Tundra In Bloom

Our small mountain is nothing more than a big hill that rises upward from behind the village. It's an important marker for travelers, as it can be seen from many miles out. Since we have no roads or signs to guide us, we use landmarks as our road signs to tell us where we are at and how much further we have to travel to get home.

The hill is a mere 559 feet in elevation and is the first hill encounterd for people traveling upriver from the Bering Sea. It juts directly up from the shore of the Yukon River as a steep incline.

It's where ravens do barrel rolls and eagles soar on the updrafts. From the top you get the most spectacular view of the Yukon River and surrounding hills that roll to the north all the way to Unalaklete and beyond.

I never thought to climb our hill until one day after living here for several years. I did one bright warm sunny day. I climbed up past the water tower and on up the hill, until it turned into a muddy trail with thick willow on either side. Natural springs trickled down the path and mixed with the snowmelt water. The last few melting snow drifts that cling on till mid june keep the ground saturated on the path leading up.

My lungs are starting to burn as I come out of the willow. The scene before me has me awstruck. I look at my feet. The ground is literally covered with thousands of wildflowers. Some, just tiny pink flowers that will become cranberries. Others are taller and more majestic like the Arctic Lupin. Never before have I seen such a display of color. I could not even take a step off the path for fear of walking over many of them with just one step.

The amount of flowers in their natural wild state is almost unbelievable. One has to really see with there own eyes and taste the fragrant breeze. Compound that with the most spectacular view of the Yukon River channels and sandbars and Kusilvak Mountain in the distance. I found myself standing there in awe, taking all the flowers in while watching the ravens soar on the winds.

I had to remind myself that I had a camera and could capture this scene forever. It is one of my favorites.

www.yjimagery.com

Summer Salmon

As spring gives way to summer, we find ourselves drifting down the Yukon River tied to our salmon net. It is stretched out in a great arc beside the boat. We have bouys attatched to both ends, so we can let go and switch sides to gently tow it in towards the shore or out into the deeper channel, depending on where you think the salmon are migrating upstream.

Salmon are about the most important resourse we have out here. They are dried and smoked and packed in barrels for winter food. Some are split in half and dried just for sled dog feed. And they are also sold for much needed cash for our everyday needs. It supports families still in this day and age.

We have four species that thrive here in the Yukon River. One is the Chinook, or localy known as King Salmon. They are the highest quality of any salmon in the world. The prices reach five dollers a pound for the fisherman, and over thirty a pound for the markets in the big city seafood shops.

Here it's a food staple. Everyone eats smoked king strips and king salmon is also packed in salt in barrels for winter use. When stored like that it, needs no refridgeration. It is resoaked in fresh water for a day and made into Russian pie or boiled and eaten like sasuage with pancakes for breakfast. I find it makes great pickled fish as well.

Fish of all kinds are important food items here. I would say it's worth as much as beef or pork is to a midwestern family. Or maybe even more so here, since the families share in the work of catching and prepairing fish for winter use. Most families will move to a camp located somewhere along the river and live in tents and small cabins. They will stay there for a month during the summer while they catch, smoke, and salt fish to supplement there diet through the long winter months.

www.yjimagery.com