than I could have thought, I’m glad to have more game nights, spending nights in with friends, making jam and salve, and anxiously awaiting the first snowfall. If you haven’t picked up on it already, I am loving every minute in Nome. It may not be for everyone, but it feels like a wonderful place for me in my mid-twenties. So, after extension 1 and extension 2, I have signed on here full time. I’ll be here for a few years, but that doesn’t mean the adventures are gonna stop. The freedom that is Nome is unlike anywhere else I’ve been in the lower 48. So, for now, it is here that I will remain. Until the next update on winter (yes!!!!!!),
Sam