By: Lauren Schagel, Lake Superior State University
Kuthai, and beyond to the Nakina, are places of ancestral connection and are important in nourishing the community of Atlin Tlingit. The community’s connection to the land and these sites of the salmon run have profound meaning to the history of the land and experiencing it was one of my best memories on this program.
Starting the walk to Kuthai, everyone in our group was in high spirits and very excited to see what was at the end of our eleven-mile hike. We saw moose, wolf and grizzly prints throughout the trail. It made me wonder if the animals in the area know about the history of humans using the trail. We stopped at a trapper’s cabin midway along the trail to have lunch. It made me wonder what this cabin looked like under trapline season and who was here before us. While on the trail, I have to say that the natural beauty was truly captivating. One of my favorite parts about the hike was how the rounded purple petals of mountain monkshood looked like polka dots in the open fields of sparse lodgepole pine stands. Never have I seen so many of these individuals standing up amongst the grass and gently waving in the wind.
The group showed an immense amount of generosity while hiking, such as holding back branches, letting others go first on a narrow part of trail, and making room under a spruce tree while it was pouring down rain waiting for our boat. It felt reassuring to see us all care for one another along the trail and made my heart smile seeing this sentiment in action.
It took us about six hours to hike the eleven miles. We then waited at the shoreline of Kuthai Lake for a boat to pick us up from camp. When the boat arrived, we were greeted and welcomed to the area by Matthew. He shuttled two groups of us to the Kuthai camp. Ben, Karyssa, Mar and I were in the first group. At the dock, we were immediately greeted by a young girl, Michelle, who was very excited to see us and welcome us with delicious butter tart treats. Her mother, Alycia, was preparing dinner for us, and was happy we wanted to help.
While we waited for the second group of Gabe, Wyatt, Michael, Katie and Ruby, we visited the salmon weir. I was amazed to see five Sockeye salmon swimming upstream towards the weir, like they were waiting their turn to get to the other side into Kuthai Lake. The river was less than a meter deep so I could see the tips of their tails out of the water as they kept up with the current in front of the weir. We walked up from the river to the camp and Michelle excitedly greeted the rest of our group with an armful of butter tarts. We set up camp and helped start a fire for dinner. As we were waiting for dinner, a few of us slipped into some waders and walked along the river’s edge to see the salmon. I walked with my companions downstream and saw many arm-length salmon moving their tails and swimming away from us upstream towards the weir. Some of them had pink bodies that I could see through the clear and cool water. Nearby on the bank, I noticed the tail end of a dead salmon. A bear was here and partook in the salmon run. Even though we did not see any bears, we saw their sign. While we waded through, some of the salmon turned back downstream so fast that it was difficult to see where they went after passing right between and around our legs. After a while, the salmon would return upstream at the weir, determined to get to and spawn in the lake. I was amazed how instinctual these salmon are and it was truly a rewarding experience to see their persistence to do what they were born to do.
While wading and checking out the weir, a juvenile bald eagle, brown with white streaking, wings wide as I am tall, silently flew over us and perched on the top of a nearby fir tree. The eagle patiently waited for the opportunity to catch a salmon. While walking around camp, I noticed a symbolic carving that I recognized from books, pictures and videos shown to us earlier this summer. It was a face carved into a large tree that overlooks the point where the creek meets Kuthai Lake. To my understanding, it is there to help protect and encourage the salmon along on their journey back to their birthplace.
We entertained ourselves by chopping wood and hanging out around the campfire making s’mores. After dinner, we got to go swimming and soothe our muscles and minds in a sauna. At the dock, I particularly enjoyed watching the belted kingfishers as they called and flew over the surface of the water, fishing for their own dinner. As the sun set on Kuthai Lake, the hues of pink, orange and yellow brought to life many fish that would jump out of the water in search of their own meal. Kuthai and its surrounding lands is a place of wild abundance that provides a home and food to all the creatures that live here.
The next morning, we all went down to the weir to see how the scientific aspect of the salmon run works. Matthew, Alycia and Michelle went to their stations and carried out their duties as follows: Matthew caught the fish in the weir via net. He and Alycia took measurements, and Alycia also took scale samples of each fish. She said the scale samples can help identify how long the individual salmon has lived in the Pacific Ocean. After samples and measurements were taken, Michelle helped revive the fish. I was lucky enough to help partake in the fish reviving aspect. They taught me how to gently rock the fish back and forth underwater, sometimes rubbing their belly, talking to them and telling them that they are going to be okay. I got to revive three salmon, two females and one male. I loosely held the base of their tail, supported them with my other hand under their belly, and told them they will be alright. I got to see each salmon swim out to Kuthai Lake, continuing their long journey back home.
Later that morning, Karyssa, Michael and I followed Matthew downstream to search for deceased salmon for research. We found three in total and noted their sex, looked inside their organ cavity to identify if they were pre or mid spawning, recorded measurements, and then put them back into the water. The salmon swim from the Pacific Ocean into the Taku Watershed, up a specific stream, past this weir, and swim into Kuthai Lake where they spawn upstream from there. They find their way over a great distance to come home, reproduce, and then perish. Being at the headwaters and witnessing this incredible journey, I felt the historical connection between the people of this land and the salmon. I wished I could stay longer to understand more about it.
Later that afternoon, Michelle generously provided all of us with a butter tart treat and we said goodbye to Kuthai, the salmon, and the people we visited. On the walk back, we helped each other along the path. Overall, I think this adventure was an eye-opening experience that reminded me how the land must be respected and cared for in order to be appreciated as I experienced it. Thank you to those who made this trip possible; it was truly a once in a lifetime experience.
Blog Photo Credits: Ben Szydlowski and Lauren Schagel.