ROUND 3 OF SALMON FISHING!

At last the rain came down hard for almost a full day and I knew that with plenty of water in the river, the salmon were going to make a nice run for the breeding grounds. This time I brought a friend from church who is an avid fisherman and loves to fight the bigs ones as well to my favorite spot. The river was high and moving fast and we knew that our fishing hole was going to be full of fish. As soon as we got to the spot we saw 2 other fisherman successfully landing fish after fish and we knew it was going to be a good day. And so it was, we each caught 3 in 1.5 hr. Packed up and headed home. That's my kind of fishing.

AND THEN ROUND 4 ON THE RIVER!

I never liked to fish by myself and there is something fun about bring a friend or two with you. This time a couple family members came up from Binghamton to fish salmon for the first time. My biggest worry was that if they don't catch something then they will feel like it wasn't worth the trip. However, it all turned out nice. One of the guys didn't officially land any but had a few not the line. The other guy actually caught the last fish of the day, which was very exciting to see, after losing several fish earlier. Nevertheless it was a successful day with a full quota of 12 fish for the 4 guys. Everyone was going home with plenty of fish. It also turned out to be my last salmon fishing trip for the season so it was a going ending.

Total season catch: 10

# of trips: 4

FISHING WITH THE BROTHER-IN-LAW!

My brother-in-law, Victor, decided to give salmon fishing a try this year. We had talked several times about the big fish, adrenaline rush, and successful trips. With the wives and kids relaxing at home we decided to hit the river.  

After a few days of no rain, the salmon was slow coming up all rivers and creeks flowing into Lake Ontario. We decided to head to my favorite fishing spot to see if any fish came up the night before. After seeing a couple, we decided to head down river to see if we could come across some in the deeper pools along the edges. The three that we came across were spooked and there was no luck there. We continued walking until we came across an area with deeper water and several other fisherman having some better luck. We decided to give this fishing hole at try. After 2 hrs of fishing, we still had no fish to our name. Meanwhile our "friends" from NJ fishing next to us were hammering them like crazy. After getting some tips and pointers from them we slightly modified our technique and soon enough we hooked a couple each but couldn't land nigher one. Victor hooked one really well and with our friends help we landed a large salmon. We continued to fish but without any luck. We decided to make the mile long trek back to the car and then find a cleaning station to get it all cleaned and filleted. I was happy that we didn't go home empty handed.

Congratulations Victor on your first salmon!

BROTHERS HUNT: DEER # 2

It's always more exciting to get a buck then a doe! Maybe it's a male thing--male vs. male! Or it's just a hunters phenomena! But once again my brother got a nice buck. It want a trophy buck and definely not wall mountable but the rack still looked nice: a 5 pointer!

The hunt: bow hunting in aluminum tree stand. Shot at 25 yards. It was a nice clean shot to the vitals. My brother said he actually saw where he fell before heading to get the truck and camera. I was home that Saturday so it was my pleasure helping my brother get the deer. It was also an opportunity to try out my F & S 1000 Thinsulate boots. The buck ended up running into the swamy area on the boarder of my parents property. He was laying in about a foot of water. It actually made good picture. 

After some nice pictures we knew we would have to haul him out of the water before we could gut it. Straneous but a quick haul to the truck. Once on the truck it was a straight shot up the hill to the barn. But it didn't turn out to be as straight forward as anticipated. Lots of rain the night before and bald tires didn't make a good combination. We got stuck in the field. So we just hauled the deer on foot. That wasn't the fun part. After gutting it, hanging it, and skinning it we were ready for a break. 

The lungs revealed a double lung shot. 

The next day after nicely cooling the meat, my brother and I butchered the meat and bagged it in about 1.5 hrs. We had a rough estimate of about 60 lbs of meat for jerky and sausage. 

Congratulations little brother on another big one! 

MOUTH WATERING SMOKED SALMON

Last year was my first year salmon fishing in the river so I call it my year of figuring things out: how to fish, how to fillet, and how to smoke it! I'm still learning things this year such as pay $3 and have some professionals fillet the salmon for you because it takes so much time and it's a bloody mess. This time around there was some of my own blood mixed as I gave myself a nice cut not the finger.

