Rez Exelon
AH enthusiast
Back in December I got a somewhat short notice call from a friend of mine that there was an opening with a group of guys going Caribou hunting on Adak Island, Alaska and wondering if I wanted to go. Well, that's basically like asking if the Pope was Catholic so I gave status green and started planning.
Now, to be clear, this wasn't exactly the best timing to go on a short notice trip, so I had a few things to consider and balance, so I wound up deciding to go but more in a support/scouting role rather than paying for non resident permits and tags --- especially since those tags might not get delivered to me before I'd have to fly out anyways. But hey, I could take my 22's to chase the mighty Alaskan Ptarmigan and act like I was a hobbit trying to take a ring back across the island. Worst case scenario, I'd just freeze to death or something right since it's Alaska in mid-December.
On the weather front the Gods of the Winds and Temperature appear to have smiled upon our fair group. We arrived on the 13th, and were in store for a week of mixed sun and clouds, temperatures between 32-38 (at sea level) and much calmer winds than expected. In fact, within an hour of landing, maybe an hour and a half, I put our group on the board with the first ptarmigan dinner for the trip. After something like 26 hours of travel to get there, having a nice tasty fresh bird for dinner was great, not going to lie.
We lodged with Aleutian Outfitters. I wasn't involved with the booking or planning, but the place was nice, cozy and well kept. The truck that came with it sure didn't have the remote start and butt warmers my ride back home did, but it was a great ride for the island. Kitchen was well appointed, and everything in good shape. Internet was surprisingly great as well. They even had these nice fold out cots for us:
(Just kidding, that was exploring a fallout bunker). So Day 0 was a success --- how'd the rest of the trip go? Days 1-4 can basically be summarized as lots of walking, lots of hiking, and lots of great views. Just no great views of Caribou. We knew they were out there, as two other groups to the side of us took 4, but we encountered nothing but tracks in the mud and snow depending on elevation. At this point it's probably worth noting that the Caribou herd is NOT what it used to be. When the base on island closed in the 90's and there were 7,000 it was rumored that you could just go to the edge of town, get your bou and then take it back to the lodge. The reality is that the 7,000 is down in the hundreds. I believe that the best research I did before the trip suggested a number of 700, but on-island the estimate was more like 500.
And all the nice weather we got while there, certainly didn't help us to find them --- they seemed preferential to the southern regions of the island quite a ways out. Eventually, our group split and the fittest and most annoyingly unfazed by all things elevation and terrain team lead (I say that with love) was miles out from what passes as a trail head before he encountered a trio and took one down. It made for a heck of a night as I had to track him down and then help cart the caribou out over 5 miles and two mountain passes. But we got it done.
I read some threads on here in my research that the island was not the teeming abundant place that it used to be, and honestly, that's a pretty good assessment. It's also notable that Alaska DF&G is managing the herd to extrication so that makes sense.
For me, I didn't embark with the goal of getting a Caribou (I mean, obviously since I didn't get permits and tags) so I was down for the adventure. Did the trip meet my goals? Absolutely. The island is absolutely gorgeous. The relative lack of life, the silence, and the scale of the terrain all contributed to a special serenity trekking through the hills. Back near the town, the urban exploration opportunities of abandoned buildings and bunkers was great. Maybe that's not for everyone, but for me, it was my jam. I love going through urban decay and the serenity of quiet.
I guess the one regret is that I kept trying to get some food at the McDonalds there --- I mean look at those prices! It's like they've been frozen in time since 1993 or something!!
Would I go back? Absolutely. If I had more time to plan and a better idea of what I was getting into I'd love to take a caribou there, although there are also great opportunities on the mainland which I want to explore as well. In some ways, I could easily see just showing up and hanging out for a week away from everything. Although, since Starlink works, it's still not like I could hide from my wife
(It was pretty cool being in the middle of the Bering Sea, on top of a mountain 9 miles from a cell tower and being able to call back home to talk to wifey and boo boo to say hi).
Now, to be clear, this wasn't exactly the best timing to go on a short notice trip, so I had a few things to consider and balance, so I wound up deciding to go but more in a support/scouting role rather than paying for non resident permits and tags --- especially since those tags might not get delivered to me before I'd have to fly out anyways. But hey, I could take my 22's to chase the mighty Alaskan Ptarmigan and act like I was a hobbit trying to take a ring back across the island. Worst case scenario, I'd just freeze to death or something right since it's Alaska in mid-December.
On the weather front the Gods of the Winds and Temperature appear to have smiled upon our fair group. We arrived on the 13th, and were in store for a week of mixed sun and clouds, temperatures between 32-38 (at sea level) and much calmer winds than expected. In fact, within an hour of landing, maybe an hour and a half, I put our group on the board with the first ptarmigan dinner for the trip. After something like 26 hours of travel to get there, having a nice tasty fresh bird for dinner was great, not going to lie.
We lodged with Aleutian Outfitters. I wasn't involved with the booking or planning, but the place was nice, cozy and well kept. The truck that came with it sure didn't have the remote start and butt warmers my ride back home did, but it was a great ride for the island. Kitchen was well appointed, and everything in good shape. Internet was surprisingly great as well. They even had these nice fold out cots for us:
(Just kidding, that was exploring a fallout bunker). So Day 0 was a success --- how'd the rest of the trip go? Days 1-4 can basically be summarized as lots of walking, lots of hiking, and lots of great views. Just no great views of Caribou. We knew they were out there, as two other groups to the side of us took 4, but we encountered nothing but tracks in the mud and snow depending on elevation. At this point it's probably worth noting that the Caribou herd is NOT what it used to be. When the base on island closed in the 90's and there were 7,000 it was rumored that you could just go to the edge of town, get your bou and then take it back to the lodge. The reality is that the 7,000 is down in the hundreds. I believe that the best research I did before the trip suggested a number of 700, but on-island the estimate was more like 500.
And all the nice weather we got while there, certainly didn't help us to find them --- they seemed preferential to the southern regions of the island quite a ways out. Eventually, our group split and the fittest and most annoyingly unfazed by all things elevation and terrain team lead (I say that with love) was miles out from what passes as a trail head before he encountered a trio and took one down. It made for a heck of a night as I had to track him down and then help cart the caribou out over 5 miles and two mountain passes. But we got it done.
I read some threads on here in my research that the island was not the teeming abundant place that it used to be, and honestly, that's a pretty good assessment. It's also notable that Alaska DF&G is managing the herd to extrication so that makes sense.
For me, I didn't embark with the goal of getting a Caribou (I mean, obviously since I didn't get permits and tags) so I was down for the adventure. Did the trip meet my goals? Absolutely. The island is absolutely gorgeous. The relative lack of life, the silence, and the scale of the terrain all contributed to a special serenity trekking through the hills. Back near the town, the urban exploration opportunities of abandoned buildings and bunkers was great. Maybe that's not for everyone, but for me, it was my jam. I love going through urban decay and the serenity of quiet.
I guess the one regret is that I kept trying to get some food at the McDonalds there --- I mean look at those prices! It's like they've been frozen in time since 1993 or something!!
Would I go back? Absolutely. If I had more time to plan and a better idea of what I was getting into I'd love to take a caribou there, although there are also great opportunities on the mainland which I want to explore as well. In some ways, I could easily see just showing up and hanging out for a week away from everything. Although, since Starlink works, it's still not like I could hide from my wife
(It was pretty cool being in the middle of the Bering Sea, on top of a mountain 9 miles from a cell tower and being able to call back home to talk to wifey and boo boo to say hi).
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