POW! Getting Ready

Early in the spring  of 2019, I found out about a great opportunity.  Our Alaska Chi Alpha ministry (Assemblies of God university campus ministry) was given a week to use a charter fishing lodge to raise funds.  All they had to do was fill the week with donors and let them fish to their hearts content.  As soon as I found out about it, I was in!  It was a "bucket list" kind of opportunity that I have wanted to experience for a long time.  Since turning 60 years old recently, I figure it is time to start crossing off those "want to's" off the list.  This was a big one.

It was easy to justify as, 1. It was for missions!  All the money goes to Alaska university missions outreach.  Justified right there.  2. I called a good friend and urged him to go and he signed right on.  I was going to spend some time with quality people, my friend and the leaders of our Alaska Chi Alpha.  3. Fishing!  A whole week of it.  On Prince Of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska (POW)!  I have never been to POW before but had heard much about it from people who had.  I was excited.  I call it #winwinwin.

So, I had a couple of months to ponder what kind of equipment to bring while I anticipated the adventure.  If you subscribe to the theory, "there is no bad weather, only bad gear", you know that the gear you bring can make or break your experience.  Being cold, wet or too hot can all diminish the enjoyment of a great outing, so having the limited amount of gear and that I have, I wanted to put together the best and most applicable stuff I have.

There is a lot to consider.  First, what am I going to actually carry all that gear in?  Am I going to roll my suitcase around at a remote fishing camp?  Is it going to get wet sitting in a puddle of water in the bottom of a boat with a bunch of dead fish or in the back of a pickup in the rain?  Lots of unknowns.

What am I going to wear?  I like cotton jeans to wear, but when wet, they bind and offer no warmth.  Plus, when I eventually spill food on them (for some reason mustard is a frequent spill), they just stay dirty for the rest of the time.  They don't have laundromats in fish camps, do they?  So, I had to come up with some pants to wear.

Shirts are another critical consideration as well.  What to wear that will provide some warmth, even if wet?  Also, easy to clean since I am wanting to pack light.  Synthetic materials are a must and some even have odor defeating treatments that can make you easier to be around.

Gear.  Rain is a likely element to deal with.  On Prince of Wales, they get over 200" of rain each year, so it is likely some of the days we will see rain.  Something waterproof to cover myself is a must.

What about a firearm?  If I do some freshwater stream fishing (part of the appeal of POW) not all the fishermen walk upright on two feet.  I have the answer for that question.  My Super Redhawk Alaskan in .44 magnum will provide a margin of safety if there is a dispute about who belongs on a stream with one of the more hairy residents of POW.  By the way, POW has one of the highest densities of black bears in the world.  No brown bears on this island which is surprising.  It is documented that black bears have killed more humans than their bigger cousins, the brown bear.  I feel good about bringing the SRA even if it is a bit of a boat anchor to lug around.  I chose this particular model as it was what a friend of mine used when he was charged by a large male brown bear just a few years ago.  Without it, he most likely would not have lived to tell the tale.  It is an additional hassle to bring it along, double locked hard side cases, declaring it at airport check ins, picking it up at baggage claim, ID, TSA, etc., but, it would better to have it than not if it was needed.

Fishing poles and tackle.  Now this is a fishing lodge and they do provide fishing poles and tackle, but they do not provide my preferred fly fishing rods or tackle.  All of the saltwater fishing and tackle and bait is covered, so are spinning rods for freshwater, but I want to fly fish.  POW has a legendary run of steelhead trout and sea-run cutthroat trout.  Both species are high on my list to catch.  So, I select two rods, a 5 wt. and an 7 wt. with appropriate reels.  I have a huge selection of wooly buggers, beadheads, egg sucking leaches, beads and glow bugs to throw at any thing in the water so all of that goes in the pile of gear.

Socks, underwear, t-shirts, and oh, they have a jacuzzi hot tub!  Swim shorts go in the pile as well.

Knives, cameras, handheld GPS, and a Leatherman folding pliers make up the hardware pile.  Now I love knives so it is difficult to select just a single knife.  There are so many for such diverse uses.  I try to keep it to half a dozen with a sharpening steel thrown in as well.

I make lists to be sure I don't forget anything important.  I look over my outdoor gear to see if it is in good repair or if it triggers a thought that I might have need of it.  Understand, some of this is my love of anything gadgety, and by taking it on this trip, it would justify that I have it.  One can feel a little guilty or sheepish if you have gear you have never used, but have it "just in case".  I resign to the fact that I can't bring everything I would like to bring.  I would need the Queen of Sheba's entourage and caravan to carry it all.  Besides, I have this contradictory desire.  I want to be an ultralight traveler.  Weird, I know.  I have a love of all things neat and handy but I want to carry a backpack of only two pounds.  I have a lot of thinking to do and decisions to make.

I go shopping to get some of the stuff I'll need and where I live, the second hand store is the place to start.  I need the right kind of bag to carry all of my bulky gear.  I score.  At the second hand store is a extra large waterproof duffle bag with pack straps that I could crawl into to use as a boat if necessary.  The price?  $18.  Condition?  Brand new, never used.  I look it up online: $169.  I love the second hand store.  A couple of days later my wife and I stop by a random garage sale.  A brand new back pack is scored for $10 and a waterproof back pack for $8, new as well.  I have my traveling gear.

By the time it is the night before I leave, I have selected 40 pounds of stuff to go in my extra large waterproof duffle, which included wading boots, chest waders, fly reels and tackle, sandals, the aforementioned boat anchor, knives, rain gear and my coat.  Also stuffed in are the waterproof backpack, empty at this point and some of my gadgets.  Ready or not, here I come.  I fill the new backpack with just my clothes for the week, and some snacks.  Getting hungry would not be a good thing on a bucket list adventure.