Last season I tried out several marinade/cure recipes as well as a few different rubs and they were all good but this year I nailed it on the head with a very simple one. After again doing some reading on blogs and other web resources I came to realize there is nothing that is going to make the fish meat better tasting then 2 ingredients Kosher Salt and Light Brown Sugar. It seemed too simple at first to the point where I almost added a couple more ingredients but last minute decided to stick to the original plan. 

This is my own recipe with a couple suggestions on technique taken from other sources.

STEP ONE: Cut your salmon fillets into 2 inch pieces. Place a baking sheet and line it with plastic wrap. Place the salmon on the sheets with enough room in between for the cure mixture. 

STEP TWO: For 2 salmon fillets you will need 1/3 cup Kosher salt and -------- Brown Sugar. The ratio needs to be 2:1 salt:sugar unless you like your fish sweeter. Cover the pieces evenly with the mix. This part of the process is called the curing part. Cover up the salmon with more plastic wrap. Place into refrigerator for 4 hrs. If your pieces are more than 2 inches thick then the curing process should be 8 hrs. 

STEP THREE: Remove from the refrigerator. During the curing process some fish juice will seep out onto baking sheet. Carefully drain all the juices from the pan. Gently pat down the fish with a paper towel. And allow the fish to stand at room temperature for about 1 hr. This drying period allows for the fish to develop a dry outer coat which will absorb all the smoke. The dryer the outer surface of fillets that better the smoke will adhere to the fish.

STEP FOUR: I like to get my smoker started about 30-45 minutes prior to setting the meat inside. I make sure that the water in the basin and wood chips are all warm and ready. Ideally the smoking temperature for salmon is 155-160 degrees F. I get the smoker to at least 200 degrees F before I put the meat in because you loose a lot of heat by opening the door and then the cool fillets will also bring the temperature down as well. 

STEP FIVE: Salmon meat is a very delicate meat and therefore the temperature has to be watched every carefully. Having a meat temperature probe is the best idea. Except this time my probe broke and I couldn't get it to work. Another mistake that I made was leave the meat for 45 minutes to run an errand at the store. Normally it would take about 3-4 hrs for the inside temperature of the meat to reach 140 degrees F. Then remove from the smoker and let it sit on the baking sheet for 30 min. Then take a piece of paper towel and gently pat down the fillets from any remaining oils and moisture. Allow it to stay in room temperature for another 1-2 hrs. The dryer it will be the longer you will be able to store it. 

STEP SIX: If you make plenty of fish, don't forget to share with friends and family. But make sure you sit down and enjoy some yourself. It can stay in the refrigerator up to one week but 2 wks would be okay as well. We had only two pieces from the fish below that lasted more than 3 days. Freezing it is also an option.

MY BROTHERS HUNT

This year I feel like my brother and I established some outdoor hobby roles. For the past 3 years in a row I decided not to hunt due to lack of time and proper practice. On the other hand it's been my third year successfully fishing salmon in the fall. For the my brother it's his third successful year of hunting. First year it was a nice trophy 8-point buck, second year a large doe, and this year a nice size doe. Not so much fishing, with the exception of their private pond.

So now my freezer is slowly filling up with chicken (butchered 12 in July), venison, and now salmon. This also means there will be a lot of mean smoking as the fishing and hunting seasons come to a close in the near future. Although we don't solely depend on this food as a means of survival, it does remind me of one of my favorite shows, ALASKA: The Last Frontier or Yukon Men. It's been an exciting  fall so far. 

Some great recipes and photos coming in the near future. 

MAKING HOMEMADE CAVIAR! (Recipe #1)

It all started last year, when I brought home some river Salmon and there was 2 out of three that had a ton of roe. Both my wife and I love cavier and so I decided to research on how to prepare it yourself. I used several internet resources and a friend from church who makes it all the time. So I compiled all the suggestions and recipes making some really delicious cavier. I had both sides of the family try it out and sure enough it was a hit. So this year when I brought home a female with roe there was no excuse not to make some for us and to share.

