A very popular way of gathering a good supply of salmon, possibly an entire year's worth, is to go dipnetting on the Copper River, near Chitina. When the Copper River Red Salmon are running strong, you can get 40-50 fish in a half a day. It does require time to process the fish, once they're hauled in, so one or two people can only handle one fish in 5 to 10 minutes, since you have to get them out of the net, make sure they stop thrashing, then string them on an underwater line, to keep them cool, and alive, before hauling them out in a cooler at the end of a session.
My friend Erik partially grew up in Glenallen, in the Copper River Basin, and so learned how to hunt and fish. When he asked me if I wanted to do some dipnetting on the Copper River at Chitina, I jumped at the chance. Because I want and need to learn more ways of subsistence living, as a way of bonding and grounding with the area I live in, and in case troubled times come, when people will need to be more self-sufficient.
So the entire A.P.R. staff threw our camping material together and hauled down the Richardson Highway from Fairbanks, south from Delta Junction, through Glenallen, then east from Copper Center. Erik has a cabin on the bluff above the Copper River, on the Old Edgarton Highway, with a beautiful view of several of the Wrangell volcanoes. (Drum, Wrangell, Blackburn).
We spent the night there, then headed over friday morning to Chitina, were we arrived 
around noon. Erik's brother Cameron and his family, Erik's three kids, his parents, and some others made for a large group. Our camp was by the Copper River bridge, about a mile east of Chitina on the McCarthy highway (a place we need to get to soon, Mc Carthy. Just so far away...). Right on the river, it provided a way to cool off, on all three hot days we spent there. Each day was 80-85 degrees F, and sunny. Not too shabby for interior Alaska, and the bugs were tolerable too!
around noon. Erik's brother Cameron and his family, Erik's three kids, his parents, and some others made for a large group. Our camp was by the Copper River bridge, about a mile east of Chitina on the McCarthy highway (a place we need to get to soon, Mc Carthy. Just so far away...). Right on the river, it provided a way to cool off, on all three hot days we spent there. Each day was 80-85 degrees F, and sunny. Not too shabby for interior Alaska, and the bugs were tolerable too! The river is very silty from the melting huge glaciers it drains in the Wrangell mountains. So after you dry off after being in it, fine silt coats your hair and body, and whatever else you may be wearing.
Erik had two dipnets for us to use, I brought two coolers, and he brought one. He also had the knives, and all the other gear. We parked at the O'Brien Creek bridge. This is the furthest south you can drive on the O'Brien creek road. This road is an old railbed that runs south above the river all the way to Cordova, on the coast, over 100 miles south. Through the incredibly steep and glaciated St. Elias mountains. The road has been covered by many slides over the years, the last major one in 2001 ended forever the possibility of driving. The state of AK decided to close the road, by not maintaining it. So now only people on foot or four-wheelers, or dirt bikes can go on it. Most people use four-wheelers to haul supplies in and camp. But we went light. Erik had a dolly we hauled our cooler and nets on, while I hauled the poles, and my gear on my back. We walked about two miles down to a steep trail on the bluff, that led to a great secluded little beach-like area, so we could set our gear down behind us, and not have to be tied to a tree to do our dipnetting.
The river runs swift and fast here. It seemed about 50F, from what I felt by being in it at our camp. Cold, but not as bad as straight from a glacier! But, if you were to get swept into the main channel, even with a life jacket, the fast-moving current could easily overcome efforts to get back toward shore, once the cold started it's work. So we were careful not to step out too far, or fall in. 
This is the view upstream. 14,163 foot Mt. Wrangell, an active shield volcano (like Mauna Loa in Hawaii), shimmers like a vast cloud in the distance. That gently sloped volcano has a huge glacial expanse in it's wide area above 7000 feet.
Downstream, you can see how swiftly it's moving. And down the canyon, how it narrows. To fall in in a place like that, would be very dangerous!
Homer quickly settled in onshore to snooze in the heat (the joys of semi-retirement!), while Mattie went off exploring. 
Erik and I quickly put our nets together and started dipping. The nets are 2-3 feet wide on the end of 15' poles. We just dip the net in a slow-running pool, that will keep the net open, and slowly move it around, waiting for fish to pop in. We were not having much success though, it was quite slow. We had heard from others we talked to, that the run was not good that day. And we were not sure why. The river was a little low, but who knows...
While holding my net, I was even able to snap other pictures, including probably my first ever successful self-portrait. It wa really hot in that glaring sun! But I didn't want to step much in the water either, too dangerous there!
Erik caught our first of only three fish (one got away sat.) of the entire trip, about an hour after we started. I had no nibble on my net at all!
We kept at it until late afternoon, then decided to try again tomorrow.
We packed up, Homer came up with us, and we hauled up everything to the road. But Mattie was missing. She had run off earlier and come back, so I wasn't too worried.
But, I called and called, nothing. Now I was worried. We slowly walked back to the car, while I called, but no success.
On the way back, we could see lots of eagles in the trees or flying around, eating the dead and dying salmon.
I got back to the car worried and slightly upset. I was not expecting this! Mattie has always been very good about staying around whenever we are in wilderness settings.
We decided to go back for dinner, then come back later. Which we did, this time on Cameron's four-wheeler. This way we were able to get about 7-8 miles down the trail quickly, past the 2001 slides. But to no avail, no sight or sound of her could be found. So, we had to call it an evening. I just hoped she'd be ok on her own overnight. We would come back in the morning and fish the same spot. Hopefully she would show up! So, after an edgy night, I got up and quickly got ready, hoping I'd find our intrepid Assistant Editor.
