New Britain herald., 1928-04-26
ON LONG JOURNEY
 FOR KODIAK BEAR
Local Men in Party on Way to
 Island 0f Alaska
BY JACK VANCE,

"-A>s s~ 'th">NA
 Occasionally, in a mans lifetime, there arises the opportunity to gratify q secret ambition, one Of which wakeful dreams have been fashioned in the hour between bedtime and sleep. Such an opportunity pre- scented itself to both "Joe' Lamb, of I.anders ana me some two years ago when the proposition to make two Of 2 party which would sail for the Alaska peninsular and the Aleutian Islands on an exploring and hunting trip was hroache1 to us. We both, being Of identical desires, sly- ntied our willingness to go with the group. Arrangements for such expeditions usually take consider able time and it was not until this spring that the realization of the plans came about. By the time this is printed We arc well on our way to the west coast, prepared sor some sixty days in the wilderness of mountains and islands that reach along the finger to the westward Of Alaska. proper, so far that they sur pass the longitude of samoa fur ther sonth.
 On Thousand Mile Sall
 We sail from Seattle Aiuy 1 and follow up the coast Of the United States and British Columbia along an island tringed channel that gives protection from tho heavy waters of the Pacific for about a thousand miles northward, This trip. from Seattle to Juneau IS described as one of the most scenicaiiy marvel ous voyages of the world. Giant peaks tour precipitously from the waters edge and glaciers drop tons oi ice into the waters as they slide slowly, inexorablv from the noun 1ains, over the cliffs. into the sea. At times the channel is so narrow that a stone may be tossed from the deck of a steamer 10 either bank.
 We have chartered, for the trip, the yacht Westward, Of seattle, a stsiunch little vessel Of the fish, erman type hull, equipped with Diesel fuel oil motors and carrying 3 crew of six including the cook. Four of us will make the trip, MT. Lamb, F. W. Pape, publisher of the Waterbury Republican and Ameri- can. Dick" Topham, of Boston and myself
 The first part Of the cruise, men- toned above, is familiar to Alaskan tourists generally as it follows the route of commercial steamships to the north country. After leaving Juneau, however, we begin to get of of the beaten trail of water traN- el. Our route lies across the large bay. in open water, to Seward. thriving little metropolis, so we are told, where additional supplies will i,e taken on and everything made right for the ensuing trip. Our next point of contac; with civilization is the town Of Kodiak, or kadlak, owning 10 a population of about aeV souls, on the island of the same name It is not much of a town but will be our last base to the west. The bear which we are to hunt takes it's name from that island as it was there that the huge brute, the largest carniyorous animal there 1sr was originally discovered. There are some bears left on the island. we are told, but they are more plentiful on the peninsuar 10 the north and tine islands to the west Of Kodiak than on the site of discovery, due per 1lape to the hunters and 'rappcrs ot Kodiak. <1 "Nallcy of Ten Thousand smokes. Just across Skagerlofl strait, 10 the north is located Mount katmai one of the largest volcanoes in the world, and the Valley of Ten Thou sand Smokes" discovered by q party sent out through the National ! Geographic Society several years ago 1 roles or vents through which the underaround gases and steam Will /, " high the earth seems to be i'm 1 pregnated escape into the open air 1 -and the impre ssiou is given. from ! ,An adjacent hilltop. of laree area i lil N lI4t'l tiibftNoit tlitfn bi iil -0N t+it'f i lsus1l fires arr giving forth volumes l 3oi snOke. The scenery is magniti 1 cont. even without the volcanoes and 1 1heir smaller relatives. the fullia ! lrols~. Iced capped peaks, dead vol i ,"auoes some of iheni, some more or | less active. tower hiah into the ! Iclouds from lower country which ! i~ garbol 'n green.
 This volcano bolt follows from : Noun Mitchell on the east. along i! .rh" AlaWjar4 in haIf-circlc and ! .'At-Hds under thr sea, scientists be , aieye, reaching into Asia and ending i in Man rhurja. No one knows how l l@ny volcanoes there are along the : -AIa&kan pennmsula. there are soy i .ral hnndrrd bic p,aks which are ' 7poru or less active in tho long "5~ain. The sun is out for all bat an hour or two out of twenty -four, l chasing around the horizon 10 dip |