Early Monsoon Season

A Sitka long time resident told me yesterday that the monsoon season had started early this year.  I think she is right.   But as another long term resident told me, there is no bad weather, just bad gear.  So, I am learning to enjoy walking in the rain, and I am having lots of opportunities!  This morning I got out before the rain started and went to the Indian River to see the salmon journeying up the river to spawn and then die.  It is hard to see the salmon, because they are grey, but they are there in really large numbers.  Look closely!

The next photo is of a trawler pulling in a big net full of salmon.  They will be loaded onto a bigger boat for processing.   Once the salmon start migrating back up the river, it is illegal to catch them.  The whole process is interesting.  The Eggs are laid in the bottom of the river or pond.  The eggs , will .hatch after two-three months.  Then they hand around until the egg yolk, that is still attached is completely absorbed.  After this they look like tiny fish (Fry) and start moving downstream.  After a few months, they are about 6 inches long (Parr).   They stay in this stage for 1-3 years, before adjusting to saltwater and schooling together for their swim into the Pacific ocean.  Adult salmon spend 1-4 years in the Pacific before returning to their original spawning grounds to spawn.  After spawning and fertilizing the eggs, both the male and female salmon die, thus fertilizing the stream where they were born.   Alaska has an excellent set of salmon management practices and Alaskan salmon are protected. 

I continue to have lots of activity right outside my living room window.  There is always something to watch.   Last weekend the runners from a half marathon passed by.  On Sunday, there was an open water swim, the "Change of Latitude" swim.   Each swimmer has a kayaker who stays with them to help them stay on course and to signal the Coast Guard auxillary boats in case the swimmer gets in trouble.  I had a good swimmer, Ken, from Anchorage.  He is the president of the Alaska master swimmers group.   He swam 3K.  Seemed like a long way to swim to me!   Some participants swam 10K!  Here I am ready to go paddle next to Ken.  He was swimmer #16.

Sunday afternoon turned out to be the nicest afternoon all week.  I took a nice hike on Harbor Mountain with my friends Dave and Lee Ann.   It was a good hike with the clouds breaking up some for some pretty views.  I hope to get up there on a day when the sky is clear!

I also visited the Sheldon Jackson Museum, which is the oldest museum in Alaska and it houses a great collection of Native Alaskan artifacts, clothing, dishes, pottery and other items for daily living.  The Native Alaskans were very smart in adapting to the harsh climate and living situations.  I will go back again so I can take it all in.