Eveline, Lora, and I spent the last 4 days traveling around south-central Alaska. May is a great month to get out and shake off the winter blues. We camped, explored, fished, and foraged in a variety of locations. The trip was a success with quality family time and a bounty of wild food including shrimp, trout, and wild mushrooms.

Our trip started in Whittier to check our shrimp pots. The weather was clear but windy. The waves were tolerable, but any larger and I would have been concerned about our small boat. The forecast called for calm conditions for the next several days so I had confidence things would not worsen. I still practiced caution and packed our overnight camping bag full of everything we would need if we had to wait out the weather (it has happened before!)

I dropped the ladies off on the beach when we arrived at our shrimping spot and got to the business of pulling the traps. It can be a difficult, heavy, and potentially dangerous process so I did not want a baby on the boat. We do not have an electric winch to pull our pots, so instead we use the power from the outboard and a large anchor buoy to hoist them from the depths.

*Baby Eveline Inspecting the ropes and traps on the beach*

Getting our shrimp pots to the surface took far longer than expected due to the wind and waves. When I finally got them onboard, I was relieved and was ready to escape the weather. I quickly drove over to the calm beach where I had dropped off Eveline and Lora. They were enjoying the sun and were excited to show me a sea star they had found. I found the drastic change in environments a relief. Five minutes ago, I was hoisting a heavy rope over the gunnel while getting jostled by the seas and whipped by wind. Now I was in a warm, tranquil cove patiently observing sea life with my wife and baby daughter.

While we explored the beach the weather calmed a bit and made for a decent ride back to port. We loaded the boat and drove to Portage valley to camp for the evening. We parked at the lake, and I took full advantage of the evening light for some photography while Lora fed Eveline. There were icebergs near the shoreline that made for excellent photo subjects.

*An iceberg floating on portage lake. I waited a long time for a perfect reflection shot but it never came!*

View of our ‘camper’ Lora is resting on the bunk with Eveline

I made dinner after the photoshoot. I boiled some of our shrimp and peeled them and made a simple dipping sauce from leftover ketchup and mustard packets from our camping kit. To my surprise it tasted just like shrimp cocktail sauce.

After gobbling down the shrimp we drove around looking for a place to camp. The first place we stopped was the ‘official’ campsite of Portage valley that was unreasonably priced. The campsite was completely empty. Maybe if they lowered their prices more locals would camp there.

We eventually drove to a nearby lake where I ran a trapline in the winter. I knew there was a large flat area we could park the truck and boat. Unsurprisingly there were multiple other groups camped out here – they too were likely avoiding the ridiculous fees.

The next morning, we travelled a few hours south to the Primrose campground near Moose Pass. The campground is situated next to Kenai Lake where we wanted to try some fishing. The lake is nothing new to us; we have driven past its shores countless times on trips to Homer and Seward. It is always a welcome sight from the highway with its milky blue turquoise waters.

Although the lake was familiar to us, we had never boated or fished in it. In fact, during the many times we had driven past it Lora and I could not remember seeing a single boat on the lake. Today that would change; we launched the boat from the campground onto the lake. The water was smooth as glass and perfectly reflected the surrounding peaks. We scooted out to the middle of the lake and after going roughly 6 miles I checked my GPS we were not even at the halfway point. I knew the lake was large, but I never took the time to actually measure it.

*Eveline swaddled up in mommy’s rain jacket.*

Lora and I eventually picked a random shoreline to begin fishing. We had no prior experience on this lake, so trolling would be the most effective method to locate some areas that hold fish. I rigged up lines while Lora tended to Eveline who was now sleeping comfortably on the deck wrapped in her oversized rain jacket.

I set Lora up with a lure I knew was good for Lake Trout - a small purple diving plug called a “Reef-Runner” that trolled about 12 feet deep. I set myself up with a deeper running rig; a 1 oz trolling weight and a flasher with a small spoon trailing behind. I wanted to cover multiple depths with our rods to find the most productive spots to fish.

Lora had immediate success. As she was letting her line out, she had a Lake Trout hit her lure. She excitedly pulled the fish in, and I netted it for her. Lora commented multiple times about how beautiful the fish was. I had to agree; when viewed close Lake Trout have a natural squiggly pattern on their scales that looks like light as it passes through the rippled surface of water.

I thought we were in for a great day of fishing after landing one within five minutes; but things slowed down considerably after that. Lora had a few more hits on her shallow diving lure as we worked the shoreline. It was clear to me by now that the fish were shallower, and my deep diving set-up was not doing us much good. Most of the marks on sonar were 15-20 ft deep which made sense; it was still early in the season and the water was too cold down deep.

As we trolled the shoreline, we picked up an unwanted observer. A bald eagle had spotted the fish on our stringer off the side of the boat and clearly was devising a plan for how it could steal it for dinner. As we trolled the shoreline it flew from tree to tree trailing us waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Eveline started to stir and was clearly hungry. Lora handed me her pole and proceeded to unwrap our little baby from her rain jacket cocoon. Within 10 minutes of fishing Lora’s rod, I hooked into a nice Arctic Char. I felt a little guilty since it was Lora’s pole, but she was halfway through a feeding and Eveline would not be pleased if we interrupted her to reel in a fish.

I fought the fish for a few minutes - it was a strong one! It gave a hearty leap above the surface before giving up and allowing me to net it one handed. Although it was not a huge fish It was clearly old. It had worn-out features and looked like it had been cruising the depths Kenai Lake for many years.

