Our family had the adventure of a lifetime this past weekend. We went with our good friend Steve out to his family's winter cabin. This cabin is only accessible in the winter time when the rivers are frozen. In Alaska, you are not allowed to drive vehicles across salmon streams. So, when freeze up hits, you can take snow mobiles and access lots of areas. Steve has a cabin on a lake several miles back in the back country. We loaded up all of our gear on the snow machines, and headed off. Our yellow lab, Badger, ran along with us the WHOLE way to the cabin(several miles in deep snow). He was amazing. we got there, and unloaded our gear and settled in for the night. We went down to the lake and drilled a few hole's with the power auger, and set out a few lines to try and catch a pike or two. The boys were so happy to be out "in the wild". The cabin is a pretty rustic place, and the kids LOVED it. That night as we drifted off to sleep, it was raining. The sound of rain on a tin roof is one of life's small blessings.
The next morning, we got up and went to check the lines....nothing. Jacey and Misty made us bacon and pancakes for breakfast. The stove is an old propane unit, and Jacey felt like she had gone back in time. She was LOVING it. After breakfast, the boys ran down to the lake to check the lines again. A few minutes later, we heard them whooping and hollering..."we got one"! We all ran down, and there was Hunter with his first Alaskan pike. Well, Gunner is the one who has the dream to catch a pike through the ice. It's been his goal for two years. He immediately started getting serious, and a little bit later, he had his first pike! These are vicious looking fish, with large sharp teeth.....the boys loved that. We were getting our gear together to go out on a snow machine ride, and we couldnt get Gunner to quit fishing. It was then that we saw his rod, doubled over and bouncing! He ran over and grabbed his line, and started pulling it in by hand. He let out a scream! It was then that we saw this MONSTER pike coming up out of the hole! He wrestled it out onto the ice! Everyone was yelling and laughing. Gunner was the hero of the day! That fish was a giant, for this lake! When we cleaned it later, we found lots of bait and stuff from other fishermen in it's gullet! Gunner had caught the lake monarch!
After the fishing, we loaded up and went out for a snow machine (snow mobile in the lower 48) ride. We rode all the way out to the Susitna River. It was a blue bird sky! It was so Awesome to get to see Alaska like this! March is a beautiful month up here! We rode 40 miles! The kids were able to see lots of country, and sights that not many people EVER get to see. It was amazing. We were on the way back to the cabin, and Hunter and I were coming down a hill, where the trail was uneven. Yeah...we crashed! The machine started to tip, and I had Hunter in front of me, I grabbed him and we bailed off! We landed in some DEEP snow. The machine kept going and when it did it's flip, thats about the time that everyone else looked back! So, needless to say, there were some goosebumps and Profanity (From Misty), but we were ok. Hunter thought it was awesome, of coarse, but it was scary. WE got back to the cabin, and had lunch and caught a few more pike. The kids got to shoot the guns for the rest of the afternoon. It was a blast. The kids are really learning gun safety and how to be responsible. I was impressed with their shooting skills. They are getting older now, and they are starting to get competetive. They were shooting empty .410 and .12 guage shells with their .22's. It was fun. Steve put together an exploding target that we put out on the lake and he shot with his .270! Great fun!
WE ate a big lasagna dinner, and sat around and listened to Steve tell his stories about all of his Alaskan adventures. The kids loved it. We went to bed late. It was colder this night than it was the night before. It even snowed a little bit. We got up the next morning and it was snowing. It was so beautiful. We cooked breakfast and watched it snow out the big front windows. We even cooked up some pike! We dusted it in Krusteze pancake mix, and fried it in the bacon drippings. It was SO good. WOW! We just sat around drinking hot chocolate all morning and relaxing. We then loaded up our gear. As we were getting ready to load the sleds, (the sleds are big, well, sleds we put our gear in, and they tow behind the snowmachine), Jacey asked if Steve would pull her in it. He said "no, but I will pull all four of you kids in it"! They loaded in, and Steve took off across the lake, and the snow was hitting them and caking them! They LOVED it. This was the high light of the trip for Jacey! We laughed hard.
