by Peter Twitchell
Mom, Dad, and Grandma Hannah had a favorite salmonberry picking spot back in the 1950s when I was growing up. The area sits below Tuntutuliak on the Kuskokwim right side of the river called Kialiq.
I remember it as a constantly pleasurable time in the summer. My family always went there July 22 to camp out for about two weeks to fill 2-50 gallon wooden barrels and 2-100 gallon wooden barrels for our families.
It was nice being on the tundra nature in the wild away from the Bethel area and away from people.
I remember the fresh tundra with ripe salmonberries, blueberries, blackberries, red berries, and small brush flowers. The air was so fresh and sweet, I can never forget it.
We lived 3 miles upstream on the south side of the Kuskokwim River from Bethel. Every July 21st Dad was busy placing black bear skins on the floor of the 21 to 22 foot wooden skiff along with gas tanks, the wooden barrels, tent tarps, shotguns, and a rifle for hunting. The tundra and a slough became our dining room table for the next two weeks.
Dad placed the tent over the cavity of the boat to keep the elements of the weather and the water from Grandma Hannah, Mom, cousin Juanita Treat and myself. We never ever had a dog with us.
In our comfort a 40 horse Evinrude outboard motor with the load in the boat took us at least a half a day on a good day to get there.
If we had wind and rain that day Dad would set a camp up on the other side of the Kuskokwim Bay to wait out the storm. Dad was wise and never tried to cross the river on a windy day, perhaps from the fear of swamping the boat if we should hit a sandbar.
On our way we picked up Juanita in front of the AC store in Bethel where she bought pastries and comic books for our trip. She was one of my favorite cousins when I was growing up in the 50s. Her and her girlfriend Hickey hung out together in those years.
Comics were about a dime apiece and she would bring a handful of Sad Sack, Veronica and Betty, Donald Duck, Huey Louey and Dewey, Superman, Sergeant Rock, Hawk Man, and Batman comics. One reason I always looked forward to Juanita coming berry picking with us was some days her and I would sit in the boat with the hymnal singing gospel songs one right after the other, and laughing.
Once we arrived at our destination it was a glorious and joyful moment for everyone then we would unload the boat of all our camping supplies and set up camp. Afterwards I would walk back on the tundra and shoot a handful of ptarmigan for supper. Dad designated me as the gunner. I bagged a swan and some ducks with my Fox 10 gauge single shot shotgun.
I can still taste it, it was always a treat to eat.
A few times Dad set a small whitefish net to catch fresh whitefish. I enjoyed eating one string of fresh whitefish raw eggs and the bulb next to the stomach which was crunchy.
I felt a deep satisfaction being a provider for the family at such a young age of 10 years old and Grandma Hannah was always happy to have fresh ptarmigan or a duck for dinner.
After about two weeks of stepping on soft bouncy tundra and walking on solid ground back home I felt light on my feet as if I was bouncing on the hard surface. It was always a unique experience to feel that for several days. Some days I missed the fresh smell of the tundra and the clean air.
