| With the excitement of my first trip to Alaska still | | | | Salmon going to electronically rise out of the water, |
| fresh and percolating in my mind, I can hardly keep | | | | jaws agape? Will our guide fend off bears with his |
| from telling fishing friends and aquaintances of my | | | | bare hands while we cower beneath some Douglas fir |
| ensuing trip.As you would well expect, it draws | | | | tree? |
| different and varied responses from those that I tell. | | | | Is the Kenai a trout pond?This Alaskan "one |
| Tom, a softball teammate and avid fisherman, and I | | | | ups-manship" is something that is becoming quite |
| were celebrating a post game loss (we celebrate win | | | | common. Once upon a time, the Kenai was the |
| or lose!) at a local pizza parlor, when I mentioned to | | | | benchmark river and destination of choice for most |
| him that I was headed to Alaska.Tom is a veteran of | | | | adventurers headed to Alaska. But now it appears |
| several fishing trips to Alaska, and I was anxious to | | | | that in this day of wild exotic fishing adventures, that |
| hear some of his accounts of past trips to the" land | | | | the Kenai is looked upon like some "dude ranch"fishing |
| of many fish"."Where you headed to?" Tom asked | | | | experience, not worthy of the "Admiral Peary" like |
| politely."The upper Kenai." I replied."Oh. Yeah it's quite | | | | adventures that exist elsewhere in Alaska!!Well, |
| a zoo there." He said matter of factly.Suddenly, I felt | | | | excuse me, Captain Cook--for not getting there |
| like I had just told him that I was going fishing in the | | | | earlier, but I still think my fish will barbeque up just as |
| sporting goods department at our local Wal-Mart | | | | well as yours, and I won't have to contemplate |
| store."Yeah, we are headed up to the Kisaralik for an | | | | eating my fishing partners if the trip takes a turn for |
| eight day wilderness float. Fly in, get dropped off and | | | | the worse. So there,plehhhhh...Anyway, his trip |
| won't see civalization for the next eight days." It | | | | sounds fantastic, and if I have to settle for starting |
| seemed like he was boasting now.It felt like I was | | | | my Alaskan dreams on the lowly Kenai, while he |
| back in junior high,and some kid was telling me that | | | | catches some three hundred different species of |
| his dog was better than mine--or that I had just rode | | | | fish...so be it.I am still excited.Besides, I already have |
| up on a brand new Huffy stingray bicycle only to see | | | | my brochure for the next fishing trip to Alaska, |
| that my friend had a brand new Schwinn. O.K-- so I | | | | where I take a dog sled team fifteen hundred miles |
| guess I am ONLY going to the Kenai now.A good | | | | north, then ride a Moose for two miles and sleep |
| starter river, I guess."Where's the Kisaralik?" I asked, | | | | with Albino Grizzlies. All that, to get to the rare LOCH |
| trying not to sound to deflated."Up in the interior, | | | | NESS SALMON-- that only one human has ever even |
| tundra, big bears, big guns, some class IV rapids and | | | | seen!!!Top that Tom.A.J. is a writer of fishing humor |
| were doing it ourselves,- no guide."O.K., now he | | | | as well a peddler of "fly tacks", the greatest |
| appeared to be questioning my manhood. What, is | | | | invention since the Runcible Spoon. |
| the Kenai like the Jungle cruise at Disneyland?Are King | | | | AJ's first book is due out in December. |