Holly and I arrived in Anchorage late Monday night after a long trip from South Carolina.

Yesterday, we picked up my license and goat tag from Alaska Fish and Game, and spent the rest of the day looking around downtown and in a few sporting goods shops for last minute items.

I had a reindeer sausage omelette for breakfast, halibut fish and chips for lunch and king crab legs for dinner. It's sure tough having to adapt to the local cuisine on these trips! Lunch was at Simon & Seafort restaurant overlooking the Cook Inlet and Sleeping Lady Island, already covered with snow. The meal was terrific and the view spectacular!

This afternoon we fly to Cordova to board the outfitter's 60' boat for the trip to our goat hunting area in area 6D of Prince William Sound, just north of the Cordova area.

Checking the 10 day forecast at www.weather.com for Cordova, it looks like we will have good weather today and tomorrow when we will be climbing the mountain, then 7 straight days of rain! It's going to be an interesting experience.

I will be on the mountain for 5 days with another goat hunter and a guide. Two other hunters will be aboard hunting from the boat for brown bear.

Wish us luck! I'll post the results of the hunt when we return to Anchorage on October 27th.

Sounds like a great start, and it should be a great hunt. After gaining elevation, me thinks your 7 straight days of rain will be 7 straight days of snow!

If you have any extra time on the way back, maybe we could meet up somewhere.

mark in sc;

the food sounds great. good luck.

who was the outfitter?

cold zero

Just checked the Forum again before leaving the hotel for the airport, thanks for the responses.

We're hunting with Darren Byler from www.alaskanadventuretours.com aboard the "Alaskan Adventure."

Paul H., we are staying at Barratts's Best Western near the airport. I made a mistake in my previous post, we will be back in Anchorage on October 23rd, not the 27th.

We'll stay at the Best Western again that night and leave for South Carolina early on the 24th. If you have time on the 23rd, it would be great if you could join us for a drink at the hotel!

Mark,
Welcome to Alaska and enjoy your hunt. Good Luck.
JD

Mark,

If you get the chance stop be the Hilton downtown and take a look at the Kodiak and the Polar bears in the lobby. HUGE! There is also a restaurant just down the street from there that is fantastic. Out the front door, left, down one block and off to the right. I am sorry I do not remember the name of the place. It is a little pricey but absolutely incredible! Have a great hunt and I look forward to the pictures.

Doug

Welcome to our great state. I look forward to hearing a report when you get back. If you want a real tourist kind of eating place then check out the Sourdough Mining Co. The halibut nuggets and corn fritters are good. They also have a store across the street with a chocolate waterfall.

Mark,

Best of luck on your hunt. I believe that any mature billy is a trophy and this time of year the coats will be spectacular. Hope for snow to drive them down to nearer the water.

Simon's was a good choice in Anchorage. That restaurant has been consistently good for us for over 20 years. On your way back you might want to try the Kincaid Grill it is nearby the Barrett and very good. A little artsy but I like that sort of thing.

Enjoy Alaska,

Mark H. Young

Mark
Hope your trip measures up to your expectations!!!

I agree with Yukon Delta...
The Sourdough Mining Co. is a good place for Halibut nuggets and fritters and a nice cold beer.

Good luck with the goat.

Jeff

Cordova's current weather: bluebird day, not a cloud in sight and about 47F. Great day to scoot up a mountain after a goat.

Great day for a deer hunt, too. I'm off.

Great food; chocolate waterfalls; 'hope for snow'...
I'd be willing to go to Anchorage just for FUN!
Sure would get the bug going for planning a hunting trip, too.
Glad to hear of a great adventure in the making.

Good luck!! You will like P.W.S.

mark in s.c.

i stayed at the barret aug. 2002. nice place, i liked it. not as good though as the millenium, i'll be staying there in nov, 2 nites..

as usual, i agree with yukon delta, i know the sourdough mining co., check it out u won't be sorry. when i go up in nov. i will eat there.

cold zero

i'm also going to check out barneys, the new helly hansen store, eagle survival, oh yeah and of course the A.B.C. club, yeah!!!!!!!!!!!

The Millenium as it is called now is always worth a stop to look around the lobby at the trophies and stop in the bar for a beer. As you said the Sourdough is always a great place for a meal no matter where you stay. They make a great crab omelet! And yes the bush club is always worth a visit as well!

Mark take Holly to the Alaskan Fur Exchange. Ask someone or check the yellow pages. I think it is off northerhn lights blvd but dont remember for sure. It isnt furs as in coats but lots of native art stuff. She will love it.

[ 10-19-2003, 04:22: Message edited by: Mike Smith ]

Well, it's October 21st and we are already back home in South Carolina, with good news and bad news.

The good news is that we really loved seeing Alaska for the first time. We had a busy day of sightseeing in Anchorage, great seafood, a beautiful flight over the mountains and glaciers from Anchorage to Cordova and enjoyed the 1 1/2 hour trip by high-speed PackCat to the M/V Alaskan Adventure anchored in a spectacular cove in Prince William Sound.

The bad news is that the next morning we loaded up the backpacks and hit the beach heading for the mountain. After about a mile of hiking up streams filled with slippery rocks, after sinking in muck up to my knees and walking out of my hip boots, pushing through alder and devil's club patches and finally through thick timber with moss covered blowdowns; we reached the base of the mountain. To reach the first camp we had to climb over the top of the mountain to the other side, around 3,500 ft, straight up.

Our Norwegian guide announced that the "easy part" was over and the climb that lay ahead was going to be "10 times tougher" than what we had just done; and I was already gasping for breath like a fish out of water.

I have been sick for the last three weeks with a SARS-like respiratory infection that I picked up on the way home from our hunt in Spain a month ago. Two courses of anti-biotics over three weeks and I still had a low-grade fever and lungs full of crap when we left for Alaska.

