A Salute To 2024’s Best Stories As We Ring In ’25
Happy New Year’s Eve! Before the ball drops and we skip ahead to 2025, let’s take a look back at some of our favorite stories of the year.
JANUARY: SURVIVAL EXPERT, PODCAST HOST DONNY DUST ON ALASKA ADVENTURES
CC Can you share some of your own Alaskan experiences, since you’ve spent a lot of time there?
DD I love Alaska. It is one of those places of mystery, and of great land expanses and so many different offerings. I’ve spent many days and nights walking through the Alaskan bush, and I can say that there is an extreme level of challenge up there. And I think that draws me to Alaska. I enjoy my time standing on the edge of a river and pulling out fish, whether it’s salmon or grayling, and seeing the wildlife. But it offers so much. And I would say to all Alaskans: Let’s keep it a secret. But for some of us, that’s where we plan on going, and I truly believe that Alaska is one of those frontiers where it is full of hardships, but it’s full of so many great accomplishments and beauty, and history and stories. It’s this magical land that people fear in certain ways and they’re fine staying on their cruises and going into the ports. But for some of those real adventurers, those real explorers, they like to head into the interior and like to climb those mountains; they like to see the wildlife. It’s absolutely amazing. I’ve loved every minute there; I’ve loved every experience, every black fly bite, every bit of rain, every bald eagle, every moose I’ve seen, every brown bear that I hope to keep seeing at a distance. [Laughs.]
CC It truly is the Last Frontier. And is there a place there that’s still on your bucket list?
DD I would really like to climb Denali one day. I started mountaineering when I was a teenager on some of the peaks in the (Lower 48). But Denali has always been one of those ones that you’ve seen, and I’ve camped around the base and hiked all through there. But it holds this level of mystery; man, to climb up a mountain in Alaska! The state has hardships enough, but to climb Denali is one of those things that I’d absolutely love to experience.
CC I’ve talked to a mountain climber who scaled both Mount Everest and Denali, and he told me it was more of a challenge to climb Denali. Do you see that potential in an increased degree of difficulty on that peak?
DD Yeah. I think Everest has become popularized and Denali is still that raw, enigmatic place where anything can happen. Some of my best memories in Alaska are jumping off a bush plane, finding some ptarmigan feathers, tying those into some flies, standing at the mouth on the Sandy (River) and just pulling grayling out one after another. I’ve loved all of my experiences there. When it comes to hunting and fishing out there, it’s definitely one of those things that draws me to it routinely.
CC You run your survival school, have written books and appeared on TV shows – do you love the problem-solving and troubleshooting aspects of survival situations?
DD I always tell people the number one survival skill is creativity. And when you’re facing the bush with rain or other inclement weather or wildlife – all these different kinds of problems, if you will – you have to use your creative processes to ultimately solve those problems. Or to find a solution that will get you by. Because survival is really just getting by. But the goal is, through that creative process you can move to that place where you can thrive – where you have a lot of food and have a lot of safety; you have warmth. And I think that’s one of the things that draws me into that survival world is being able to use creative processes and solve problems. No matter what they are and how often they come, it’s the challenge of the unknown and the challenge that anything can happen; and you have to be prepared and think on the fly and solve it. -Chris Cocoles
FEBRUARY: A HUNTER’S MEMORIES OF CARIBOU HUNTING
Walking over the round river rock of the gravel bar, the big bull was heading right towards me. I sat tight, holding the gun against my body. The bull continued my way, stopping to beat up a willow bush less than 20 feet away. As the white-maned bull worked its way around the clump of willows, I slipped to the backside of the bush that ensconced me.
The bull sauntered right past where I had just moved from. I crouched down and tried not to breathe too loudly but grew antsy as the big bull edged closer to me.
Once it cleared the curtain of willows, all I had to do was simply hold the barrel of my gun out, brace it against my hip and squeeze the trigger. The bull fell four steps from me.
The rest of the caribou continued feeding undisturbed on the tundra behind me, while others picked their way through the willows. As I field dressed my bull, two dozen sets of antlers skimmed the water’s surface as straggling bulls continued making their way across the river. I soaked in all I could, for it was a time I knew would not likely be replicated.
