Fifty years ago CB and Martha were married and have been inseparable ever since.  This last Christmas, they offered their prized products of those years (3 children, spouses and 5 grandchildren) the trip of a lifetime.  Starting in Anchorage and the interior of the state, they ended their stay with five days on the shores of Whale Pass.  We couldn’t feel luckier that they chose to share their lovely family with us.

 

From the mass fly fishing class held on the beach on day one to the shore lunch of salmon and chocolate mousse cooked to order on day 4, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves beyond compare.  Few extended families have enjoyed each other as much as this group did, and fewer still were more consistently pleasant to have around.

 

CB was perhaps the biggest sport, having been lulled into a “manageable” hike to Hatchery Falls in search of some big silvers.  The hike turned out to be a bit harder than expected and the silver’s had been made lethargic by several days of sunshine and warmth.  Nonetheless, he hung in there and was ready the next day to hike to Red Bay where the Salmon were much more cooperative on the fly.

 

The Robertson family attended en masse two informative sessions presented by GM’s Don McCulley and Gretchen Weeks on conquering the elements in Alaska.  Gretchen shared pictures of her 8 ascents of Mt. McKinley and mesmerized the crowd with stories of summiting at over 20,000 feet.  The next night, Don and Gretchen collective shared lessons from their nearly 30 cumulative years working on the Juneau icefield.  Having seen the Outhouse conditions faced at both, the group felt fortunate to have their own private baths to return to that night.  A crab boil on the final night seemed to be the exclamation point on a wonderful Alaska odyssey.

 

The Bowdens (Martha, Marshall, Ned, Harrison and Clay), the Farmers (Neil, Ann Preston, Will and Molly) and brother Rob all were glad to share in CB and Martha’s anniversary celebration.  What a great way to do it.  We were sad to see the group leave on a Beaver and an Otter (two beautiful old floatplanes prevalent in these woods for those who don’t know), but felt good knowing that we’d found another great family to share many more years of vacation experiences.