This is a compilation of recipes from multiple resources so I'm calling it my own SAMMIE CAVIAR RECIPE.

STEP ONE: During the gutting process the roe will be in a sac (clear but tough membrane holding eggs in place). Remove, set aside in a sieve and give them a nice rinse with cold water without breaking apart the sac too much. 

STEP TWO: Dissolve 1/3 cup of Kosher salt in 4 cups of cold water. Soak the roe sacs in the water in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

STEP THREE: Get the faucet to run hot water, as hot as it will go (roughly 100-120 degrees). Place roe sacs into a sieve and run it under hot water, gently moving the sac around so that the hot water reach all areas of the sac. The membrane sac will contract and the eggs will fall out into the sieve on their own. Take your time and be gentle. Repeat with other skein. (Notice contracted sac in second photo)

STEP FOUR: Prepare a bowl with ice and water. With all the eggs in the sieve, place the eggs with sieve into the ice water. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Pour the water out and let them sit in the sieve as the water drains out.

STEP FIVE: This is probably the most trickiest step of the process. Fill a pot full of water, double the amount of roe that you have. Place a slice of a potato the size of small marble into the water. Being heating the water and mixing in Kosher salt. The indicator that the water has enough salt is when the piece of potato floats near the top of the solution. The water shouldn't boil. Cool the water so that it's lukewarm or close to room temperature. Then pour in the roe. At first the eggs will sink to the bottom. Small egg particles will float to the top, use a fine sieve to collect the particles and other debris. Gently stir the eggs from time to time. In 20-25 minutes the eggs should rise to the top or float. Drain the water.

STEP 6: I like to prepare ahead the mason jars that I will use to store the eggs. I usually give away 3/4 of the eggs because it's a large quantity. The eggs can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks. However, it's very unusual if they last a week in my house. 

STEP 7: The step of completeness! Prepare some crackers and Greek Cream Cheese and place some caviar on top garnished with some onions and you have a delicious snack or a meal. 

SAMMIE SEASON!

A hobby I picked up a couple years ago when my friends took my salmon fishing on Lake Ontario. The adrenaline rush of reeling in a 30 pounder salmon got me hooked as well. Since then I started to go to the river also with the same friends. The river is a different beast in itself but fun never-the-less.

My friends introduced me to there secret fishing holes which have only brought great catches and fun time to me and my family. This year, however, the river levels have been lower than usual and our secret spots have not seen salmon yet but the Big River (Salmon River) in Pulaski has proved to be good old faithful. The pattern of fish hitting the rivers this year has been unusual because of the warm water temperatures so they have been trickling in over the past month. But they are still going strong in Lake Ontario at 200 ft. 

This past weekend my friends and I tried all of our favorite spots with not success, so we decided to head to the crowded Mama River. It was a new experience for me and I was eager to check it out. Crowded it was but there was plenty of fish to go around. Within 5 minutes of stepping into the rushing water, one of our guys had a fish on! I brought my fish net so I ended up being the guy who helps everyone reel in the fish as opposed to getting some fishing done myself. But I did pick up on some tricks and tips to use at a later trip. We stayed 3 hrs and between the 4 of us we had 5 good looking fish. Three of us actually kept the fish because we either bake or smoke and it's some good eating. 

ADK EXPLORER SEPT/OCT 2013 Issue

Since singing up for the magazine in the beginning of the year, this current issue is by far the most interesting reading with great articles on kayak trips, hiking trips, and just simply good ol' Adirondack news.

Raquette River looks like a nice 2-3 day trip with the family or some friends. Camping on the shore, fishing, and just relaxing after paddle all day. 

Our family really enjoys camping at Rollins Pond not too far all of the mountains that are seen above. The info below really looks like some of them could easily be done when the kids get older. 

Over the past 10 years the ADK PARK has been working on attracting more mountain bikers, hikers, and snowmobilers. Parallel to this time there has been a debate whether or not to keep open a rail for the train traveling from Old Forge to Lake Placid. The cost of maintaining an open rail that has not brought any revenue over the past few years has steadily increased and it was in need of a solution. These two ideas merged and a very attractive solution has arisen. Hopefully the debating is over now and things can start moving in getting the rail removed to create the 90-mile trail. 