After field dressing the bull and getting it loaded onto the three-wheeler, I headed across the bumpy tundra and back to the village. That’s when another bachelor herd of caribou emerged from a creek carving its way through the tundra. Tiffany and I were in need of meat for winter and early fall caribou was our favorite. Plus, though I’d only been driving a short while, I knew having a bull on the front rack would help balance the loads.
I eased off the machine, walked a short distance and laid prone on the tundra. Resting the crosshairs behind the bull’s front shoulder, I fired. The bull lunged forward, turned a pirouette and dropped 75 yards from me.
Though not a record book head, the bull had exceptionally heavy antlers. Its high-reaching shovel and white mane made it a fine prize. This bull adorns my office wall, one that I look at every day, even as I write these words. It’s a vivid reminder of one of the most exciting hunts of my life. -Scott Haugen
MARCH: #$%^ CANCER! AN ANGLER RETURNS TO ALASKA
On one of our trips to the Mat-Su Valley, the chum run was strong and we kept landing chrome chums with sea lice while twitching jigs. And believe it or not, when they are dime-bright, chums do make great table fare!
But of the bunch, silvers are my favorite. Their inquisitive nature makes them a true pleasure to fish for, as they will hit just about any type of presentation – just not all at once. They do require a bit of patience to determine what specific presentation fires them up on that certain day, time and tide.
In 2019, our crew was in Juneau for a week chasing salt silvers in the Gastineau Channel. The run timing was perfect, as the numbers of fish were building every day. The weather wasn’t ideal – bright sun and warm temps – but we all knew the bite would explode with a weather change; and it did.
A large low-pressure system rolled in from the Gulf of Alaska, bringing much- needed rain, wind and cooler temps. The first morning of this change was a bite that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It was a fish per cast for the entire incoming tide; if you lost one during the fight, you just kept working the jig and another bite would soon follow. I have never been so exhausted from fighting big, mean silvers. That’s why I keep going back to Alaska!
AFTER DR. RUBEN OLIVARES from the Cleveland Clinic laid out all my treatment options, it became apparent that surgery would be the best route to treat the prostate cancer. This has proven to be the correct action to take, as I can proudly report that I am cancer-free!
A post-surgical report showed that the cancer was indeed confined to just the tumor; the prostate gland, surrounding tissue and lymph nodes all came back clear, as did my full CT scan. No more tumors to deal with, just annual blood work to further check PSA levels, as there is a small chance cancer cells could reappear in the area where the prostate gland was removed. If that’s the case down the road, low-level radiation will handle the issue.
But for now, it is time to heal up and get ready for the next trip. My wife and I are planning to visit Ketchikan this summer, a place that has been on my to- do list for some time. I would like to meet and interview artist Ray Troll; I have several prints of his, as well as many, many T-shirts collected over the years of traveling to Alaska.
It seems like yesterday when I was 38 years old and on my way to Anchorage for the first time. I finally feel that clock ticking in my head: How many trips do I have left? -Brian Kelly
APRIL: EXPERIENCING THE JOY OF FISHING THE KENAI PENINSULA
Standing in a beached aluminum sled with three other anglers from the Lower 48, I was assessing the soreness in my back and shoulders I’d earned battling big Cook Inlet halibut the previous day. I listened to our guide Monte outline expectations for the day’s adventure.
“This is really pretty simple fishing,” Monte said. “When I tell you to cast, just toss your spinner toward the bank. Let it sink for a three count and start slow-rolling it back to the boat. If you feel a tug and the fish doesn’t stick, keep on reeling. Sometimes a silver will hit a spinner two or three times before
they stick. Work the lure all the way back to the side of the boat. Sometimes the salmon will follow it all the way in and strike right next to the boat.”
I’d spent a good deal of time bank fishing on the Kenai, but this was my first-ever guided trip on a boat. I didn’t know what to expect, but the instructions sounded simple enough.
Since I was hosting a group of anglers who had traveled up from California, I took a position in the back of the boat to allow my guests first crack at the silvers we hoped to battle.
