July 23: Demonstration fishing and everlasting sunsets

We had planned to set two nets for one tide so Alok and Sabita could get a taste of fishing. But if we were going to do it, we'd have to be out there by noon at the latest and we had more preparation than usual because we had pulled the Bathtub all the way up to the base of the cliff (so we wouldn't have to worry about it swamping while we were gone).

Most of the crew slept in after the very long trip back from Katmai so I went to get the truck because we were going to need it to put the Bathtub back into service. I found some leaky waders and wader boots for Jean and Alok and the three of us used the truck to pull the skiff over the rocks and then down on to the sand, and the ranger to pull the skiff out to meet the oncoming tide. It was a little nerve-wracking because I could see that we were low on gas in the ranger (and I was driving it out toward the tide???), in the skiff, and in the power pack. Looking around for our stash of 5 gallon gas cans, I realized with a bad feeling in my stomach that all our gas cans were in the skiff at Lake Camp. Uh oh. I was feeling a little naked and formulating the mental plan for running up to Debby's cabin for a line and a giant pulley so that if the ranger ran out of gas, we could run the line out to the ranger, tie it off and pull it in. The tide is merciless.

We got the Bathtub out into the water and I left Jean and Alok with it while I ran the ranger back in to safety and then returned to the Bathtub. We were too late to set the outside site on foot and I thought it would be too difficult to try to do a running set with new crew (although Jean was crew many years ago, it was before we fished from skiffs). So we just decided to set the inside site. We had a few hits right away! We had planned to go in and wait until just before high water, but when we looked back, we saw many seals circling the net and we didn't want to give them our fish. So we fished! The hard way. Since the power pack was out of gas, we started out pulling by hand, and before long, resorted to running through the net with the skiff. We lost two fish that way, but we pulled in 10 - and saved out two of them for dinner.

We found an empty gas can and Roger went for gas. David took Jeff and Sarah to Lake Camp to get the boat on the trailer and tow it all back to AGS. Jean, Alok, Sabita and I went back out at about high water. We went through the net pulling out a few half-fish that the seals had taken. And then we picked up the net. Happily, by this time I remembered the two small and nearly empty gas cans I keep for my generator, so we had enough to run the power pack, making it much easier to pull in the net.

Jean and Alok stacked the net in the boat

while Sabita ran the hydraulics.

As soon as we got that net into the boat, we rushed into the shore and pulled in the other one that we had left on the beach, along with the morning's fish, and turned the whole operation over to Jake and Roger who were about to run the Bathtub in to be hauled out and then winterize the outboard, strip the remaining nets and get them in the southbound pile.

Jean, Alok, Sabita, and I stayed on the beach, started bread, cinnamon rolls, and maple bars, cleaned and marinaded salmon, hung out to dry all the wet clothing and sleeping bags that we brought back the night before, and started the final stages of packing up the crew cabin so it will be easy (and I hope, not disgusting) to open next season.

The day ended with a sunset show that lasted well over an hour...

and overlapped the moon show which lasted the rest of the night. The sunset isn't the only show that can change as the night deepens.

But it may boast the most dramatic changes. This was early, just a little past 11.

And here it is about half an hour later. Not as bright, but with more red and pink; less gold.

Alok noticed the way the light bathed the buildings and reflected in the windows of the bunkhouse...

and off the whole Space Hut.

It is just about done. This photo was taken at about midnight. From where we stand, it looks like the sun slips down just below the horizon and we can follow the glow as it moves it's quarter circle to rise again just behind Debby's cabin and in front of Alex's chairs.

After the sun was all gone, we decided to use this night to finally set off the fire works we got for Alex's anniversary.