Meet the Team
Tica Drury: Big Adventures, Bird Obsessions, and Life Outdoors
Some people ease into Alaska. Tica Drury arrived ready to ask where everyone fishes, skis, flies, and finds their next adventure.
This story revisits Tica's original 2022 Fishe team introduction. We have preserved the details and personality that made the original so memorable, while adding a little more structure and context around her travels, environmental interests, birdwatching, and unmistakable enthusiasm for the outdoors.
In This Story
The Day Tica Walked Into Fishe
Today is a long anticipated day as we officially introduce Tica Drury. Tica joined our Fishe Team last fall coming off her 3rd summer in Wrangell St Elias National Park. I think we all remember that day when she first walked in the shop outfitted in head to toe Carhartt and a five panel hat. She immediately started asking us about where we go fishing, skiing, flying and just about every Alaskan adventure you can think of. We knew right then that we had a keeper.
That first impression says a lot about Tica: she did not simply arrive in Alaska looking for scenery. She wanted to understand the people, the places, and every possible way to get outside.
An original image from Tica's 2022 team story.
A Life Shaped by Islands and Travel
Tica was born on an island in the shadow of the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, so living, working and studying in your typical spots has never been a part of the plan. At 23 years old she has already lived in Washington, Vermont, Hawaii, Botswana, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Singapore and Alaska. She remembers traveling with her family fondly, and can see how much she learned at a young age. Although she does jokingly note that when she returned to middle school she was jarred to realize the other girls were reading Teen Vogue, and not the Sibley Guide to North American Birds.
In the original profile, that list captured an unusually wide view of the world at a young age. It also explains why curiosity feels less like a hobby for Tica and more like her natural setting.
Travel, outdoor work, and learning have long been connected in Tica's story.
Birds, Bush Planes, and a Future in McCarthy
Living on so many islands Tica became a bird enthusiast. Her favorite way to watch birds is spotting them from her boyfriend's bush plane and gasping so loud he thinks they are crashing. In less dramatic ways, she has enlightened us all about the magic of eagles, and has “attending the eagle convention” on the top of her 2022 bucket list. It is also important to say that she would be delighted to retire to a shack in McCarthy, Alaska and be known as the crazy bird lady. For now, she stops everything she is doing to spot and identify all planes and birds in the sky.
Birds, airplanes, eagles, and a future shack in McCarthy: Tica's version of a perfect life has never sounded ordinary.
Her enthusiasm is part expertise, part wonder, and part comic timing—the kind that can turn a quiet bush-plane flight into a moment everyone remembers.
For Tica, noticing what is overhead is part of every adventure.
A Week Across the Harding Icefield
With the time between now and when Tica can fulfill her destiny of being a crazy bird lady, she is spending as much time outdoors as possible. Most recently she took a week “vacation” to ski across the Harding Ice Field. Tica and 5 others were flown out onto the ice field and spent a week making their way down to Seward. The trip went great but they had a slight miscommunication on 2 things:
- There was less snow than anticipated which resulted in an 8 mile walk in ski boots.
- An entire bottle of ketchup may have been a bit too much.
It is hard to imagine a more Tica-style trip: remote, ambitious, physically demanding, and still remembered through one perfectly specific food-packing mistake.
Tica's outdoor vacations tend to involve more effort than most people's regular weeks.
Outdoor Passion With Environmental Purpose
Tica hopes to continue to share her passion for the outdoors and the environment in whichever path life takes her. With an education in Environmental Studies and Economics from the University of Vermont, she has come to Alaska with incredible enthusiasm for our environment.
Tica is and always has been at her happiest in nature, so we are lucky she has found plenty of that up here to keep her more than happy. Anchorage is the closest she has come and probably ever will to “big city living.”
Her education adds another layer to the adventures: time outside is not separate from her interest in the environment. It is where the curiosity, study, and care all meet.
Nature has always been where Tica feels most at home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Tica Drury join the Fishe team?
Tica joined Fishe after her third summer working in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Her immediate enthusiasm for fishing, skiing, flying, and Alaska adventures made a lasting first impression on the team.
Where had Tica lived by the time of the original profile?
In the original 2022 story, Tica had lived in Washington, Vermont, Hawaii, Botswana, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, and Alaska.
Why is Tica interested in birds and airplanes?
Growing up around islands helped spark her love of birds, while life in Alaska deepened her interest in bush planes. She is known for stopping to identify both birds and aircraft in the sky.
What happened during Tica's Harding Icefield trip?
Tica and five others were flown onto the Harding Icefield and spent a week traveling toward Seward. Lower-than-expected snow meant an eight-mile walk in ski boots, and the group also discovered that a full bottle of ketchup was more than they needed.
Still Entirely Tica
The original story ended with the simplest possible team verdict, and it still feels like the right closing:
WE LOVE TICA!!
Her combination of environmental curiosity, big-trip energy, bird knowledge, and willingness to laugh at the hard parts captures the kind of adventurous spirit that has always felt at home at Fishe.
Related Reading
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Follow Libby's path through outdoor education, adaptive skiing, Alaska fishing, and life at Fishe.
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Meet Micah Peel
Get to know another member of the adventurous team behind Fishe.