After Monte positioned the boat for our first drift and instructed us to cast, Kathy, fishing up in the bow, hooked up almost the instant her spinner hit the water. In a flash Monte was at Kathy’s side, net in hand, and ready to net her acrobatic silver, which looked to be about 7 pounds.Meanwhile, myy spinner was about three-quarters of the way back to the boat as I slowly turned the handle on the spinning reel and watched the action taking place in the front of the boat. When it came, the strike didn’t feel like a strike at all; in fact, for a few seconds
I thought I’d snagged bottom when the rod tip simply loaded up against a seemingly immovable object. Out of reflex, I wiggled the rod tip in hopes of freeing my big pink Rooster Tail. That’s when all hell broke loose. -Cal Kellogg
MAY: CANCER, CASTING AND RECOVERING DEFINES FLY FISHING PROGRAM
THIS YEAR’S KENAI PENINSULA retreat will take place September 6-8 at River Raven Sanctuary Lodge in Soldotna along the Kenai River. Lofgren has been involved with several Last Frontier events. As you might expect, the logistics for an Alaskan retreat can be quite challenging.
“It takes a hearty soul to live in Alaska for many reasons – remote location, harsh climate, extended periods of darkness and lightness, expensive housing, high cost of goods, and limited access to resources such as health care,” she says. “Many women diagnosed with breast cancer, especially those living in remote areas, have to travel quite a distance for their chemotherapy and radiation, sometimes all the way to Seattle. Travel is not inexpensive; figuring out housing is not easy or cheap if they need to find a place to stay for daily or weekly chemotherapy or radiation treatments (often for 6 weeks or more). Taking time off of work, arranging for childcare – these are all added stressors on top of receiving a cancer diagnosis.”
For these cancer patients who live in Alaska, the Casting for Recovery program provides desperately needed comfort, camaraderie and common ground.
“For many of these women, coming to a retreat is the first opportunity they have to discuss their diagnosis and treatment in any kind of a supportive setting, and it’s made all the more powerful because they are able to share with other women who are walking a similar path,” Lofgren adds. “Additionally, all of our retreats have medical and psychosocial facilitators who have experience working with breast cancer patients, so they are able to get informed information that they may not get from their local practitioner. These Alaskan retreats are so important. The women need the support.”
And now there are plans to host a special Alaskan Native-supported retreat in 2024-25. As Lofgren points out, many in the state’s Native communities lack medical and mental/behavioral health resources, and health care/insurance opportunities are frequently lacking.
At best, many women in Alaska’s tribal communities are underinsured, so you can imagine how such a hardship is magnified by a cancer diagnosis.
“This is part of a larger effort at Casting for Recovery to reach underserved populations of women who have experienced breast cancer and are disproportionately affected by the disease,” says Susan Gaetz, the organization’s executive director.
“The success of the Alaska Native Women’s retreat is dependent on it being led by Alaska Native women with support from Casting for Recovery. We recently identified our retreat leader and are securing our venue. We have also been working with the native population for outreach efforts and volunteer recruitment,” Gaetz states. -Chris Cocoles
JUNE: FLY OUT FISHING FUN IN ALASKA
ONCE YOU TOUCH FOOT in remote Alaska, you often get an instantaneous jolt of reality as to just where you are. On a recent flyout with a trio of friends, we piled out of the floatplane, walked along the pontoon to reach the sandy shoreline, looked down and saw it was covered in fresh brown bear tracks. One of the guys gave me a look, one I’d seen before from first time flyout anglers. “It’s going to be a great day,” I confirmed, shooting him a wink.
And if the stunning scenery of far off Alaska isn’t enough, there are the fish. When yearning to experience world-class fishing for bigger and less-pressured fish, flyouts are the way to go. And sometimes it’s not always easy to escape fellow anglers, but flyouts can quickly remedy this.
Flyouts typically eliminate the frugal angler. Fear of flying and encountering bears discount others. Facing the unknown also forces folks to abort flyout opportunities even before they commence, sadly. Yet from my experience, bush planes are much safer than driving busy highways in the Lower 48, plus much more relaxing.
In addition to grayling and char, Becharof Lodge also offers flyouts for beautiful rainbow trout. The fishing here is in small, easy-to-wade streams. Some are lined in thick alders, others gently cut through the open tundra.
If you tire of catching coho on the Egegik River, there are plenty of streams to fly to and catch them. In July and early August, fresh sockeye salmon can also be caught on the Egegik River, as well as in remote streams accessible only by bush plane. -Scott Haugen
JULY: UAF SHOOTING ALUM BACK IN OLYMPICS, WINS SILVER MEDAL
THE ARMY MARKSMANSHIP UNIT found quite a compelling story when Maddalena joined shortly after she enlisted in 2019. After walking on to the team at UAF (Alaska Sporting Journal, July 2021), she blossomed into an eight-time NCAA All-American.
