Scott Banks

Childhood obsession of hunting for hockey pucks around Anchorage rinks hasn't faded completely in adulthood, even if age and injuries limit my skating.

These days, I have a much better relationship with the park and its wildlife. I've been walking its trails for 45 years and try to bring a little maturity to the experience. I don't carry a croquet ball, or any other weapon.

My breath quickened, my forearms ached. Two of us slid the net beneath it and lifted the southwest Alaska rainbow trout into the boat, one on the handle, the other supporting the end of the net. My partner measured it. Thirty-five inches. A hog. A fish of a lifetime. My lifetime.