Camping might be one of the most efficient means of getting to know a person. I met Steve Ablitt for the first time as we boarded the helicopter to fly to Todagin. In this short time I have come to know Steve as perhaps the most unique and gentlest person I have ever met. Steve splits his time between a seagoing sailboat he built himself over nine years and a remote bush camp hidden deep within the Sacred Headwaters, where he lives in a trailer packed with high-tech video equipment.
When a pair of swallows flew into his trailer one spring, rather than usher them out he allowed them to build a nest and raise their young on his bookshelf. He kept the door open for the entire season. When he awoke before the birds he would take care not to disturb them. The bugs eventually got so bad in the trailer that he opted to move into a pup tent.
He gave up his home to a young family of swallows. Gentlest man ever.
