the last of the pre-season lull

A nice view of Mt. Pavlov. Wouldn't know it from all the snow, but I saw this volcano erupt with a huge river of lava last August from where I was standing on the docks.

On the 4th, the weather was still pretty nice, but definitely cooling down. Lisa took her shiny new Necky kayak on it's maiden voyage before she left it for safe keeping with me (ha!) until the middle of the month. I christened it with a cracked egg and a sprinkle of Dasani since a bottle of champagne is equal to a down payment on a house around here.

It snowed June 5th. Back to being house-bound with all planes grounded, Lisa and crew were delayed for King Cove. Lisa spent the time waiting for the weather to improve by ripping up my kitchen right before ditching town. I could pretend to be mad, but really it lets a lot more light in through the porthole that is my kitchen window. I swear the bunkhouse feels more like a boat than an apartment. We all had sea legs for the next 4 days after our 30hr ferry ride. My theory for sea legs lasting longer than the actual boat ride is based on the maritime feng shui of the place. I guess it's fitting.

The wonderful Fish & Game pilots Steve Hakala and Paul Horn made it in on the sixth, and flew everyone out of town to their perspective field stations. The photo of all us WASSIP girls with the state rig cracks me up. According to our boss Mark, none of the guys that applied qualified. I got to ride along to King Cove with Steve, who's been flying this area for at least 40 years. It was so nice to be back in a deHavilland Beaver. I know they're slow, but they're beautiful! Though I have to say it sure is alarming to see one without floats. The bird's eye view of the Shumagin Islands and south Peninsula is always an awesome sight. It's really crazing to see how volcanic the local geography is when you're flying over it all.

Today, I'm planning on going on a hike before my first night of sampling. The fleet got their nets wet at 6am this morning, and are fishing on a windy but sunny day. I'm curious to see how they do tonight, and am SO EXCITED to get my hands on some silver-backed salmon. They're so pretty this time of year.