I hit the snooze button for the last time and I jump out of
bed. It’s early and cold in my cardboard box room. Luckily, it's light enough outside I don't have a need to turn the light on. As I put on my sweatshirt, I wonder if anyone
will notice this is the third day in a row I’ve worn these clothes breakfast. Nothing
beats an over-sized sweatshirt you can melt into on a chilly Alaskan morning, especially, when my mind is still
asleep and my body is moving.The less I have to think about the better.
Ah, it’s a bittersweet experience as I sneak out of the
staff quarters, tromping through the large chunks of gravel to the lodge. I pause for a moment to take in the sounds of waves breaking on the
beach and birds chirping excitedly. A smile spreads across my face and I cannot
help feeling joy.
About a month ago, I relocated to work at a fishing lodge in
a little town called Happy Valley. It’s about 45 minutes south of Soldotna and
the only real claim to anything this town has, is the Happy Valley Bar, the
convenience/liquor store, and my personal favorite- a waterfall on the beach! It
is more of a pit stop than a town.
You may or may not have heard, but the fishing in Alaska
this year has not been great. Fish and Game completely shut down fishing for
Kings (salmon) which has been a huge blow to the tourism industry. Because of
this, the owners of the lodge decided to house a survey crew for an oil and gas
company instead of lure in fishing clients.
This is not what I expected I would be doing, however, I am
enjoying the change of pace from the brewery and I am thrilled to be here. My
days are relatively laid back and usually include an assortment of cooking,
house keeping, agate hunting, reading and/or taking longs walks on the beach.
The stress is minimal and my two co-workers and I do a fantastic job at keeping
each other on our toes with quick wit and sarcasm.
On the sunny, clear days it’s easy to stay awake long enough
to watch the sun set over the across the inlet. The simplicity of
this lifestyle has helped unravel the complicated web of my mind. Small
things like rock skipping contests or watching Otter Pop lazily float back and
forth in front of the lodge completely fill me with knowing... yes, this is exactly where I need and want to be.