Bottom line is, the guide asked me if I thought I could make it. I looked up at the near vertical climb ahead and knew there was no way I was going to make it to the top before dark. I didn't want to slow down the guide, packer and the other hunter; or put everyone at risk of having to spend the night in the open on the mountain side, so I made the decision to turn back and return to the boat.

It was the right decision, but a terrible disappointment. I've never backed down from a physical challenge like this before, and I was really looking forward to the goat hunt.

Holly and I spent the next couple of days on the boat enjoying the scenery. They put us on the beach one day to go on a self-guided bear or wolf hunt, but the rains came in and they picked us up early. The forecast was constant rain and deteriorating weather for the rest of the trip, so we called in a float plane from Cordova and left 4 days early.

A week from now, Holly and I will be in Montana hunting mule deer and antelope with Keith and Nikki Atcheson. I thought it was best to get home, see the doctor again and try to get over this lingering respiratory infection so another hunt is not ruined.

Before we left, the other goat hunter came down with a 10" billie after a very difficult hunt. After reaching the top, they had to descend, then climb another mountain to get to his goat, and finally make a treacherous descent to get back down to the beach. He was a nice guy and he really earned a great trophy.

The day we left, one of the two brown bear hunters killed a bear with 4 days left for the other hunter to score.

For us, it was a bittersweet experience, but that's life. We loved Alaska and look forward to going back one day to get the goat I left behind. Next time I'll know better what to expect and will make sure that I'm healthy and in better physical condition.

I hate to hear that. Sounds like you tried to make the most of a tough situation. Perhaps you can come back again sometime, if not for goat, then for something else.

On a slightly different subject, if you get a chance would you mind emailing me regarding the boat you were on? I find their setup very interesting.

Atleast you had a good expieriance and you did make the right decision.

How did you like Darrens service?

Yukon delta, you've got mail.

JoelS, Darren has a first-class operation with excellent hunting areas, good guides, good equipment and great boats.

Darren's wife, Kimberly does a fine job in the galley and runs a tight ship while Darren is out hunting.

I would recommend them to anyone looking for a great Alaskan experience.

i have seen darren on the hunting channel a couple of times, usually for bear hunting.

there are a lot of outfitters that hunt bears/goats from boats, hey that rymes.

james boyce, bruce parker, hans baertle, jimmy rosenbrucnh, etc.

cold zero

when given lemons, make lemonade.

Mark in SC,

So sorry to hear about your experience in Cordova. Sounds like a real "grunt" even for someone in the best of health and condition.

I personally have done the boat goat hunt but much later in the season. The snow drives the goats down from the ridge tops and we literally shot from the bottom of the cliffs up to them. No climbing involved. The most difficult part was finding a place to land the boat since we hunted in a fiord with sheer cliffs on all sides. Tricky shooting though!

If you decide to try it again contact me. I'd love to help you set something up or just talk about hunting. The Trophy Connection represents excellent operators in SE AK and you will see lots of goats without busting your hump.

Cold zero, I had also seen several outdoor programs videoed with Darren and Kimberly. I recognized them and spoke with them at SCI in Reno in January, then booked with them a couple months later.

Darren said he chooses at least one outdoor program to do each year and apparently receives lots of other requests for promotional hunts from outdoor show hosts. He said that there will be a new Mtn. Goat hunt show airing soon on one of the outdoor channels.

Mark H. Young, I would be curious to learn more about the late season hunts you mentioned.

However, when I go back to Alaska to hunt Mtn. Goats, I'm inclined to go again at the same time, rather than take the easier way out and wait for snow to drive them down.

A big billy is such a magnificent trophy, I want the experience of taking him up high, on his home turf. That way I would truly feel that I had earned the right to put him on my wall.

Hey Mark,
sad to hear that you had to cancel your Billi Trip. But i think u made the right decision....you don�t know if u might get trapped in a "uncomfortable situation"....sometimes it can go faster as someone can think!
So after all you are healthy and maybe take a chance on your next trip

All the best for your next Hunting trip to Montana and get some nice trophies!

Hope that you will post a thread with a nice story and some nice Pic�s too, when u get back.
Oh..Montana skies... there it must have a reaaallll beautifull landscape. please make me some pic�s...

all the best and weidmannsheil
from Germany
Konstantin

had breakfast at gwennies yesterday, good reindeer sausauge and everything else for that matter.

saw big bull moose in front of gwennies monday nite.

had dinner at simon and siefert's, my friend thought it was one of the best meals he has had in a long time.

had fun in anchorage, gained a ffew pounds.

cold zero

Brings back some memories.

Morning espresso at Kaladi's
Fresh produce at New Sagyia
Steaks and Prawns at Club Paris
Margarita's at Simeon and Seafort's
Pizza and Pipeline stout at the Mooses Tooth

In 1998-1999 I spent about seven months in Anchorage working on a project and would love to return someday. Not sure I'm tough enough for that 24�F below zero weather though. Ever watch a magpie's breath condense in the cold air?

I wanted to go hunt caribou while I was there but the timing and project schedule just wasn't right.

we stayed at the millenium, good as usual. we went in the hottub.

had dinner at simon and sieferts. my friend said it was one of the best dinners he has had in long time. we had the halibut steak.

had breakfast at gwennies. including reindeer sausage and sourdough bread. walked out of there about 5 lbs. heavier. we saw a live bull moose in front of their place the nite before . about 55" a nice bull. never saw that in anchorage on other trips before.
if we were there another morning we would have went to the sourdough mining co.

for shopping we hit barneys, r.e.i., h.h., liquor store and a pawn shop. shound like hunters?

the plane got us into anchorage 2 hrs late and there was no time for a nap so we had to forgo a trip to the A.B.C.

cold zero