“We knew her as a young civilian shooter and even competed alongside her in the 2014 World Championships. Her work ethic and drive were obvious back then, which is a large part of why we really wanted her to become part of our team,” Gray says. “However, at that time it was pure hunger and grit; since joining the team and settling into Army life we have seen her grow into a true champion.”
“She has learned how to focus that energy and put it towards quality training every single day. In fact, we see it in everything she does. Sergeant Maddalena is truly a model soldier whom anyone would love to have on their team, military or civilian, regardless of the work to be done.”
The camaraderie between her and the Marksmanship Unit teammates has provided the kind of atmosphere that breeds success. Maddalena calls the Army a “driving force” for what she does on the international competition stage.
Being part of a team of peers who are elite shooters provides perspective.
“And to be able to represent the U.S. and the Army, it just shows that you can’t just do it by yourself or for yourself. To me that would serve no purpose. Going into it this year I understand the words now of having a support system within the Army. It really is like our own version of a NASCAR pit crew,” she says.
“Just the stuff that’s going on behind the scenes now that I’ve moved up the ranks, I’ve seen a little bit more; experienced more. Maybe you can do this on your own and do really well, but the feeling of when I’m at competitions and I get to stand on that podium, you only see me but I feel like I’m surrounded by my support system. I know that they’re in a country far away, but they’re cheering me on and they’ve done the work as much as I’ve done.”
Close friends and fellow soldiers away from the range, they are fierce competitors when the lights are turned on to compete. Maddalena says even the friendly competition can get “pretty heated sometimes.”
“But that’s what makes us so good,” she admits. -Chris Cocoles
Note: Maddalena won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics
AUGUST: A SPORTSMAN TALKS ABOUT HEARING LOSS AND PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE
On a midseason duck hunt I forgot my Tetras. Two buddies were with me, and after the first round of shots my ears were ringing like they hadn’t done all season. I kept shooting.
Three days after that hunt I still had a headache and struggled to hear basic sounds at home. That was the last time I forgot my Tetras. Now I wear them all the time, no matter what guns I’m shooting. I even wear them when running chainsaws and other noisy equipment around home and in the woods.
New to the Tetra lineup this year is their Bluetooth CustomShield ($1,649, tetrahearing.com). The 90-level devices are built for hunters with hearing loss, so listen up and simply take their quick online hearing test; they’ll develop a custom prescription geared specifically for your hearing profile in each ear.
Whether you’re hunting ptarmigan or waterfowl, shooting on the range or firing one shot from a rifle with a ported barrel, Tetra Hearing Devices will make a big difference when it comes to protecting your hearing while allowing you to clearly hear all that’s happening around you. Just get them and use them. Don’t whine about dealing with tiny batteries or struggling to put them in when it’s dark or raining. Simply commit to it and make it work. It’s a small price to pay to protect one of our most valued senses. -Scott Haugen
SEPTEMBER: BOOK EXCERPT RECALLS A MEMORABLE BRISTOL BAY ADVENTURE
THE MORNING CAME WITH coffee and breakfast and a view of Jackknife Mountain while looking across Lake Aleknagik from the window of Bristol Bay Lodge. I sat there in the soft silence with my friend Steve Laurant, who is the owner and general manager of the lodge, and Bob White, who is more like a brother to me than simply a dear friend. We didn’t need to say much beyond our usual morning greetings. We sat together in silence or spoke in hushed tones about the peace of the moment and the joy of being alive. We didn’t even talk about fishing. Among friends, silences are at least as important as spoken words. There is a comfort that comes with sipping coffee in the morning beside a person or persons who see the same magnificence and magic in the world around them and within the universe.
The Agulowak River is the home waters of Bristol Bay Lodge, as it is just across the lake from the dock that harbors several boats and three de Havilland Beaver floatplanes. The three full-time pilots include Steve, Ron Salmon and a man who goes by the call sign of “T-Bird.” (More on T-Bird in another chapter.) The Agulowak is approximately 4 miles long and is the connecting river between Lower Nerka Lake and Lake Aleknagik as part of the Wood River watershed. It is renowned for its large native rainbow trout, Arctic grayling, Arctic char, Dolly Varden char and as the spawning grounds for approximately 200,000 sockeye salmon, with another two million passing through its waters on their way farther up the drainage.
