Happy 40th Birthday Tom! You Are Still The Best!

My Last "Irish Jig" With Tom

This was my last season guiding with Tom in Alaska. Tom and I were dropped off on Kulilk lake with are 2 rafts and 4 clients for the day. We both started pumping up the rafts by a foot pedal and as you know Tom made it fun by doing a little foot dance as he pumped up the little rafts. Like a irish jig dance the clients always howled and it broke up the monotonous foot pumping I always did the same dance with those rafts. They were tiny, I mean big enough for me to sit in the middle and the clients to sit on each end with there legs hanging off the ends.. We had done this a dozen times and we were guiding some Brits or clients from England and they were fun guys. Anyways we finished blowing up our "Charlie Brown" rafts, loaded up and started down the river. Tom was in the lead and I was a little ways back. I came around the first big corner and I could see Tom rowing in front about a 100 yards out but he was waving his arms at me. So as I came around the corner completely I saw a sow bear on the left and a sub adult cub on the right.. I knew this wasn’t good and knew why Tom was waving at me and as soon as I thought about it the sow stood up and started clacking her teeth, it is worst then someone scratching a chalkboard. So I was already commited and couldn’t pull over I started rowing for my life (thinking Tom made it I can to). So I was rowing this little Charlie brown raft as fast as it could go. The sow already mad at Tom was not happy and charged my raft the clients thought it was like Disney Land and were taking pictures without a care in the world. While I was rowing and getting my pepper spray ready at the same time. Anyways the sow stopped mid stream only because it was deep enough she couldn’t get to us and had to swim. I was freaked out, I met up with Tom at the first pull off to fish and set the clients up with there rods. I was still shaking terribly when Tom said when we were alone, "Have you checked your waders because I need to check mine." We both kind of laughed it off as we both trembled tying on flies the rest of the day. I mean I had been close enough to touch Bears by accident all the time but never had one do a full charge at me ready to tear me up. That was the end for me. I told Tom I am done and that was the last season I guided in Alaska.

Patrick