From time to time, I will receive an e-mail from my brother-in-law Lynn Johnson, a resident of Nome, Alaska. Most of the time these e-mails have pictures attached with no words or description, which sometimes makes me feel like there will be a test the next time I talk to him.
Lynn has always been an avid outdoorsman, and living in Nome suits his passion for hunting and fishing perfectly; he’s like a kid in a candy store in this environment. He has now added another weapon to his arsenal; trapping, and it seems he has really taken to the trapping thing and, judging from the pictures he has been sending, it is going quite well.
So far this year, he has sent me pictures of fox, mink, otter and a lynx. I jokingly asked him if the lynx was good eating, to which he replied, “It was excellent.”
He then proceeded to give me a play-by-play description of how he prepared the critter for the table. Although I’ve eaten various meals of wild game prepared by Lynn’s wife, who we call “Sister,” (an excellent cook) I would probably find it a little difficult to choke down the meat from that particular critter no matter how tasty it was.
I guess they probably won’t be asking me to do a guest appearance on Man vs. Wild any time soon. Over the years, Lynn has hunted (successfully) moose, musk ox, grizzly bear, caribou, wolf, lynx, wolverine, arctic fox and the ferocious (tastes like chicken) ptarmigan.
In the years Lynn has been in Nome, he has been able to do a lot of things that most sportsmen just fanaticize about. Lynn actually did the “Gold Rush” thing before it became popular on Reality TV.
He did it by walking on the bottom of the Bering Sea in a dry suit using a pump to suck up sediment from the ocean bottom and separate it using a sluice. Eventually, he decided life was too short to be doing that so he moved on to other adventures.
He has a pilot’s license and owns more than one airplane, but I can tell by talking to him that the first one is still his favorite. It is a ’48 Taylor Craft two-seater that he has landed on sand bars and in short areas. This is a land where roads end in the middle of nowhere and snow machines, ATVs and airplanes are a way of life for most.
My oldest son, Brian, has visited Lynn twice. The first time he went it was a hunting trip with his brother-in-law Travis Diaz.
On that trip, both of them got trophy caribou, but the moose season was closed in that area at the time, so they weren’t able to get a license. On the second-to-last day, there they helped Lynn track a big grizzly he had spotted from the road. Lynn has a good eye for spotting wildlife a long way off and Brian seems to have inherited that gift; it’s a gift my grandson Trevor also has.
For the caribou hunt; Lynn had to fly them, one at a time, to a remote cabin in the area close to where the caribou herd was located. After Lynn had dropped Travis off, he flew back to pick up Brian, but a snow storm moved in and he was unable to take off until it cleared.
They were able to join Travis the following day and start their hunt. There are quite a few cabins to take shelter in throughout the area; most of them are equipped with a stove, beds and some dry goods.
On Brian’s second trip to Nome, he was joined by Travis and Brian’s friend James Muggli. This trip was to be strictly a fishing trip and it turned out to be a good one.
Lynn’s fishing boat is built for running in the shallow rivers of Alaska. It has a jet pump outboard motor, which is necessary for running those shallow, rocky rivers that are the only roads leading to some prime fishing.
On this trip they caught trout, silvers, grayling and pike. Yes, pike, which I still believe is Lynn’s favorite eating fish.
Over the years, he has caught many 20-plud-pound pike and has taken a few friends to his favorite haunts. On this trip, they were able to pull the boat about 80 miles with Lynn’s pickup before launching it and going by boat the rest of the way.
Lynn and Travis flew there while Brian and James pulled the boat. After they arrived at the outpost cabin, they could fish for trout and grayling just a little ways from the cabin.
I believe they all caught fish that were considered “trophy size” and this was definitely one trip they will definitely not forget. From time to time, they talk about going back.
Actually, Brian would really like to take Trevor with the next time. I told him if Trevor goes up there, he may not want to come back.
I have always considered myself an outdoors person, but compared to Lynn, most of my experiences are pretty tame. Although I have never visited Lynn in Nome, I know I would really enjoy it. Who knows, maybe someday that will actually happen.
Until next time, enjoy the many things that make spending time outdoors in Minnesota on a winter day special.
Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason that we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.