Aggie Sue and the hunt

We're headed south today to visit with Miss Aggie Sue. Her great-grandmother is anxious to see her since she turned 1 up in Alaska. She's down here in Idaho because her mom, dad and two grandpas are out hunting in the Alaskan tundra.

Shortly after Aggie Sue and her family and friends celebrated her first birthday, the grandmas brought her back to Idaho while the rest headed out in the middle of nowhere Alaska for their much anticipated hunting trip. So, Aggie Sue's spending the next week or so in the Lower 48.

The plan for the hunters was to be dropped off in the midst of wolf, caribou and grizzly country somewhere north of Bethel, Alaska. It's an area where Kevin landed near a fire as a smokejumper back in the late 1960s. I believe they planned to camp there for about eight days before someone comes back to pick them up. They took their packs, their weapons and a tent, and they figured they'd be okay.

Aggie's Grandpa Kevin is hoping to have himself a grizzly rug after this trip and a freezer full of caribou. He told me that this is the time of the year when they come pounding through the tundra in big herds. He said they're also encouraged to shoot the wolves in that area because they're hard on the caribou.

Kevin, who eats more big game meat than just about anyone I know, says caribou is good stuff. Of course, over the years, we've had the wrapped packages of bear salami, elk and deer still sitting in our freezer for a long time because of a healthy skepticism toward Kevin's claims. He delights in trying to fool us with his stews made from elk roast, and I have to admit he's done a pretty effective job a time or two.

Anyway, these forefathers and mother of Aggie Sue are, no doubt, having the times of their lives doing what they love more than just about anything besides Aggie Sue, of course. So, Mother and I will take advantage of this opportunity and spend some time with her today and take some photos.

I'm sure when Kevin comes back later this month he'll have his share of pictures too. And, no doubt, he'll hand over some caribou steaks to occupy our freezer next to the bear and elk packages.