Fishing and Alaska Adventure with Philip Rivers and the Chargers! Part 1

Philip Rivers catching King Salmon

“Think outside the box, Peter. I don’t want the usual Alaska bear and glacier-viewing trip. Give us something exciting and rugged.” Philip Rivers told me this spring when he called wanting to bring some Charger teammates to Alaska for an epic adventure. I chuckled and told him I had the perfect river floating and fishing combo trip in mind and they’d better buckle up for the experience of their lives.

The NFL lockout was still in gridlock when Philip Rivers, Billy Volek, Kris Dielman, Jeromey Clary and Nick Hardwick from the San Diego Chargers got off the plane in Alaska on July 10th. We grabbed some lunch and got acquainted as we waited for our bush plane flight. What a great group of guys! They were obviously close friends, razzing each other constantly and excited about the upcoming venture. I briefed them on the trip, what to expect and answered questions like, “If we see a bear are we going to die? And what is the possibility of wresting the bear into submission?”…that one coming from Nick!! It was clear we were in for a week of non-stop entertainment.

Our “limo of the bush,” a De- Havilland Beaver floatplane, took off from Lake Hood flying us to a small river south of Denali National Park. I chose the river because it offers fabulous fishing and the perfect mixture of relaxation and adrenaline during a float. Our company, Alaskan Ventures, offers several levels of trips and the Premium Package seemed to be the best fit for the Chargers crew. I knew Philip wanted to "rough it," but this vast Alaskan outback was a new type of adventure for everyone. The Premium Package provides exploration of the rugged frontier in style. Camping accommodations include large walk in tents outfitted with cots, pillows, sleeping bags, pads and eye covers. For added comfort, a full crew, besides our fishing guides, set up camp, cook meals and serve clients. After a full day in the reeling in fish and rafting whitewater we dine on king crab, filet mignon, fresh sockeye salmon and finish with cocktails and fine cigars. We strive to offer rugged adventure and without sacrificing all the comforts of home.

Nick Hardwick looking GQ fishing for Salmon

As soon as we arrived on the river the guys piled out of the airplane, grabbed the fishing poles and dashed to the river’s edge. Almost immediately they started landing large King Salmon. Before the first fish was landed the smack talk began. I, personally, have never met a more competitive group of men in my life. Everything was a competition… from catching the most fish, to the biggest fish, to rowing the rafts, to hiking the mountains. They were having a blast and laughter echoed in river canyons all week long.

Kris Dielman with a nice King Salmon

The second day, the river changed from a slow, meandering current to swift Class 3+ whitewater. The guides, Dave Doucet, Andrew Weaver and I all discussed our routes and plan of attack before plunging our way through the bus sized boulders and churning rapids. The crew was eager to challenge the river’s wrath. My raft was the first to push off carrying Nick and Philip. I kept telling the guys “you know you could die today,” and they yelled back at me "quit saying that!" We all nervously laughed as we approached the first standing wave and huge boulder that divided the swift current. "Hang on," I yelled over the roar of the water that reached into the boat from all sides as its turbulent waves challenged to drag us into its swift clutches. Nick prematurely pumped his fists in triumph against the river after the first rapid… only to quickly grab the raft frame firmly as he saw the collision that was imminent.

Philip and Nick rafting

Directly in our path were two house-sized boulders, staggered by only 20 yards. The trick is to brush as closely to the boulder on the right and after passing, quickly paddle hard right to avoid the rock on the left. I have navigated this river before and this is the most challenging spot by far.

It must have been the added weight of Charger giants in my boat or maybe it was simply a mistake… but we were headed not to the left of the first boulder but STRAIGHT at it. I feverishly rowed to steer us around the rock but the fury of the current behind us pounded down. We narrowly missed a full on collision with the first rock but not without losing the grip of my right oar. At this point it was imperative to steer right to avoid the next collision, now only 30 feet away. As the river swiftly pulled us closer, I reached and grabbed the oar just in time. Adrenaline pumping, I dug in deep! Nick and Philip encouraged me by screaming, "PADDLE! PADDLE! PADDLE!" Man, those guys can really yell!! We made it through the gauntlet and all gave a loud, triumphant cheer for the victory. We had just taken on the river and WON! High fives and laughter followed as we played the events over in our minds and told our sides of the story.

Kris Dielman with an 18" rainbow

Next up for the challenge came guide, Dave Doucet, with Billy Volek and Jeromey Clary. They had a similar adventure but actually clipped the first boulder, which spun them 90 degrees and side ways towards boulder number two. We winced as we watched them ricochet off the bolder. I worried not for Dave's ability to row a raft but for the 325lb giant on board. He quickly dug in his oars and forced the boat at an unnatural pace away from the rapidly approaching rock. Sweet success.

Andrew Weaver and Kris Dielman brought up the rear of our float crew and decided on a different path altogether! After they watched us careen down the river ahead of them, they decided to head to the right of the first boulder into a barely flowing side stream clearing both boulders all together. Once they cleared, we all celebrated with bellowing laughter and slaps on the back.

After the bout of rapids, the river calmed down for a stretch, and I encouraged them to break out the fly rods. As we floated, Nick, Jeromey and Kris flung their flies behind every rock and ripple they could find. Rainbow trout and grayling were eager to snatch up the flies we offered. Philip and Billy stuck to spinner fishing but still threw out competitive remarks as we cruised down the river, vying for the best catch.

Jeromy Clary and Nick Hardwick fly fishing

At 2 pm the raindrops dimpled the water adding a whole new dimension of beauty to the glacier fed river. As fishing diminished, Philip and Nick retired their poles and asked to row the boat. Maneuvering a raft in roaring in Class 2 water with 800lbs of gear and bodies is harder than it looks but they wanted a try. Philip was first and it quickly became a “hold on for dear life” experience. “I don’t want to die today,” I threw back at Philip, giving him a hard time as he attempted to steer our raft. Every rock in the river wished they could move as Philip navigated the raft with precise accuracy directly towards them. It was really amazing how these two guys could actually hit, collide and scrape every protruding rock in their path. At first I was yelling orders to "paddle left, paddle right, back! back! BACK!" but before long I gave up and we all were bent over laughing. More than a few times Nick and Phillip had to hop out of the boat into the river to dislodge us from our stagnant position above the flowing river. As we pulled into the campsite that evening we all agreed that they should both stick with football over river guiding!

We spent the next two days floating the river and catching salmon, trout and grayling. The fishing was great and the company even better! We ate like kings, smoked fine cigars by the fire at night, swapped stories and roared with laughter.
What a few days it had been and what a few days it would BE…….to be continued.

Alaskan Ventures specializes in custom Alaska Adventures.
Check us out at www.AlaskanVentures.com