Back up to the Arctic Ocean and 2 weeks of work. Day one of work was primarily spent in the helioport waiting for the temperature to rise to -40F or warmer so the aircraft could fly. It never made it.

Today it was about -35F in the morning, and warmed all day to minus 27 tonight. Beautiful day out on the Arctic plain. The sun was above the horizon, at least partially, for a couple hours at least today, and hard to tell sometimes if you’re in the desert or the Arctic while in the truck.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com

Got called back to the slope to work Dec 21, so here for both Christmas and New Years. I’m working as the enviro tech on an ice road, which is under construction along the eastern Beaufort Sea. Tonight it’s maybe 5 below but blowing 25 or more and so windchill down to -45 tonight according to the weatherman. Can’t see anything, so road crew can’t work and not much activity going on until the wind abates.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

Went to my inlaws to help my brother in law set some marten traps last week. Beautiful weather. Mostly sunny, and cold – in the 20’s I’d guess. We checked his earlier sets the first day, then set out more traps the next 2 days. Then I had to get back to Juneau to ship fish, etc.

Got to see my niece play basketball against the Ketchikan JV’s the last night there. She and her team look like they should have a good season. They have a young team and have been playing together quite awhile. They have a tiny point guard who is a good ball handler and can shoot the lights out off the dribble in the lane.

I borrowed some traps from a former co-worker, and went to work putting into practice what I’d learned from my brother in law. I made cubby sets with some old roofing I had, baited them with freezer burn fish, put in set conibears, and got a pack ready with hammer, nails, flagging tape, lure, pliers, wire, line, etc. for the next day.

Today I loaded up everything in my skiff and left the dock about 9:30 am. Took me all day light to make 28 sets. Lots of sign on the beaches. Also missed a deer I stumbled on – hit a tree. Beautiful day here. Sunny and in the 20’s I think. Supposed to get a pile of snow tonight, so we’ll see what that does for marten moving. Almost thought I’d have to spend the night on the beach as even though I hustled, the outgoing tide almost stranded me on the beach. I would have had to wait till the tide came back in, and then sleep at the cabin as it’s too dangerous to cross Stephens Passage at night in the winter.

I have not trapped since I was a kid. I trapped muskrat around home, and little did we know this was the hey-day for muskrat, with prices at $7.50. With so much technology today driving our culture, I’ve decided it’s not for me. Most people couldn’t feed or clothe themselves nor make a living off the land anymore. I decided to renew some basic outdoor skills, just for the fun of it. What a great day – and my birthday, too, and I’ll remember this one for a long while.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

The weather has been crap this November. Normally, Sept. and Oct. are the nasty months, with Nov and Dec a little better. This year it was kind of just the opposite.

I went hunting with my inlaws, and we only go out to where we would like to have gone in the boat on one day, when we got 3 deer. I was dropped off on an island near town one day, and did not think I’d see much. Instead, I called in two bucks, but could not get them as by the time I could tell they were bucks it was too late. Both deer were in the woods, where it is always dark and my eyes ain’t what they used to be either.

I went hunting here behind the house one day. I almost stepped on a deer, and only did so because I had started up a stretch of incline in one direction, then backed up as I thought I was off the trail, and when I started in the new direction, there was the deer. Never got a shot off. By the looks of the tracks, it was a young deer.

Went hunting over on Admiralty yesterday on a very nice day. Walked along some beaver ponds where the beaver were very active. Saw some freshly gnawed trees with big chunks laying around as if someone took an ax to it. One tree was a 18 inches to 2 feet at the base, and I was surprised a beaver would take something that big on. Didn’t see any deer, but enjoyed exploring some new country.

President is sending in more troops to a far off land, to prove he’s a man I guess. Not sure how we expect Afghanistan to turn out any better than Iraq. Looks like much tougher terrain, and a lot less developed than Iran. Then we’re supposed to “hand over” security to them in 2011. Problem is, I haven’t heard them requesting to provide security. Maybe they won’t want to, and then we’ll blame them for our invading their country. I can only hope we get this one right but think that’s a faint hope. Spending another 30 billion for 30,000 troops on top of all the other money spent. Someone will get rich off this for sure, but it won’t be the 20 year olds we’re sending over to fight.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

http://www.instrument.dn.ua/GNESVqoK8U.html

From Mali back to the Arctic Ocean, where it is in the 20’s, with a slight breeze and about 4 inches of snow on the ground. We saw a sow and 2 cubs in the water as we drove by on our way in. Lots of fox tracks around our camp. Ice is setting in and I’m guessing this may be our last hitch for the summer. Most of the boats have been pulled from the water already. It seems alot colder than it is and must be from coming so soon from Mali. Good to be back here, though, for some reason.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com