We stayed in the cove for a long time taking pictures and watching the fishermen working diligently to secure their catch and transfer it to the company fishing boat.
And then we moved on - climbing precariously along the rocky beach until we arrived at this fence that completely cut off entry into the adjoining small lake.
I had been to this place a few times during the winter and spring, but had never seen this fence before, and we were both curious what it was all about......
Amazingly, we realized that the gate was closing off entry to very large salmon, who were trying hard to swim back into the lake.
They continually slammed into the fence, trying non-stop to reach their destination.
We found out later that the gate was up because these same salmon were spawning earlier than the normal spawning period.
Apparently the salmon hatchery deposits fertilized eggs in this area that hatch earlier than salmon normally would.
Eventually the salmon return to the same area to spawn, and the gate is raised at that time so that commercial fishermen can retrieve the fish. Because these salmon have spawned earlier than normal, the gate is removed when the fish retrieval is completed, so that the other salmon can spawn in their own natural time.
This arrangement ensures an ample supply of commercial fish, while at the same time allowing nature to take its course after the fact.
I had no idea about any of this until I visited this place yesterday. Too extremely wonderfully cool!!
This lake behind the channel is very beautiful and was very calm last night......
We saw many eagles last night, and snapped a picture of these two mates. It is very exciting to hear them constantly talking with each other. They travel close to each other, and even though they don't always have to rest in trees together, they always seem to be within visual distance of each other - there have been times over the past weeks that I have seen them resting in two different trees, maybe 100 feet away from each other. Always close enough to see and communicate with each other........
The two mates are in this tree, but it is difficult to see the second one without enlarging the picture.
The morning that I was driving towards the trailhead, intending to climb Mt McGinnis, I spoke with my Mountain Boy who was still back in Tennessee at the time.
The early morning was just as clear and just as sunny as it was yesterday, and I tried unsuccessfully to describe to him what the mountains looked like.
The mountains were glistening.
It was a substandard description. But now - now that he has seen these mountains on clear and completely sunny days - my Mountain Boy understands why I had such a difficult time describing what was standing in front of me.
Words (at least MY words) can not put a label to this kind of beauty...........
Although we walked down to the cove and the lake via a wide open and flat gravel road, we headed back to the car by walking on a short and soft-on-the-knees dirt trail.
About half a mile from Amalga Harbor is another pulloff that led us back to another area of the same small lake we had just visited.
We stopped and took yet more pictures of this place, me happily picking handfuls of salmonberries, and an older gentleman who was enjoying the day by running a speeding radio controlled speed boat across the lake......
We did not have a real plan when we first left the house last night. We just knew that we needed to relax, needed to be outside in the sun and warmth and blue sky. And needed to be beside the water.
Unexpectedly we found joy and relaxation and adventure on a trip Out the Road - on a beautiful evening in Alaska.
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