Looking down from our seaplane at the vast expanse of Alaskan coastal wilderness—primeval forests, pristine fjords, prodigious falls—I couldn’t help but wonder how much of this stunning scenery has never been touched by the foot of man. Then Pybus Point Lodge came into sight, and our plane glided smoothly into the bay. All-inclusive, log-cabin comfort on Admiralty Island in southeast Alaska, this would be home for our epic Lambert boys fishing adventure and a new destination to add to our arsenal for our especially bold and courageous clients.
All-askan Inclusive
When we say all-inclusive, you might think of an expansive beachfront resort with seven restaurants, 8 pools, and a kids’ club. This isn’t that. Pybus Point Lodge is intimate, welcoming, and in perfect keeping with its unspoiled environment. And it truly offers everything you’ll need for the ultimate Alaska experience: weather gear like bibs, boots, and slickers; rods, reels, and people who can teach you how to use them; fishing boats and jet-powered skiffs; a packaging and shipping service for the massive amounts of fish you’re going to catch; wildlife and whale watching tours (nowhere near the crowds of the cruise ships); gourmet meals made to order, and much more.
When we arrived, they outfitted us in gear that fit everybody from a slight 12-year-old boy to a Clydesdale of a man and everyone in between. Then we set out with Captain Jenny to catch some halibut. A word about Captain Jenny—she was absolutely incredible! Take all the know-how of a salty Deadliest Catch fish boat captain and pack it into the feminine frame of the kindest woman you know, and you’ll begin to get an idea of who Captain Jenny is. Fun, great with our teen boys, and super capable, she made our trip amazing. Before we knew it, we were jigging, bouncing the lure and weight, and hauling in some huge halibut! Our evening hot tub time was well earned after fighting to reel in so many big ones.
Alaska, Showing Off as Usual
Now while some groups want to fish from sunrise to sunset during those especially long Alaska summer days, we knew we needed to mix it up to keep our boys engaged. So we scheduled days with a mix of different kinds of fishing and other adventures. We started our second morning trolling for salmon on glass-like waters, majestic mountain peaks rising above the forest-lined shore. It is incredible to pull in a monster of a salmon, but it is even more rewarding to watch your son get one so big he can hardly lift it for a picture! The fish we caught were amazing, but somehow I have a feeling the picture we captured of us five (me, my brother, and three of our sons) each holding our biggest salmon is the even greater prize, one that will be treasured when these boys are grandpas and their old men are long gone.
Just when we thought the day couldn’t get any more epic, we headed west to experience the Baranof Hot Springs. Imagine walking through a lush rainforest toward a wondrous waterfall, and hugged right up next to the raging glacial waters are some breathtaking hot springs. You think, It can’t get better than this! And Alaska says, Oh, yeah? Then a majestic bald eagle swoops out over the water, grabs a fish, and carries it off to its eyrie in a nearby tree. Jaw-dropping experiences like this are just every-day Alaska. For punctuation, the night ended with s’mores and games around the campfire. A true luxury camping experience…minus the tents, sleeping bags, and fears a bear will eat you as you make your way in the dark to a stinky latrine.
But Wait, There’s More!
The variety of experiences offered by the team at Pybus Point Lodge is outstanding. Our boys not only trolled for salmon and jigged for halibut, but they also tried their hand at crabbing (Look out for those claws!), shrimping (Biting into them raw as a rite of passage), and fly fishing (Snagging king salmon like crazy riverside). As dads we loved to see our boys pushed out of their comfort zones, helping clean the crab and pop the heads off their catch of shrimp in preparation for turning them over to Pybus Point’s incredible chefs. There was a lot of satisfaction in eating an expertly prepared meal we had caught ourselves that day.
Speaking of the food, it was delicious. We loved starting the morning with their amazing oatmeal pancakes, the batter specially prepared the night before, and other hearty options to fuel us on our adventures until midday. Then we couldn’t wait to dig into our specially prepared lunches while out on the boat or hiking to a waterfall. Each morning we custom ordered specialty sandwiches, chips, and other sides, so no matter where our adventures took us, we’d be well fed. And the dinners—the freshest possible seafood feast and other enticing options.
Not Just for the Boys
Of course, Pybus Point is a no brainer for a guys’ trips like ours. It has cabins that can sleep up to 6 people in their own beds. But it’s also a place couples would love as part of an executive retreat or president’s club trip. They have suites with king-size beds and balconies overlooking the bay, the perfect place to recharge before hiking to a natural hot spring or taking out a skiff for your own personal adventure. Their new cabins have nice private rooms and bathrooms with a shared space for playing pool and building team camaraderie. And the main lodge would be a great venue for a post-dinner content meeting. Alaska is simply an out-of-the-box incentive, executive, or company travel destination, and staying at this lodge is really an exclusive and immersive experience compared to an Alaska cruise.
Juneau You Want to Go
Our entire experience at Pybus Point was unforgettable. From the moment the floatplane left Juneau and landed on the waters of Admiralty Island, we were treated to mind-blowing experiences: the adrenaline rush of pulling in an enormous halibut or salmon, soaking in a hot spring next to a glacial waterfall, hiking through pristine rainforest. On deck victory dances, slippery fish flopping from our hands, late-night laughs, and skipping rocks along the river. Though we have traveled the world extensively, the memories we made here together stand out as especially powerful. Maybe it’s the raw Alaskan wilderness, the fight of each fish, or the enormous tail of a humpback whale slipping under the waves near our fishing boat, but this place makes you feel truly alive and indescribably grateful for the people you get to share it with.
Of course, the 200 pounds of fish we caught that now fill our freezers might have something to do with it too.
