Dutch Harbor: Land of Terradactyls

From Brad:

Ok so we moored up in Dutch Harbor during this past patrol. Now everyone who has watched Deadliest Catch is well aware that Dutch is basically the fishing capital of the Aleutian Islands. It is also the land where Bald Eagles rule the skies, and I don’t mean the cute little eagles that are underfed here in Kodiak. I mean savage monsters that rule the sky like the Terradactyls in the cage in Jurrassic Park 3. These bad boys are huge and they hunt in packs. By hunting of course I mean eating out of dumpsters and hanging out on top of crab pots picking the bait out of them from last trip. As you are driving around Dutch though you notice something, there is absolutely no small game on the island at all, no rodent problem, no foxes, and no dogs that are less than 35lbs. Dutch Harbor is where Eagles go once they have beaten all other challengers in their hometown, it is a “Mortal Combat” like proving ground to be conquered. They are absolutely everywhere, and they are just as awe inspiring as they are in Kodiak. We had the pleasure of having one buzz the tower as we were mooring up the first time, I guess our lookout all 5’2” and 115lbs looked like a snack from above.