I spent my Summers as a child in the village of Rampart watching my Grandma and Aunts fish for salmon. They cleaned, prepped and smoked the salmon in a large smokehouse. Me and my cousins didn't spend much time with the fish (probably should have), instead we spent our time wandering around the village. Swimming in the river, widdling wood, finding new places to explore. On special days, which was no particular day other than any day we got to do something extra. Those days included getting up early and checking the fish net or fish wheel up river, going on picnics (which also included going up river mostly) and finding what my family called Ga'loos (which I found out later are actually Alaska agates).
Picnics were the best! Most of the ones we had were at a place visible from the village called the Bluffs. Those were some of my favorite times. Getting to the Bluffs was a short ride up river in a boat, where we would arrive and unload the boat and get a fire started. Ah, the smell of a campfire brings back so many wonderful memories, and is one of my favorite smells. The food was the usual campfire selection of hot dogs, chips, candy and soda. Also dried salmon, which as a child I did not really care for. As I got older, into my teens, I realized I had been missing out. The best part of the picnic was exploring! We would climb the cliffs, almost to the top once. And comb the rocky river bank for the coveted Ga'loos (which I am only guessing that is how it would be spelled). They are agates that the river has polished over time. Beautiful, shiny, amber colored translucent rocks that even my Grandma enjoyed finding.
Those long Summer days and nights of endless Sun in the village were better than any childhood camp. Taking baths in the River, Grandma making cranberry pudding from Alaska cranberries, sourdough pancakes for breakfast, climbing around the smokehouse, were just a few of my favorite things about the village.
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