I’m up on the slope finishing the second week of a 3 week hitch that will probably end short as the project is about over. I’m working over on Pt. Thomson, about 50 miles by ice road from Prudhoe Bay, at Exxon Mobil’s gas project. The camps have been dismantled and nearly all moved to town. Just a few odds and ends to put on tractor trailers and sent to town. Then the delineators on either side of the road will be removed, the road closed, and another ice road will melt into the tundra.

The ice road was incredibly slippery today. Usually an ice road is “scratched” after water is put down to provide traction, but today the wind was blowing, and even on straight stretches, the pickup truck would fade to the downhill side as there was no or too little scratching to provide adequate traction. Luckily, only the 2nd half of the road near town was like that, but that’s still 20 miles or so of bad road to negotiate. I wanted to kiss solid ground when I got to gravel road today.

Weather is starting to inch above zero most of the day, and nearly 17 hours of daylight now. The sun and glare off the snow hurt my eyes without sunglasses today.

Hooters have started hooting in Juneau. I’m eager to get home and in the woods. Should be a few kings around, too.

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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com