I was never interested in the Appalachian Trail because I would never be able to get 4-6 months time to take the trail. Although interesting but not doable. A more appealing trail is the Northville-Lake Placid trail which is 122 miles but definitely doable with friends or even family when my kids get older. 

THE QUESTION: TO HUNT OR NOT TO HUNT 2013?

Over the past 2 years I have not gone hunting in the fall for whitetail deer. Although I didn't hunt, my younger brother did and successfully harvested deer every season, thus providing the tasty delicacy of venison.

Reasons for not hunting previous years:

1. Too busy with house projects

2. The kids are really young

3. Started salmon fishing when it runs in the river

4. Didn't have enough time to practice with the now or shotgun

5. Super busy with church projects and church ministry

6. There may have been other reasons that I can't think of right now

Looking at the above reasons, truthfully this year leading up to this hunting season has not been any different and those very same reasons stand strong. 

The additional reasons may be the following:

1. My son is the new addition to the family.

2. Picked up a new hobby and form of exercise--road biking.

I suppose the gun and bow will have to stand in storage another year and hopefully I will use them next year. 

MY BROTHER'S ACCOMPLISHMENT!

A few weeks ago I wrote about the 10 years that have quickly gone by since I made my first hike in the Great Adirondack Mountains. Then there was a post about my future trip and the hike that was planned. To make the long story, short, I never went on the planned trip due to a death on my wife's side of the family. But the good news is that my brother and his 3 friends still went on the trip.

They had a great trip overall and had made great hike to the summit of Mt. Marcy. The interesting thing was that when I had first climbed Marcy 10 yrs ago, it was during the same weather conditions as they did. SEE PICTURES BELOW.

It has been a very rainy summer and the rain doesn't look like its going to let up for the fall. So most of the hike was in intermittent  rain showers. The summit was viewless because of the dense clouds. Nevertheless they had made the long 15 mile trek from Meadow Springs Rd. Now they must do Marcy again to get the awesome views that it provides.

THE BLUE MOUNTAIN HIKE!

Blue mountain is surrounded by a small town and small lake named after the mountain. Driving through it gives you the impression that "everybody knows everybody"kind of town. We stopped at the only gas station in town to buy last minute supplies like water and snacks. When you are in a group of 23 people, its very likely that not everyone will bring everything they need for an event. And this was one of those times.

The parking area is located as you are about to leave town on the right side. You drive up a steep hill and its immediately to the right as soon as you reach the top. I drove by it the first time. Its a large parking lot and we were surprised how quickly it filled up with hikers.

Our group signed in at the trailhead. It was a partly cloudy day but warm day, making it a great day for a hiking trip. The trail is only 2 miles to the peak, but it was a mile longer than any mountain we have done together as a group. Shortly into the hike, I began to hear it from some people about their disappointment. And similar conversations continued all the way up and down the mountain.

The first mile of the hike was a gently increase in elevation and we were able to cover the grounds at a good pace. The second mile was a different story, a lot steeper with more exposed bedrock requiring different walking pattern. After reading different blogs, most people said that it takes about 2 hrs. Even with a large group, we were able to reach the top under 1 hr. Closer to the top there were some nice views of the chain lakes and the high peaks to the northwest.

At the summit, it was a very nice view. It wasn't the best view because it had gotten cloudier as the day progressed. The summit isn't as open as other shorter peaks. It was also a lot cooler at the summit, forcing all of us to put on our long sleeve clothing. Blue Mountain is also one of the fire tower mountain, which is open to public. It also has a building for rangers at the top.

The fire tower had some panoramic views, but it was also very windy and cold allowing for a short stay  up there.

The descent was difficult at first because of the steep bedrock but improved as we got closer to the last mile.

Overall it was a great hike with a large group of people. For the first time I recorded portions of the trail on my GoPro Camera. Video to be posted soon!

