When In Juneau, See The Local Guy
Adam Underwood Of Juneau Is A Natural On A Fishing Boat Thanks To This Grandfather But Now He Has Become The One Teaching
Alaska is a place where the American Dream lives and breaths through the people. The Last Frontier still has the wildness, the freedom, and the entrepreneur spirit to support it. This is illustrated in Adam Underwood who recently started a charter business out of Juneau that does fishing, sightseeing, and whale watching. "I struggled for the name for a while," Underwood recalls, "I wanted something fairly creative and then I just decided to call it what it is - Local Guy Charters."
As the name implies, Underwood is a Native Alaskan, his Great-Grandfather coming to Alaska to work in the mines. "Once he got up here, he married a Tlingit lady whose father was Harry Douglas," Underwood says, "Douglas island may or may not be named for him." Underwood explains that his Grandfather, a primary influence in his life, was adopted from California and spent his whole life up in Southeast Alaska. His Grandfather owned some property and started a variety of businesses, most famously a marina, which "Warner's Warf" is named for in downtown Juneau. "My Grandfather taught me how to fish and be on a boat," explains Underwood.
Underwood says he has been on the water since before he could walk. "There are pictures of me being on the water at about 1," Underwood says. With the help of his Grandfather and Father, who was a commercial fisherman, Underwood learned how to read the water. "They taught me to see which way the current is going and which way the waves are, which are sometimes different," Underwood says. It is something that Underwood passes on to his 12-year-old son, 1st mate and deck hand, with Local Guy Charters.
Another implication of the name "Local Guy Charters" is Underwood's attitude towards his business. "I treat people I take out like I treat my family - straightforward and honest," Underwood says. Something that Underwood is passionate about and is close to his heart is police officers. His wife is a police officer with the City of Juneau and Underwood has worked as a corrections officer for the past 15 years. "These men and women that sacrifice so much for us and sometimes get injured in the line of duty, I want to give back," explains Underwood. He offers deep discounts to law enforcement that have been injured in the line of duty. "I feel like I can offer these men and women some sort of enjoyment and I want to do that," explains Underwood. "It may not be the best business practice, but it is something that I really care about."
The summer of 2016 was the first year of operation for Local Guy and this year he is planning to pursue it full-time by resigning from his position as a Corrections Officer. "The sheer enjoyment of people's experience is what I want to pursue," explains Underwood. Last year he took a few groups out to the famous Tracy Arm Fjord. "The Fjord is one of the most beautiful places in the world," says Underwood. The sightseeing trips, as well as whale watching, are what he gets the most inquiries for. "We get humpbacks around here and orcas come through, too," Underwood says. They don't guarantee a sighting, however "there are certain areas that the whales go, so we go there." He mentions that just the other day he saw some in the harbor and "that means it'll be a good season because it is a bit early to see them."
His desire to give visitors an enjoyable and memorable experience comes from his Alaskan roots. “The community here in Juneau is amazing,” explains Underwood, “You go to the grocery store and see and talk to about 20 different people you know.” A town of about 30,000 permanent residents, the climate is a bit more similar to Seattle than to the rest of Alaska. “We are about 700 miles south of Fairbanks, so we don’t get the cold that they get.” The summers, too, are similar to the Pacific Northwest, “There’s always about a 50% chance of rain and it is typically in the high 60s.” These sort of things make Alaska special, Underwood thinks. “We get some pretty nasty days,” Underwood says, “It can be cloudy and wet, but then when the sun comes out and you see that bright blue sky – it’s magnificent.” Even though Underwood has traveled to many places down south – Florida, Puerto Rico, Seattle, etc – he is always more than happy to come home. “It’s home,” explains Underwood, “and home happens to have water, the beautiful mountains, and a great community."
This is what Underwood hopes to share with his customers. People put in a lot of effort to make it up to Alaska and he wants to make sure they have a great experience. “I never want to have a commercial business,” explains Underwood, “just something that I can give my son in the future and be proud of.” Another hope is that people who go on his charters always enjoy themselves because, “if I can put a smile on their face then that is worth all the money in the world.”
Andrew Malo
A graduate of Northeastern Illinois University in Education, Andrew has taught for the past decade in Chicago, New Mexico, and Japan. He enjoys tinkering with trucks and motorcycles, woodworking, reading and computer programming.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Chilkat State Park, which offers a log cabin information center, 35-site campground, picnic area, boat launch and trails. The campground sits in a mixed forest of evergreens and deciduous trees at the edge of Chilkat Inlet.