Extreme Salmon Counter Kevin
Last week, I met with my good friend Kevin and took him to ARC. Normally this would be just another day, but this meeting was different because I had not seen Kevin since he left for Alaska, a full 10 weeks ago (10 weeks in summertime = 1year in real time).
Kevin spent his time in Alaska counting fish for the CIAA, a conservation group that is funded by government grants. He spent his days living in a trailer next to a campground with no running water and a roommate who was a pussy. The electric supply was minimal with just a solar panel and generator, just enough to power the lights, satellite and small electronics.
A lot of fish to count
He spent his days trapping, counting and collecting salmon scales. The job was not without its difficulties, holding on to the writhing salmon was frustrating and each attempt came with the risk of getting jizzed or egged on.
Sockeye Salmon
The excitement came with daily grizzly bear sightings. The bears were attracted to the fish that were trapped in the nets and often got in the way of counting the fish. Towards the end of the 10 weeks bear sightings became so frequent that headquarters issued Kevin and his roommate another gun and wished them luck.
Kevin’s roommate was a pussy when it came to bears, which is sort of understandable considering that a typical grizzly weighs around 500 pounds. He was so scared that even when holding a gun he would shake so uncontrollably that he had to hand the gun over to Kevin. However, he was brave enough to shoot a bear in the ass with rubber bullets while Kevin covered him with live ammo. When I asked Kevin why he did not shoot the bear himself as I am certain he was dying to do, to which he replied “I did not trust him.”
Bear being a bear
At first glance, Kevin’s trip may seem full of daring and adventure but that is only a quarter of the story because the rest of the time he sat around in the trailer reading and passing the time staring off into space. In the 10 weeks he was there, Kevin read 15 long books and he even reread some. Getting stuck out in the woods is not filled with Lewis and Clark adventures but more often than not staring at ants fighting Walden style.
Now back home, Kevin tells me odd things about being back. For one thing the trees around where we live are apparently “all wrong” and that the fact there are so many people bothers him. I can definitely see him as a park ranger no matter how hard he tries to deny it.
How Trees Are Supposed to Look Like
I wanted to share Kevin’s story with you all because it is a definite break from the usual. His internship sounds amazing but would I do anything like this? No way. Call me spoiled, but I cannot live without my internet and running water.
-muffinman
More Pictures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42272795@N06/
