Sterling, Alaska

By A.J. Zyszkowski, 2014

June brings the longest brightest days that never end.

The fishy smell of the cleaning table fills the air as you

approach the river’s edge. The eagle sits in the tree across the

river and watches as a salmon carcass floats by from a

fishing camp up river, then the eagle dives down to retrieve it

from the swift water.

My grandpa rigs up my fishing rod, and I toss the fly into the

cold turquoise water. I wait. The line tightens, and jolts me

to attention. I jerk back and it feels like the rod will break in

half. I call out “fish on” and Gramps comes running with a

huge net.

My grandma has all the makings for s’mores around the

campfire that night. The smell of the campfire mixes with the

smell of the salmon smoking. We all talk about the day and

plan our next adventure; it’s hard to know when to go to bed

because it is still light.