“Cousin” Reunion (May 31, June 1-2)

Cousin Floyd Peterson

Barrie the Halibut Fisherman

This morning we are headed to Hoonah where Cousin Floyd and his wife Marjorie are expecting us.  Floyd is a Peterson is the same generation as my mother – so it is his great grandparent and my great-great grandparent that we have in common.  Floyd grew up in Hoonah and is part Tlingit (but more Swedish) and his wife Marjorie is also a born and raised Alaskan although she has only been in Hoonah for 51 years!

We depart Glacier Bay after a leisurely breakfast in the Lodge dining room and head across Icy Strait to Hoonah.  The water today is completely calm – quite different from the last time we crossed Icy Strait with waves breaking over the bow.  We arrive in Hoonah and dock at the City Pier just before 2 pm.  No sooner have we finished tying-off the dock lines than my cell phone rings.  Cousin Floyd has been watching our entrance from his living room window. 

Marj - Expert Fish Filleter

At 3, Marj drives down the dock to pick us up (and save us the walk up the ramp) and we head to Icy Point Cannery.  Icy Point is an amazing development.  The Native Corporation has invested millions (with much additional help from the Federal Government to create a tourist attraction in this remote village.  The facilities are first-rate and the options for activities almost endless.. the World’s Largest ZipRider, Whale Watching tours, Bear Search Tours, ATV Expeditions, Back Country Jeep Adventures, Kayak Tours, and Zodiac Tour … to name a few.  We walk through the re-purposed and wonderfully renovated Cannery that has restaurants, gift shops and art galleries with works by local artisans including Floyd’s wife Marjorie who does lovely basketry and other native crafts.  As we walk along the beach near the Cannery, three humpback whales break the surface.  The whales have been bubble-feeding in this area for the past several days but not today.

After touring the Cannery and related grounds, we head back to the Peterson’s house where we are treated to a dinner of local black-tail deer steaks.  It is a delightful evening and at the end of dinner, Floyd offers to take us fishing for halibut in the morning.  Marj offers the use of her computer to obtain Alaska fishing licenses.  Since I do not have my driver’s license with me, Barrie borrows a car and retrieves it from the boat.  With newly acquired fishing licenses in hand, we head back to the boat for the night. 

Wednesday morning, Floyd and Marj bring their boat Silver Spoon to our dock just before 9 am.  Once aboard, we travel at speed for about 10 miles before arriving at the fishing grounds that Floyd has selected for catching halibut.  For many years, Floyd was a fishing guide and his is renown for his abilities.  Locally, he is known as a high-liner which is the highest compliment a fisherman can receive.  Floyd quickly baits two poles with herring and we begin fishing at 6 fathoms.  In less than 10 minutes, Barrie’s pole bends over and the line releases from the downrigger.  Floyd estimates a 20-pound halibut but says we won’t know until Barrie brings it in.  Barrie’s halibut weighs in at 23 lbs. and is just the right size for the freezer on our boat.  We continue fishing and I catch a Dolly Varden trout before we pull in our lines and head back to the harbor at Hoonah.  On the way back, Floyd and I spy a brown bear on the beach.

 Barrie and I spend the next couple of hours on the boat.  We have lunch (fresh trout) and complete a few chores before Floyd and Marj pick us up on the dock.  This evening, we are treating them to dinner at Icy Strait Inn at the far edge of town.  As the evening draws to a close, Floyd asks if we like crab and says that we can go out in the morning and retrieve crab from a friend’s pot and then take a drive on the Forest Service roads outside of town.  We will have a picnic on the beach and hopefully will see some wildlife on the drive.  Floyd brings his boat alongside our dock at 9 am and by 10 we are back with 5 large Dungeness crab.  Back at the Peterson house, Floyd cooks the crab while Barrie and I catch-up on email etc.

We head out of town and are soon on dirt roads that are maintained either by the Native Corporation or the US Forest Service.  The scenery is stunning.  We enjoy looking at the muskeg flora and then see a young (perhaps 3-yr old) brown bear cross the road and run into the woods.  We continue to the beach and breakout the freshly caught and cooked crab.  Lunch is topped off with brownies that Marj made.  Yummy!  On the drive back we first see a black-tail deer and then a mother brown bear and her two cubs.  They are perhaps 50 yards from the car and don’t seem to be the least bit interested in us.  Soon we are back at the dock and saying our goodbyes.

This is our second time visiting Floyd and Marj.  We first met in 2015 on our first solo trip to Alaska on Chug.  They are the consummate hosts, generous to a fault with their time and treasure. We will remember our time here with fondness long after we have returned home.  We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and hope that they will visit us on Whidbey Island.