Time: August 2013 (1st week)
Weather: partly cloudy, mid 70's
Distance: 2 mi, (4 mi round trip)
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate

KAYAKING MOOSE RIVER

Over the 10 + years that I have been camping and hiking in the ADKs I have driven by the long meandering river many times. This year I finally had a great opportunity to do a portion of the river starting at North St. There was a few youth group members with me, making the trip more exciting than if I was kayaking by myself.

It was a partly cloudy day with temperatures in the low 70's. A great day for being on the water. We rented some kayaks from Mountainman Outdoors in Old Forge and used there shuttle service to be dropped of at the North St. entry point. 

At North St. the river has a gentle current, shortly after setting up we were well on our way. The river is meandering in the utmost way. I had the trip recorded on MapMyHike and it shows the very nature of the river. The river has some gentle banks and little beach areas where on a couple occasions we got out to stretch our legs and have a little snack. There many different water fowl, turtles, and plant life along the way to enjoy. 

Portage: 3/4 into the trip there is a sign along the river indicating that a portage is necessary due to rapids ahead. The portage was the most difficult part of the trip because it felt a lot longer than the 1/3 mile. The trail is through a section of the woods, with a bridge to cross over the river rapids. 

The Moose River flows right through Old Forge and therefore goes right alongside the Mountianman Outdoors shop and rental place. We dropped off our rented kayaks and went out to get some lunch at   a local diner. 

Total distance: 6.5 miles from North St.

Difficulty: Easy 

Portage: 1/3 of a mile

YEARLY AUGUST CAMPING

Since I got married more than six years ago, my wife and I started to camp in the Adirondack State campgrounds every August. It has always been a good month because its the summer season winding down and that means less insects (especially black flies), cooler and more comfortable nights, and more stable weather (less humid, less likely to rain).

After becoming involved in youth ministry at church, August has also become the month of choice for camping because its usually after major traveling down my missionary groups and other church events.  This year because my son, Adrian, was born in June it would have been too difficult to bring a 1.5 month old child into the wilderness. Therefore my wife and kids visited family while I went on a camping trip with the youth group. Overall it was a fun week with a pretty busy schedule of events everyday. 

Monday: Set up day

Tuesday: Water Safari / Kayaking Moose River

Wednesday: Hiking Blue Mountain

Thursday: Tough Limekilner Race (created by me) with grand prize $$ on the table

Friday: Free day for any activities around camp (which ended up being a lot of volleyball and jet sking)

Other fun activities throughout camp included just relaxing by the bonfire, reading a book, having devotions everyday after lunch, and going into town for ice cream)

This years attendance was 24 people total throughout most of the 6 days of camp. 

GOOD TURN OUT FOR YOUTH CAMP 2013!!!

TOO BUSY TO BLOG!!

So the past few weeks have been exciting with much activity. I am excited about blogging about some fun stuff that I was able to do recently:

1. Camping in the ADK
2. Kayaking the Moose River
3. Hiking Blue Mountain
4. Racing in the Great Race in Auburn, NY

Planning to do some high peak hiking in the ADK in a week or so with some guys from church.

Stay tuned!!

FIRST KAYAK RACE!

Two of my colleagues and myself are officially registered for the Great Race that takes place in Auburn. A three-person Triathlon! One will be starting out the race by running 10K, then hand off to the biker 19.5 mi, then finally I will kayak 4 miles to the finish line.

I hope to do some training at camp next week. This will be my first race since Elementary School. 

Recently purchased a kayak skirt and kayak life vest. Will have to try out the new gear as well! 

BIKE TLC!

This evening I had the urge to do a little maintenance on my new bike (bought used) and my old mountain bike. The new bike needed some wiping down and buffing, chain lubing, and foot pedal exchange. Everything but the foot pedal exchange was done because I still have to figure out how to do it.

The mountain bike simply needed a little more lube on the chain. That was quick and easy. 

Both bikes are almost ready for a trip up to the ADK for some camping, kayaking, road cycling, mountain biking, and of course hiking! At times a catch myself day dreaming about being up there already. The Adirondack Park is simply an awesome place to be! This is the first trip up to ADK this year and hopefully not the last.