We got loaded up and then we secured up the cabin so that the bears won't be able to break in in the spring! The bears are going to be coming out of hiberation in a few weeks here. We left the cabin and headed back to civillization. It was so nice to be out for a few days. Badger ran the whole way back to the cars. It was a trip of a lifetime. One of the many adventures that we have been blessed to have since we have been up here in the Frozen Chosen North! Alaska is an amazing place, and we are drinking it up! Our kids are making some awesome memories.
The next morning, we got up and went to check the lines....nothing. Jacey and Misty made us bacon and pancakes for breakfast. The stove is an old propane unit, and Jacey felt like she had gone back in time. She was LOVING it. After breakfast, the boys ran down to the lake to check the lines again. A few minutes later, we heard them whooping and hollering..."we got one"! We all ran down, and there was Hunter with his first Alaskan pike. Well, Gunner is the one who has the dream to catch a pike through the ice. It's been his goal for two years. He immediately started getting serious, and a little bit later, he had his first pike! These are vicious looking fish, with large sharp teeth.....the boys loved that. We were getting our gear together to go out on a snow machine ride, and we couldnt get Gunner to quit fishing. It was then that we saw his rod, doubled over and bouncing! He ran over and grabbed his line, and started pulling it in by hand. He let out a scream! It was then that we saw this MONSTER pike coming up out of the hole! He wrestled it out onto the ice! Everyone was yelling and laughing. Gunner was the hero of the day! That fish was a giant, for this lake! When we cleaned it later, we found lots of bait and stuff from other fishermen in it's gullet! Gunner had caught the lake monarch!
After the fishing, we loaded up and went out for a snow machine (snow mobile in the lower 48) ride. We rode all the way out to the Susitna River. It was a blue bird sky! It was so Awesome to get to see Alaska like this! March is a beautiful month up here! We rode 40 miles! The kids were able to see lots of country, and sights that not many people EVER get to see. It was amazing. We were on the way back to the cabin, and Hunter and I were coming down a hill, where the trail was uneven. Yeah...we crashed! The machine started to tip, and I had Hunter in front of me, I grabbed him and we bailed off! We landed in some DEEP snow. The machine kept going and when it did it's flip, thats about the time that everyone else looked back! So, needless to say, there were some goosebumps and Profanity (From Misty), but we were ok. Hunter thought it was awesome, of coarse, but it was scary. WE got back to the cabin, and had lunch and caught a few more pike. The kids got to shoot the guns for the rest of the afternoon. It was a blast. The kids are really learning gun safety and how to be responsible. I was impressed with their shooting skills. They are getting older now, and they are starting to get competetive. They were shooting empty .410 and .12 guage shells with their .22's. It was fun. Steve put together an exploding target that we put out on the lake and he shot with his .270! Great fun!
WE ate a big lasagna dinner, and sat around and listened to Steve tell his stories about all of his Alaskan adventures. The kids loved it. We went to bed late. It was colder this night than it was the night before. It even snowed a little bit. We got up the next morning and it was snowing. It was so beautiful. We cooked breakfast and watched it snow out the big front windows. We even cooked up some pike! We dusted it in Krusteze pancake mix, and fried it in the bacon drippings. It was SO good. WOW! We just sat around drinking hot chocolate all morning and relaxing. We then loaded up our gear. As we were getting ready to load the sleds, (the sleds are big, well, sleds we put our gear in, and they tow behind the snowmachine), Jacey asked if Steve would pull her in it. He said "no, but I will pull all four of you kids in it"! They loaded in, and Steve took off across the lake, and the snow was hitting them and caking them! They LOVED it. This was the high light of the trip for Jacey! We laughed hard.
We got loaded up and then we secured up the cabin so that the bears won't be able to break in in the spring! The bears are going to be coming out of hiberation in a few weeks here. We left the cabin and headed back to civillization. It was so nice to be out for a few days. Badger ran the whole way back to the cars. It was a trip of a lifetime. One of the many adventures that we have been blessed to have since we have been up here in the Frozen Chosen North! Alaska is an amazing place, and we are drinking it up! Our kids are making some awesome memories.
