Russian River and Raft Foat trip on Kenai River 7/28-29/2009
On the morning of July 28, we packed our rig up, said goodby to Sallie Dodd Butters. As we left Homer, we visted the Alaskan Ocean and Islands Research Center. It was a very worthwhile stop.
The Kenai area is a paradise for fisherman! This cannot be overstated.
We decided to camp overnight at the Russian River Camground. This was located about half way to Portage from Soldatna at the confluence of the Russian and Kenai Rivers near Coopers Landing. It is a favorite spot for salmon and trout fishing.
When we got there at 4:30 PM, all the campsites were taken. We had to park overnight in overflow area. There was no water right there but our “overnight” spot was great. We had a 24 hour pass so we didn’t have to be out until 5 pm the next day.
Once we set up, we took a 2.5 mile one way hike up to the Russian Falls to watch the salmon try to jump up the falls. It was quite the sight. We could see the packs of salmon gathered in pools just below a stretch of falls. Occasionally, we would see several salmon attempt to jump up the rushing waters to get to the next level of the falls. We never saw one make it! We did see that a few had made it into the pool a level up. This gave you an real appreciation of the tough journey these salmon take. How any of them make it is amazing!
In the morning, we embarked on a Raft Float trip down the Upper Kenai River from Coopers Landing to Jim’s Landing. It was a peaceful ride down a rushing river. There were a few low class rapids. We didn’t see too much wild life. We did spot eagles, other birds and ducks. They put us in full wet suits with “petersburg” sneakers. (Rubber boots).
We passed many, many fishing spots and saw many “combat” fishermen and other fishermen who managed to get to more remote spots. We learned that “combat” fishing refers to the closeness of people that may result in lost tempers. We went by the Russian ferry that brings fishermen to the other side of river.
After the 2.5 hour raft trip, we packed up our rig and headed for the Portgage Glacier.