Trip to Kupreanof Island

I know it has been almost two weeks since my last post, but we are still here/alive/loving it.

I have been busy at the paper covering a number of interesting stories. City council meetings have been fun as there is a no smoking ordinance on the agenda that has had some public outcry and comment periods.

A senate bill that would fulfill some native american land claims has somewhat divided the town with natives on one side and non-natives on the other, it will be really interesting to see what happens.

I have also covered fishing news, a city councilman obituary, suicide prevention, a democratic governor candidate and some other smaller features.

My favorite story so far was talking to a crew shooting a pro ski video. The crew is in town for five weeks and had some amazing photos. I am excited to keep tabs on their progress while they are here.

Erin and I also found a new apartment on the water. We move in April 1.

Last weekend, Orin, Erin and I kayaked across the Wrangell Narrows to Kupreanof Island. Getting there was half the adventure as my paddle broke halfway across as the narrows as we were fighting the extremely strong current. Luckily we were in a double kayak, so Erin (and her old man strength) acted as the motor for most of the journey.




Kupreanof Island is home to only a few hundred, with the majority in the small town of Kake, on the Northwest tip of Kupreanof. We were on the eastern coast in what they call the "town of Kupreanof," a small grouping of cabins with no running water or electricity. We visited a friend (Sara) and her boyfriend (Chris) who turns out to be the mayor!


View of Petersburg from their cabin


They had a campfire

Sara and Chris made pizza dough and provided toppings so that everybody there could make their own pizza. It was a great time with great company. We had to leave earlier than we would have liked because of the tides, but overall it was a very unique and cherished experience.





Later that night Erin and I were talked into judging "island idol," a karaoke competition at the local bar. It was a lot of fun.



Orin and I also had the opportunity to go crabbing with new friends Dana and Dave. They took us out on their skiff to pull crab pots. I had never even seen a Tanner crab, let alone eat one!




(I did pull two pots, but they weren't as successful)

We pulled up to a beautiful waterfall on Kupreanof.




We hope the weather stays nice to allow for more adventures, but this weekend could be filled with packing and moving into our new apartment.

Oh, we splurged and bought XTRAtuffs... they are essential