Moose Tracks...

Last weekend, Gary and I drove out to the trout stream that is about 10 miles from Goodnews, Gary to try and bag a moose and me to do a little trout fishing. The ride out is pretty breathtaking and a little daunting- flanked on mountains by both sides, we rode up and down mountains so steep and angled there were a few times I thought I might flip my quad. It's also a pretty bumpy ride, because the tundra floor is a lot more forgiving than the ground you're used to walking on. We sink up to our ankles when we walk on the tundra, so you can imagine what happens driving on it on a quad.

While a lot of the trail is wide open on the tundra, there are parts that are pretty thick with short trees and shrubs. This is why it's called "the bush."

Along the way, we spotted some moose tracks on the trail that looked pretty fresh. We both had binoculars, so we stopped every few rises to try and locate them. Gary finally spotted three cows (female moose) lying in some bushes in the shadow of a hill, so we drove around the back side of the hill and up the rise. The brush was too thick to see them from the top, so I climbed down the bank and through a patch of trees and was able to find one of the cows lying in the bushes less than 100 yards below me.

This photo was taken with my cell phone. This is the last time I go anywhere without taking our actual camera, but you can see the moose sitting in the center of the photo.

Gary knows I plan on trapping in the future, so he always points out to me good places to set some traps. At the base of the mountain to the right is where his son Jeffrey caught a wolverine a couple years ago.

Ptarmigan hunting is very popular among the locals here, even those who don't fish or big game hunt. Here, Gary shot at a pack (flock? murder?) of ptarmigan. After he missed, I joked that he better let me take the next shot. Unperturbed, he handed me his .22 the next time we ran into them. I crept up on them from behind some bushes, and just as I was about to shoot, Gary's brother Beeper showed up on his four wheeler, and the ptarmigan flew away. It's just as well, because he would've teased me relentlessly if I missed.

We finally made it to the river after 90 minutes on our quads. Gary stayed at the top of the hill to scope for moose while I went down to try my hand at some trout fishing. 

Even out here in the bush, there are, ironically, "city folk" and those who prefer to live out on their own. Ten miles from Goodnews, there's no cell service, no Internet, nothing at all.

Beaver huts are ubiquitous up here. There was one every 100 yards or so along the river, and there are countless huts on the trip from GNU to Bethel. 

Soon after I arrived at this stream, a storm began to brew, and a fierce wind kicked up, blowing 40-50 mph. On the way home, we gave our quads a rest on the top of a mountain and we were almost blown off because of the force of the wind. It was like nothing I've experienced before, but it did put a damper on my fishing trip. Views like this one, however, did help to make up for it.

Gary and I found this spot along the river where a bear had dug up the ground. Gary had been in this area yesterday, so he was able to confirm that this was fresh digging. Once again, I missed a close encounter with a bear, but I'm always on the lookout. 

Our view on the way back to Goodnews. You can see the Bering Sea off in the distance. We can't usually see it from the village because of our low elevation.

The breathtaking view of Goodnews that greeted us once we got back. I plan to head out again soon to try and nab some trout and just enjoy the views before the weather turns.