*Dolly Varden AKA Arctic Char on Kenai Lake*

While I was distracted handling the fish the eagle stalking us saw it as the perfect opportunity to strike. Out of the corner of my eye I saw it swoop out of the treetops toward our boat. It dove just above my head but hesitated as if it could not decide which fish to steal. The eagle turned and flew away half-heartedly; it almost seemed embarrassed. The bird had choked up in the moment of truth and its indecisiveness had cost it a meal.

With the eagle gone it was now safe to take a victory photo of the fish. Lora managed to take a one-handed photo with my heavy camera while feeding Eveline – demonstrating impressive mom skills. Moments after the shot clicked the old fish made a final triumphant flop and jumped right out of my hands and landed back in lake. The fish hit the water and for a moment it looked confused and unsure of what to do. The fish caught its senses quickly and dove into the safety of the depths. Lora let out a howl, “Matt! What did you do?! Matt!” I shrugged feeling silly and replied, “Catch and release I guess.” I could see the eagle was back in its treetop perch staring me down and likely chuckling at my mistake.

We fished a bit longer then turned the boat back towards camp. I felt a bit silly about losing the fish, but I did not let it bother me too much. The thought of our cooler full of shrimp back at camp eased the mental bruise left by the lost fish.

Back at camp Lora and I wasted no time getting dinner started. A fire was started, shrimp were shucked and promptly placed to sizzle on the grate over the flames. Before long we were sharing shrimp tacos and recalling the days events over the fire.

The next morning, we left camp early to head into the town of Seward for some coffee and a pastry. We went to our favorite place called, “Resurrect Art Coffee House” which is an old church built in 1917 converted into a cafe and art gallery. We enjoyed sipping our coffees watching morning light pour in through the cathedral style windows.

At the table next to us we could overhear the conversation of some locals talking about the small boat that had capsized just off the coast of Seward a few days prior. Sadly 4 people perished in 12-foot seas. Lora and I heard of this incident on the news but hearing it being spoke about by locals made the tragic accident hit closer to home; especially since we are frequently out running our own small boat.

We hit the road after catching our coffee buzz. Our goal for the rest of the day was to meet up with my mom and her husband Darren for some Morel mushroom hunting. We have had bad luck the past several years locating the elusive wild mushroom. One year we ended up with over a thousand but have not done that well since.

This year our luck would change. Lora and I stopped for lunch and 10 yards from the truck I found a small crop of mushrooms. Eventually my mom and Darren joined us and together we found well over 100 mushrooms which was respectable for only a few hours of hunting.

The day ended at Crescent Creek campground near the town of Cooper Landing. The family all convened there to have a bonfire, roast hotdogs, pop some corn and celebrate the arrival of summer.

The following morning, we met my folks for an excellent breakfast at the Sunrise Inn. There were ample amounts coffee which was welcomed after sleeping multiple nights in the back of my truck. During breakfast, Lora and I sketched out our plans for the day and decided to head back north for a final check of our shrimp pots in Whittier before heading home.

The weather Whittier was far better than our previous trip. The water was glass calm with shining sun overhead. We checked the extended forecast which predicted weather stability for the next several days. This made us feel safe about checking out a new spot – Surprise Cove Marine State Park.

The cove was protected from the weather by multiple small islands at its entrance. Within the cove there were additional islands that formed narrow channels of clear blue water. The landscape here had a gentle appearance like nature had taken its time. Everything was rounded and smoothed which was uncharacteristic of Alaska. I often find the landscapes here appear young with raw edges; often evidence of the drastic extremes the environment goes through each season.

We cruised around the cove for a few minutes but were not in the mood for exploration – lunch was an hour overdue, so we picked a warm and grassy island for a shore picnic. After eating lunch, we explored the island and Lora was amazed at how many high-bush blueberries were here. She was already making plans for a fall trip for berry picking.

Shortly after our picnic and exploration Eveline had decided she had seen enough and became inconsolable. Lora and I knew she was soothed by the motion of boat, so we decided to head out. Lora wanted to take a turn driving the boat so I went up front and lay next to Eveline to help her fall asleep. I played some music on my phone for her and soon she drifted off.

With Eveline sleeping comfortably Lora took some time to further explore the cove before plotting a course for our shrimp pots. We had to check them one final time before the trip was over.

We did our usual routine of pulling the pots. I dropped Lora and Eveline off at the nearby beach and I headed back out to haul them up. The calm weather made it considerably easier pulling the traps this time around.

On the way back to port we passed a massive cruise ship heading out to sea. The ocean was flat calm, but the wake created by the huge boat was large enough to break over the bow of our boat; there were a series of 5 ft waves headed out way. I anticipated this and gave the boat full throttle heading in a diagonal direction away from the wall of waves. Our boat can get up to nearly 30 miles per hour full throttle, so I was able to outrun the worst of the waves and work my way around to calmer water. The wake was not large enough to capsize us, but we would have surely gotten wet.

Back at port we were happy to be off the water and heading home. We loaded the boat and packed the truck. This was a full weekend, and we had a lot to show for it. A load of shrimp, trout, and wild mushrooms. Lora and I love the foraging lifestyle and hopefully by involving baby Eveline she will grow to appreciate it too someday.

Foraging as a Family. A Trip Collecting Wild Foods Across South-Central Alaska

Mountain Goats, Shrimping, and a rare treasure found in Prince William Sound, Whittier, Alaska