But we got to our friday fishing spot saturday morning around 10 am, and saw no sign of her. We fished for about four hours, catching only two more (one from me, one from Erik, which got away). Still no sign of Mattie. We decided to head back to camp and I would come back later to see if I could find her. Which I did, walking back and forth along the trail, calling, but still no sign. I talked to many people who were walking or four-wheeling on the road, but no one saw her.
After my last sat. evening try, I got back to camp very depressed. I figured she had gotten swept away in the fast water, and was trying not to think about it. Or had a run-in with a bear. I couldn't even enjoy dinner with Erik and his family, I was too down. Because I lost five sled dogs in the past year to hit and run drivers, and tragic accidents.
But I was able to pull myself out of this funk later, while we all visited and played with fireworks (we made sure we were fire-safe).
I went to bed very sad though saturday night. I prayed for guidance and asked my higher self to give me information about what happened to her. I had to have some closure. About 0500 I was in that interesting (and potentially quite productive) half-sleep/wake state. I saw her in front of me, looking for me. I immediately came awake, happier, knowing she was alive. I've always trusted my dreams and visions to help me in the past few years, and always am rewarded. I told Erik when he was up and around that she was still alive. We had breakfast and planned to go back to the area one more time, before we had to leave.
Mattie's collar has our A.P.R. Chena Ridge Research Centre phone number on it. So I called my room-mate Rick saturday with my cell phone (amazing it worked out there), and asked him to call me if any one called that number, reporting on Mattie. Sure enough, around 0830 sun. morning, someone called and said they had her. She was running on the road between O'Brien Creek and Chitina. They took her to the ranger station in Chitina. I rushed down there, incredibly happy, knowing she was alive (though I already knew...).
She bolted from the ranger station, yelping, and jumpe
d on me. Two and half days of worry and fear for me, and who knows what, for her.I'd give anything to know what was going on with her all that time, and what she went through. When I got her back, she was 10-15 lbs. lighter! And she only had weighed about 65 lbs! Here she is when I got her back to camp. One of her paws was scraped pretty badly, and she was moving very slowly. I had to lift her into the car.
Based on all that, I offer the following reconstruction. She must have gotten turned around and went down the wrong way down the road. Then, being lost, went up and down multiple times, still not sure where to go. Then, sometime sat. or sat. night perhaps, realized she had to get back to the O'Brien creek parking area.
Which she did sunday morning, then was picked up running up the road shortly thereafter. Unless she tells me otherwise directly, this is what we're sticking with. Who knows, maybe she made it all the way to Cordova, before turning back!
I always like to make the best of situations, if things get stressful. I learned all I need to know now about dipnetting, so that I could come back at any time, and get what we need. It's always great spending time Erik and his family, I love being around them. Erik and I are very good friends, and he was very understanding. And the setting we were in was true Alaska wilderness. The town of Chitina has an interesting and surprisingly old history from mining, in that extreme setting.
This also reinforced to me how important it is to relax and ask for guidance from the universe and our higher selves, when we need. Many times over the past few years, especially when I've been in that half-sleep/half-wake state, I've had important dreams and visions. About people or issues I've been concerned about, and which were very helpful in giving me useful and constructive information. I always ask for this right when I fall asleep, when I feel it is necessary. And it works, sometimes not that night, but even during the following day, when something will just pop in.
We headed back home with our two fish, after saying goodbyes, and having a great lunch with Erik at the Copper River Princess resort, while we gazed at the volcanoes, eating outside. I did something I rarely ever do. I had to use the car air conditioning the whole way! It was hot, and Mattie and Homer were overheating in their thick coats. Mattie lay the whole time with her little head on my arm. Welcome back Mattie!
OK, when Erik and I stopped at a country store on the highway to Chitina, not too far from his cabin, sunday, we saw the news. About our governor Sara Palin up and quitting inexplicably, the previous day, on the 4th of July.
We were stunned. What? So, A.P.R. needs to offer commentary on this perplexing issue.
The above article from our local paper and especially the comments afterward, give you an idea of the local vibe on this situation. She's pissing off alot of conservatives. For that we applaud you Ms. Palin :) !
But we agree with them in the sense that she is letting down the people she agreed to work for by taking on the job. And why?
Well, we at A.P.R. think there must be some incredible large mass of excrement poised above a large fan near her, waiting to hit at any time. What is it? If you have some good ideas, let us know, we'll be happy to share them!
Why else would she suddenly do this on a family holiday? Someone must have given her an "offer she can't refuse" (GOP leadership?), or is extorting her. It certainly doesn't make sense, if she wants to run for national office again in 2012, to be seen as a quitter, dropping the job when things get a little tough.
Since she is a republican, who we at A.P.R. truly regard as fascists (their national platform only needs examining by an unbiased historian to see that), we are happy just in that sense, to see one of them go down in a dysfunctional way.
While she comes across nicely, as a warm, neighborly, outdoorsy, woman, if she truly believes what the G.O.P. espouses, that is scary. I would hope that at least some of her persona is genuine, however. Since we haven't met her, no judgement can be offered on that. There have been disturbing reports from many sources, that she still clings to a fundamentalist Christianity, so extreme, that they still believe the Earth is 6000 years old! Do you want someone with that mindset interacting on our behalf with other nations and cultures? The American Taleban! God Help Us! And, in most of her interviews, she comes across as woefully ignorant of real geopolitical issues and cultures.
So, with all that in mind, we here at the Alaska Progressive Review, give a hearty HASTA LA VISTA S. PALIN! out to the World. Our Lieutanent Governer Sean Parnell will be taking the helm in late July. From all reports, he sounds at least to be more focused on state issues, and working for the people of the State.
