Heading North- Around Council

Ten years ago, Woodsen and I took a trip to explore the Seward Peninsula, and the Stangs had offered their guest cabin in Council as a place to stay. While we were very grateful to have a comfortable cabin and unforgettable views, none of his family had been around for that visit, so our current trip was proving to be much more fun and memorable.

When we first visited in 2015, Dan’s cabin was on the bluff overlooking the river. Since then, it had been moved across the road and further away from the river. A large deck stood where the house used to be.

My attention had been drawn to the deck when Dan told us all about his friend Freddie the eagle who visited daily at the deck for the past few years, now even bringing its mate. But it wasn’t till we had been there a few days that I realized there was a trail on the side of the deck that went down to the river.

I had come out from putting Eska down for a nap, and Woodsen told me that Atlee, Maggie, Stephanie, and Scarlett had gone to the river to fish for grayling. That sounded like fun, so I headed down as well.

Atlee was having a ball. Earlier on this trip we had gone grayling fishing at Fielding Lake and on the Clearwater River in Delta Junction, so Atlee was feeling confident and reeling in the grayling. Scarlett was also enjoying herself, especially since Melozi had passed on her well loved Elsa dress, that was far too small, to her that morning.

After catching a few fish, Atlee got her line snagged on a rock. Maggie started running down the beach, saying she’d be back in a minute. Sure enough, a few minutes later, Maggie came driving up the river in her boat and soon the line was freed. We piled into Maggie’s boat and continued grayling fishing as we floated down the river. I chuckled to myself, thinking how much I loved the women here, their outdoor skill set was something I really admired.

When we returned, Woodsen sent me out to find Melozi. I hadn’t gone far before I found her floating in the wood-fired hot tub that was being enjoyed as a kiddie pool to cool off from the hot sun.
Dan had created the tub by cutting a section from the large cedar pipes used during the gold rush.

Soon Melozi’s secret was out, and all the kids were cooling off in the tub.

As the afternoon sun continued to blaze, Daniel decided to fire up the old army truck they used to cross the Niukluk River to pick up a load of lumber waiting for them on the other side. The wood would eventually be turned into an upper deck on Dan’s cabin.

The water level this year was low, which meant there was a large sandbar exposed in the middle of the river. Everyone loaded up in the truck and the plan was to drop off the moms and the kids on the gravel bar, while the dads picked up the lumber.

In no time at all we were rolling down the steep road to the river, and slowly making our way into the water.

Daniel stopped on the gravel bar and the kids and mom’s jumped out.

Sun, sand, and water has to be one of the best combinations for kids, and moms for that matter (since life is easier when your kids are happy), and the shallow water surrounding the gravel bar was perfect for splashing around in.

The guys returned with the lumber loaded in the truck, and after the ditch the kids had started digging across the sandbar was complete, we loaded up and headed back to the cabin.

For dinner, we planned to eat the Grayling the girls had caught earlier in the day. I can’t remember eating grayling before, most people mention how bony they are and release them, but Dan had a trick for preparing the fish that he promised would make the bones magically disappear. He called his trick “clicking” the fish. He filleted the fish with his electric fillet knife, then divided the fillets into four or five chunks. The two tail sections didn’t need any further attention, but for the other pieces, he made multiple small slices through the flesh and bones of the fish perpendicular to the fillets, careful not to cut through the skin. These slices cut the bones into small enough pieces that they would dissolve when they were fried. Stephanie said they had tried baking, but only frying made the bones soften and disappear.

Stephanie set me up at the stove with the better breader container, fish, and Dan’s special breading mix, and I set to work frying Grayling for the first time.

The sun was still hot, and the kids took a break from playing in the hose and wooden tub long enough to try the fried grayling. Crispy and delicious! The next day was the Fourth of July, and all the kids went to bed anticipating another exciting day in Council, Alaska.