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What One Scotch, One Storm, and One Fish Taught Me About Life
Alaska, I’m told, is the last frontier. It’s untouched, it’s wild, and it’s beautiful.
I was only 21 and on a trip with my dad to fish for salmon in a river that ran through the heart of Alaska.
We were going fishing for a week.
The first day started out sunny, with high fluffy clouds and blue skies. We dropped our tent off at the site and drove off to catch the boat that would take us to our spot on the river.
We really didn’t know much about fishing in Alaska other than what we had read in books, but we were determined to make the best of it.
We hopped a puddle jumper and the plane landed us as close as it could to where we wanted to be, then dropped us off with our waders and rods.
We made a small fire and spent time getting chatting with each other while waiting for the fish to bite.
Finally, at some point in the afternoon, one of us caught a salmon! It was exciting! The fish looked fresh and clean, not like some of the molting fish during spawning season.
Then the weather turned nasty. A storm blew in, and… well… you know how it goes when a storm blows in: all the fish get scared off, too.
