Boss, you want me to ship you a shirt and some fresh underware?

AAW & Brian, please send ammo, clothes - especially clean underwear, and all essential hunting gear. Post it on a barge bound for Port Moller, AK. It's bound to get here before Pen Air figures out a plan that works.

I prefer a mankini, please no tighty whiteys.

I'm reminded of a funny story;

My wife and I flew down to the beach 6 years ago with a local air taxi. After loading at the DLG airport we idled up to taxi out when he remembered something he'd forgotten. As he opened his door to jump out to retrieve the forgotten item he hollered unintelligible instructions on how to stop the plane should it decide on its own to take off. I didn't understand a word of it and my wife shrieking for instruction clarification from me didn't help. The pilot returned in moments and the plane only vibrated and bucked slightly, the wheels never turned in his absence. On the hour flight down he was as usual entertaining to talk to but the ride was normal.

After landing on the beach I chose we unloaded quickly and he made haste to leave. A little throttle, quite a bit more and much horsing on ailerons and rudder. Having shut down the engine and the prop still turning we saw him jump out and heard him very profanely demand we sprint all out tarps down to him. We did and I helped him roll the plane onto the tarps that acted like bridging material in the loose sand. Without quite waiting for me to get out of the way the pilot firewalled the motor and the plane managed toroll on top of the tarps, onto the sand and made a fine takeoff. My tarps also took off in the opposite direction the planewas headed but I managed to gather them all in less than a half mile.

Tina and I spent a short week beach combing, bird hunting and wildlife viewing. Usually theres no bears down there but we see tracks and whales, walrus and seals are common. We found a walrus skull with ivory and lots of other beach treasures.

The plane returned on schedule to take us home but by this time it'd been raining for more than a day and our brand new puppy had been in and out of the tent enough times that everything was damp/ headed for wet. I mean that plane was still rolling on the loose sand and that pilot was out of that cockpit door and screaming at us as profanely as I've ever yelled at any idiot on the job to hurry the f--k up get that s--t packed and down to the f--king plane! He assisted in making trips with the gear of course and was totally winded in say the first ten yards of the first lap from the plane to the tent and back. I stayed with the tent, taking it apart from the outside as Tina packed it on the inside. I was instructed by the pilot to not take the poles out of the rain fly or tent, just, "FLATTEN IT OUT!" and stuff the wad in the plane. You'd guess that as it continued to rain as I balled up the tent fly the contents of the tent including Tina were getting really drippy. I was keeping an eye on the pilot and the rest of our surroundings while wadding tent and I noticed he made a trip to the plane with gear, (cursing us roundly in between gasps for air,) and stopped at the wing to look around. Suddenly and without warning, further profanity or explaination he jumps in the seat, strats and firewalls the motor and takes off!

When the roar of the engine dimmed enough to be heard Tina sticks her head out the soggy open door of the tent and asks, "Is he coming back?" I truthfully replied, "I dunno."

Turns out the pilot didn't like his position on the beach as it related to the incoming tide and just wanted to move further up and away from the water. In order to keep from getting stuck you move as much air as possible over the wings with the prop to increase lift out of the sand and therefore you're flying.

Same as before, plane ain't stopped and he's back out the door screaming cussing at us to, "Quit f--king lollygagging and get f--king packed!"

We loaded and flew home without further incident and "Fuzznuts," as he calls his van driver to his face and in front of my wife, drove us from the airport to home.

Tina and I agreed that the ride in and around the plane is as fun as being on the beach and we can't wait to go with him again.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
In my life, I have seen such disorganization, lack of information, and frankly, plain stupidity, than with Pen Air. It's mind boggling!!!!!!

I've hunted with you for 3 years now so I know this statement is false

In all seriousness, I hope the weather breaks and you can get out and hunt.

Roll over and whisper in Patricks ear that I said hello

Aaron:
Hope the Wx clears enough for you to get out of camp. Get a 10 footer!
Tell Warren and the crew hello for me. I work on his planes in Kenai.
TJ

Saw my first bear just yesterday, north of Chicken. I never see any until around this time of May here in the interior. There were caribou in small groups up and down the road too, probably why I saw the bear there. I was driving down to Tok to pick up my son who was on way home for the summer from UAF and didn't even have the time to think about bear; still was great.

Hope to get the boy out to shoot one before he starts working for summer. Use to be, he couldn't wait to kill one; don't seem to be such a big thing nowadays to him; other things on his mind I guess. Last 6 years, he has worked for Yukon Queen on the river runs from Dawson to Eagle and back. Holland sold the boat (due to flood damage to highway the state never fixed right) and they are taking it to Seattle. The boy is doing the entire trip down the Yukon and onto Wash State; kinda cool trip for the summer. Hope I can get him interested in killing a bear before his trip down the river.

Drum, I wish you were here - I really do. We could use one more whiner in camp, and a pack bitch too.

TJ, Warren is right next to me, just told him hi for ya.

Hope the monster boars come out, your gear shows up and the snow stops. Best of luck.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
Drum, I wish you were here - I really do. We could use somebody that's not a whiner in camp, and a man to pack out what we can't .

Fixed it for ya!

I'll be up on the 20th...hope the big Brownies are out and about by then.

They are starting to pop out now. My buddy just took a nice boar after finishing his coffee on the first morning of his hunt. They saw 7 bears in two days (upper peninsula).

Further south is still slow - lot's more snow. I head out on Sunday... Hoping to get my dad and brother a couple of bears.

Conditions were absolutely horrible! Bad weather, lots of snow, 50 mph winds for days! Saw 1 bear, we went 14 miles RT on snowshoes that day, and got the bear. Will post pics when I get home!

congratulations Aaron!

Congrats!

Bagged a nice looking 7.5 footer with akshooter. The days before my arrival were hard, but got one on day two. Will post pics and a report when I get back home in a few days.

Congrats to you too!

Aaron,

Welcome to my world from '82-'04. My job was to work with Penair nearly everyday. Regardless of what you've experienced nobody could probably have done it better. The AK bush is a world all unto itself.

Mark