Just got back from the first day of fishing. I had the bright idea to sleep on the 14 hour ride over to the grounds from Juneau, resulting in staying awake that night and creating a 22 hour long day. When we arrived at Hidden Falls (the fishing grounds and a ridiculously beautiful place) the boat's motor ended up dieing, which caused us to creep towards the rocky shore. The captain let out a few quiet words uttering "oh shit." Both a coworker and myself had to lift the anchor by hand in order to reset it. The thing is unbelievably heavy and dirty. I was covered in rainwater, saltwater, and dirt. What a great way to start the first day.
We all woke up at 3:40 am to look for fish and stake our ground. The weather was terrible (raining and cold) and I was thinking to myself why in my somewhat logical mind am I doing this. Being wet and cold is extremely debilitating, it can drain the life right out of you.
With no fish jumping things looked gloomy. However right before 5 am (opening time) we saw a swirl of fins in the water. With fierce determination the captain whipped the boat around, claimed his spot, and let go of the net. Engines roaring, smoke flying it was a great start to the season. All the excitement rushed back. I remembered all the of the fishing process and things went rather smoothly despite being short a man. We're all strapping young lads who can handle the work. As the day progressed the mighty sun broke free from the clouds grip and everything warmed up. The transformation from being cold and wet to being warm and dry is an amazing feeling especially when you stuck out in the elements.
We were surrounded by snowcapped peaks, giant waterfalls, and beautiful torquise water. Not a bad office space.
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