Don Ernst - Alaskan Bush Adventures: Lessons from the Land, Lessons from the Lord

A LASKAN B USH

A DVENTURES

A LASKAN B USH

A DVENTURES

Lessons from the Land

Lessons from the Lord

Don Ernst

2019 Don Ernst

Alaskan Bush Adventures

Lessons from the Land

Lessons from the Lord

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018962329

ISBN 978-1-400306121 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-400306213 (Hardbound)

ISBN 978-1-400306220 (eBook)

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C ONTENTS

I t was cold outsideI mean cold! It was 50F and dark. The darkness was lasting twenty hours every day. Winter had come. But it was warm sitting beside the blazing woodstove and the lights shone brightly inside the house. That evening, my son-in-law and his family had walked over for a visit. It is in such times when plans are made. One day, the sun will be shining brightly again and the temperature will rise above freezing, and with that change of season the ducks and geese will be back. So it was in this setting that a new plan was being formed for the coming spring waterfowl season.

Every spring and fall there is an area a few miles upriver where the geese tend to congregate. In this particular section of river the snow melts early, exposing the sandbar that contains new shoots of vegetation. The small stems of willows on the bank form a backdrop and offer some protection. In the spring, the challenge is being able to get to that area since the main river is normally still clogged with ice. So how are you figuring that we will be able to get to this hunting area? It seemed like a legitimate question that I asked my son-in-law.

He then began explaining this new, great hunting plan.

At the edge of the village, where the slough makes a turn to the north, just beyond the beaver dam, that will be our starting point. We will put your canoe in there. From there we can paddle to where this slough connects into another, larger slough. Once we reach that point we can follow the slough for a while, then portage the canoe over to a series of lakes. Once we have paddled through the lakes we can portage a little distance to where the hunting area is by the river. Then after the hunt, we will just reverse our course and head back home. He continued, It wont be bad. Its only going to be about five miles each way, most of it by canoe.

Well, that sure seemed like a great plan to me. I liked the idea of sitting in the canoe and paddling for most of the trip and only having to portage the canoe a couple of short distances. The plan was formed and set. Now it was just a matter of waiting for spring and the birds.

In due time, spring returned to the landand with it the geese. We were greeted with a clear sky the morning my son-in-law and I lowered the canoe into the slough. The forecast called for calm winds and warm temperatures. This was going to be an exciting hunt. No one else had yet been to this particular hunting area, as the ice still held its grip on the river. We were undoubtedly going to be the first ones to reach this country. After putting all the gear in the canoe, we pushed it off the bank and into the water, barely making a wake. The canoe was a cedar strip canoe that I had made a few years back, roughly seventeen feet long. It would carry a good load without settling much into the water.

The paddling was easy, even somewhat relaxing, as we made our way down the narrow slough. The plan that had been made during the depth of winter was now unfolding before us. What is that ahead of us? I asked, fearful of knowing what the answer would be. Sure enough the ice hadnt melted in this part of the slough. No worrieswe will just portage around this little chunk of ice, get back in the slough, and be on our way. A minor setback, but it was all working according to plan. Back on the slough again we began paddling. Unfortunately, we only went a short distance and there it was againice all the way across the slough. As we climbed the bank and looked down the slough, all we could see was snow and ice where we had planned that there would be water. Plan A was not working out so well. Not to be deterred, we quickly came up with Plan B. Carry the canoe to the next slough, put it in there, and paddle to the lakes.

We dragged the canoe up the bank, put the paddles in, and carried it to the next slough. This was going to take a little longer than we planned and for sure required a little more work. But in our minds, we could just see all the geese on the sandbar. Onward we went! In time we reached the other slough. You got to be kidding me. As we looked in amazement at the next slough, all we saw was icenothing but ice. Plan B just ended. How could such a great hunting plan begin to unravel so quickly? Though we were dismayed, we came up with Plan C. Continue to portage the canoe over to the lakes. There we would put in and paddle to the river.

By this time the sun was shining brightly and it was starting to get warm. Sweat was beginning to flow from our bodies as we pushed on. We were going to get to the river later than planned, but fortunately the days were long now. After a while we came to the first lake and there was water. Unfortunately, the water was only along the very edges and not near enough to launch the canoe. This was unbelievable! Plan D: get out some ropes, tie them to the canoe, and drag the canoe to the next lake. Along the way we had the opportunity to shoot a few ducks. It didnt seem like a few ducks could add so much weight to the canoe, but there was definitely a noticeable difference. After portaging for a long way, parting the weeds and grass as we went, there in the distance was an awful soundgunshots.

While we had started our trip on one end of the village, two other guys had started their hunting trip from the other end of the village. Their trip had begun on the river. Little did we know that the ice went out on the river through the night. These two men traveled upriver in a little boat and made it to the hunting area. The gunshots we heard were coming from these two men. They were hunting the same geese. Plan Eturn the canoe around, once again wrap the ropes back over our shoulders, and begin retracing our steps, dragging the canoe back to the village. Some hours later, sweaty and exhausted, we made it back home. Our great hunting plan, schemed in the winter, turned out to be nothing more than a grueling workout. Obviously, things had not even come close to what we had planned.