What a year we’ve been through.  Uncertain times, pandemic, can’t travel to our favorite fishing spots, just fishing was made illegal in many states last spring.  The division of our country will is a thorn in our feet.  One of our forefathers wrote that – a divided country cannot survive.  Another quote was “a two party system when representatives think more of their party powers than the people they represent; our form of government is through”. “America will never be conquered from outside forces but within”.  “Our democracy can only survive by an educated and moral society”.   All these beliefs where written by educated and moral representatives that built our country over 200 years ago…  With that said, we can only hope and pray that our leaders who ever that might be will see this country can grow out of the hatred and lawlessness we are now experiencing.

I’ve been in the hunting and fishing lodge business now for over 43 years…. a dream I’ve had all my younger life.  God willing and hard work, my family produced a top Alaskan fishing destination.  Over the years I’ve never experienced what this virus pandemic and government intervention into our private businesses produced – a tough year for doing what we love best – sharing our Alaskan dream with clients worldwide.   BUT WE ARE STILL HERE.

Reflecting On The Last 7 Months

Entering the early season of 2020, tourist businesses in Alaska and worldwide faced challenges unknown that we never faced in previous years.  Could we get the supplies needed to operate (toilet paper, flour, meats, etc.) or could we even think that our guests would wish to travel through the fear of catching an invisible adversary never before encountered.   We had no shield of protection or could we believe the “experts that knew no more than most of us” and add on to this, a political motion that would use a virus as an action to “vote for me” and we’ll clean up the mess.

With all this said, lodges like ours rolled over guests to the next year or face financial ruin.  Our Talaheim Lodge took guests during August and the anglers that chose to come had to travel through our Alaskan mandates of covid checks and guarantees at our wilderness lodge.   Not a big deal and the effort paid off with great fishing and fewer people at our lodge and on the rivers.

Looking at our 2021 season, traveling to Alaska unlike from state to state in the lower 48, is or will probably be the same, testing and limiting your stay for the first week or so to a wilderness location.  Problem will be traveling from a foreign country where our federal laws might be restrictive to inbound travel…. I hope not.

FAQ?

The most common question I get from guests wishing to book a trip in 2021 at our Talaheim Lodge… “what if this pandemic restricts our travel to Alaska and what about my deposit”.  The best I can do is state that I will for sure see that you get the trip you paid for and for some reason this virus or some other flu or virus comes into the picture, I will roll over some or all my guests to the next year.  God willing we’ll get back to some normality by spring of 2021.  Our fly out fishing lodge had no restrictions last season with masks or safe spacing, but we just sanitized to a degree never experienced prior years and our guests tested before arriving.  Traveling to Alaska next summer is predicted to be almost back to normal.  We’ve learned a lot and our governor knows that another year of restrictions on the tourist businesses in Alaska will be the final blow to many businesses here.  Testing before coming to Alaska was simple and airline travel seemed lots safer with cleaning, safe spaces and masks.   Talaheim Lodge is alive and well and is booking up for 2021… lots of great spaces available.  Hope to see you at our wonderful Talaheim Lodge for some of the best fly fishing and unique Alaskan wilderness fishing experience available.

Tags: , , , , ,