The Cabin in the Wilderness

We were finally able to make it out to the cabin this weekend in seemingly the only 24 hour window of no rain.  We launched the river boat at Deshka Landing in Willow (yes, Willow went to Willow) and took the Big Susitna River to the Yentna River.  

Mt. Susitna, commonly known as Sleeping Lady

This was Willow’s first boat ride, and she seemed to have great fun.  

The cabin is truly in the middle of nowhere, and the only things you see (other than wildlife) are a few other recreational cabins.  We did pass a fish wheel along the river, which is used to count the number of salmon heading upstream.  We stopped to chat for a moment, and watched them catch five salmon in the few minutes we were there. 

Fish wheel in action

Once we made it to the cabin, Karl and I took a big risk and decided to let Willow off of her leash.  In the four years we’ve had her, the only time she’s been free to run is when she’s managed to break out the front door.  I was a little worried that she would run off and get eaten by a bear, but she stayed close by.  

Think she was improvising some camouflage?

She slept like a rock that night as she spent the entire afternoon tearing back and forth at about a hundred miles an hour.

 Karl also decided that it was time to teach me to shoot a gun, as being at the cabin is probably the most likely place that I will run into a bear.  After a few tears, I learned that my arms just aren’t long enough to shoot the gun Karl gave me to try.  We tried the next day with a gun with an iron sight instead of a scope, and I did much better. 

Watch out broad side of a barn!

My shooting still sucks, so I would probably be better off throwing the gun at the bear.  Karl has promised to take me somewhere where I can shoot at a target instead of just at a tree on the other side of the river.  We'll see how that goes...