I’ve got an Alaskan Bucket List that’s a mile long – a collection of adventures I’d like to experience before our time in the Last Frontier expires. As the clock ticks away I become more aware of all the things I’ve yet to try my hand at. So when my friend Blake asked Brian & I to fill the last two spots on a halibut charter he’d reserved, we jumped at the chance without questioning it.

I biked to work Friday morning after spending the night alone in our house. Brian was finishing up a 24 hour shift that was ending soon, but not in time for our paths to cross before I was on my way to work. He slept the day away while I was at work and when the clock struck 6 he was waiting outside in a fully packed Jeep.

Nearly 4 hours later we found ourselves turning off the highway and heading down a narrow gravel driveway. Hidden behind the high brush was our getaway for the night – a stunning house built on the bluff looking across the Cook Inlet at 4 volcanoes (Spurr, Redoubt, Iliamna, and Augustine) that was surrounded by tiny cabins (our sleeping quarters). Once everyone arrived, we quickly headed to bed as 4:30 am comes early.

Fast forward to around 6 am and we’re well over 5 miles off the coast. Thankfully, I caught my limit for the day at this first stop quickly because at this point I was already hanging off the side of our small vessel chumming the water with this morning’s breakfast wondering why I ever thought this was a good idea. At our next fishing spot, I napped while the boys kept dropping their lines. When I awoke I felt like an entirely new person for the rest of our time out on the water. Once everyone aboard had caught their limit we headed for shore. Although exhausting, it was a fantastic trip out that also means our freezer is completely packed with fresh Alaskan halibut.