Walking along the riverbank looking out over a sea of bright orange filling the water I feel as if I have been transported back in time to a wilderness so wild and untouched that it almost feels wrong to be here. Just as I’m about to cast out to the hundreds of Sockeye Salmon that make the river look like an impressionistic painting, something catches my eye in the dirt at my feet. I bend down for a closer look and realize I’m staring at the imprint of an animal so large I can barely conjure up a mental picture of its mass.

Over the past ten days on the Chilikadratna deep in Alaska’s bush we have seen the banks littered with bear tracks, preying on the same thing that brought us here, but this print is different. I stand up and look around into the deep forest that surrounds me, knowing that more of these giant impressions are being made not far from where I stand. On the opposite bank, perched high above the river, a Bald Eagle scopes out the scene bellow. I long to have his view on this wild piece of land, to have his eyes and mobility to stay safely above. The remoteness and grandeur of this place humbles me and I realize just how small I am against the grand scale of nature. A commotion upriver brings me back to the moment as Tim and Dan are both battling large Salmon. The fight tends to favor the Sockeye even with our eight weight rods and I make my way up to lend a hand. After the fish are released, we sit back in silence to try to gain some perspective on where we are. I feel truly blessed to experience nature on it’s own terms and my connection to it grows deeper by the day. I think that if everyone could go through this there would be no talk of rivers on the decline, endangered species, or drilling in the refuge.

I look over to Tim and Dan, and in silent unison we make our way to the raft and push off in search of the next perfect spot.