To Land's End and Back Again: Part I

Hanging out at the Juneau Airport during a lay over

Two weeks ago, the Snyder clan (my Dad, my brother Philip, his fiancee Gretchen, Gabe, and myself) traveled North for a family fishing expedition. Destination: Land's End Lodge in Point Baker, Alaska. Just south of Juneau. Philip and Gretchen had never experienced this place before, but we had been once before in 2006. It was a fantastic trip, so Gabe and I were really excited to get back.

Gabe and I met the rest of the family in Denver and off we went. After three flights, we finally landed in Petersburg, AK, where we would spend the night. Then, the adventure began.

There are not many places you can walk to the motel from the airport. Petersburg is one of them.

Point Baker is only accessible by float plane. For those of us who are a little phobic of flying, this can be pretty scary. My first time I thought I would die of heart failure right there on the tarmac. But, the float plane was the best flight of them all. My little bro is also a wee bit nervous when it comes to flying and he was pretty nervous about squeezing into a plane not much bigger than his car.

Here is our plane. They call it a Beaver...
Here is Phil. His face says it all...
But, he put on a brave face.
Gabe was in hog heaven...
The view was amazing...

Finally, after a short 30 minute flight, we arrived at the Lodge...
At the Lodge, you are welcomed like family. As if we were visiting an Aunt and her family after not seeing them for a few years. You feel right at home.

We didn't waste any time. The dock boys gave us a quick tutorial/review, and then we were off...

And that is pretty much it. For seven days, we ate and fished and slept. You would think that would be boring but between the wildlife watching and the fishing it was fantastic.



In between the fishing, we were treated like royalty by the gang at the lodge. Here, you are fed three full meals a day. With the gals working hard in the kitchen to feed us delicious home cooked meals...

While the boys worked hard filleting, packaging, and freezing the fish fresh from the catch...

While we rested with full bellies...
Oh, how I love this place.
Come back tomorrow to see the fruits of our labor!