After breakfast, we looked at the chalkboard on the wall to see what the day might hold, and next to my name was the term “Wok.” This meant that I’d be fishing the Agulowak, so I’d be loading onto a boat and not a floatplane. Bob and I walked down to the docks and met our guide for the day, a nice young man named Ethan Warren. Ethan was calm, quiet, patient and competent with an easy smile. I liked him. The boats were basic 16-foot metal johnboats with oars on the sides and enough motorized horsepower on the back to get the job done without being obnoxious about it.
If taking off in a de Havilland Beaver is my favorite way to launch into adventure, then crossing open water in a boat is a close second. There is something magical about the bouncing of the bow across the water, the coolness of the air and spray on your face, and the anticipation of what lies ahead. And there is something meaningful about looking back at the wake behind the boat and the changing perspective of the place you left behind and the one you are growing ever closer to discovering. It’s not that you wanted to go; it’s that you felt compelled to go. As if staying behind would cause your moist lungs to stop breathing and your warm heart to cease beating. Living life urgently demands that we live gratefully in the moment while looking forward and remembering the lessons of our yesterdays. -Steve Ramirez
NOVEMBER: FORMER QUARTERBACK FACES BLITZING BROWN BEAR
THERE’S AN OLD JOKE among fishing guides: Two fishermen are standing on a river, and they spot an angry grizzly approaching. Immediately one fisherman starts putting on his running shoes. The other fisherman looks at him and says, “What the hell are you doing? You’re never gonna outrun that bear.” The first fisherman looks up as he finishes tying his second shoe and replies. “Nope. But I am gonna outrun you!”
Bill was the first one out of the blocks. Smart. Just in front of me, on my right, and closer to the raft, Fletch was still hanging in there. His identity as a hardy Alaskan guide would be seriously challenged if he ran first.
The bear had breached that invisible barrier, where all wildlife encounters feel too close, as he dropped to all four and chuffed. “Chuff! Chuff!” We could almost feel his intention, chomping his teeth. “Snap! Snap!” He was looking to intimidate us.
It was working!
My nervous system was at DEFCON 1. Heart pounding and dry-mouthed, I knew my waders were waterproof from the outside, but I was about to test out whether they worked versus an internal leak.
My stomach had bats, not butterflies, and my jaw felt as tight as a snare drum. My breath came shallow and choppy, and I could feel the weight of the world on my chest as the blood pulsated through my ears. My face was hot and flushed, but I could feel the cool breeze across my skin. My body was screaming to do something!
He looked massive and soaking wet. Somehow, that made him look way more menacing. Sister and Mom were nowhere in sight, and he was clearly pissed!
Almost in unison, something triggered Fletcher and I. “Go on, Bear!” we commanded, trying to bluff like we were in charge. -Mike Pawlawski
DECEMBER: A CORDOVA BREWERY SERVIES UP PINTS, CAMARADERIE
PINTS WITH LOCAL TIE-INS
Copper River Brewing’s beers also capture the wild essence of the surrounding landscape. Curtis is passionate about using local ingredients whenever possible, and the result is a lineup of beers that reflect the flavors of coastal Alaska. One standout is the Berliner Weisse brewed with locally harvested kelp, which adds a salty, astringent flavor that echoes the nearby coastline. Another favorite is the spruce tip wheat ale, made with locally foraged spruce tips that give the beer a distinct, bitter finish reminiscent of the wild forests around Cordova.
“We wanted our beers to be a taste of this region,” Curtis Fincher says. “When people drink our kelp beer or spruce tip ale, they’re experiencing the flavors of this place.”
A PASSION FOR THE OUTDOORS
The brewery’s connection to the outdoors extends beyond its beer menu. Curtis and Christiana are avid adventurers, spending much of their free time exploring the Alaskan wilderness. Each Fourth of July, they gather with their staff for a weekend at a remote cabin on Hinchinbrook Island, not too far to the west of Cordova, where they hunt and fish. In the fall, they visit a glacial lake that freezes over and offers the unique experience of ice skating among towering icebergs.
“Living here offers so many opportunities for adventure,” Curtis says. “We spend a lot of time on the water and in the wild, and it’s these experiences that make Cordova so special.” -Tiffany Herrington
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