About us:
Hillside Haven is owned and operated by Tommy and Theresa Abbas.
Both Tommy and I grew up in central Minnesota. After Tommy joined the Navy we moved to Whidbey Island, WA and lived there for 5 years. After his duty of service was up we decided to give in to our adventurous side and move to Alaska.
We first moved to Eagle River, AK in March of 1999. While there we fished the many rivers of the Kenai Peninsula and hiked and backpacked in the Chugach Mts. and the surrounding area.
We then moved to Fairbanks on Dec 31 1999 where we really took advantage of all Alaska has to offer. We fished the Copper River and its many tributaries for King and Red salmon, fly fished the arctic planes and the interior for grayling and arctic char and deep sea fished for halibut in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. We hiked the White Mts., the Alaska Range and my favorite the Brooks Range. We rafted many rivers including the class 4 Klutina River and the beautiful and serene Ivishak river in the Brooks Range. We ski-jored, cross country skied and snow machined the many winter trails of interior Alaska. We have also spent a large amount of our time studying the wildlife within Alaska. From grizzly bears, caribou and musk ox in the North to black bears, dall sheep and moose of central AK and the brown bears, Sitka black tail deer, elk and Mt. goats of the Southeast panhandle. Fairbanks is also where we adopted Ben, our Malamute/Labrador dog, our wonderful canine companion.
In Nov. 2004 we moved to Juneau; back to the water! Here in beautiful Juneau is where Tommy and I decided to settle in and have a family. In March of 2006 we welcomed our daughter Allison Nicole and in September of 2009 we welcomed our son Sean Michael.
Our latest adventure has been the most exciting and remote this far. In Aug 2010 Tommy accepted a position as facilities maintenance operator with NOAA at Little Port Walter, a remote king salmon hatchery located on South Baranof Island, Alaska. Year round resident population is 7, including us 4. In our short time here we have settled into a slower pace of life and are enjoying the fishing and wildlife viewing.
Since we no longer live in Juneau we now have caretakers for the property, Keegan and Dustin Carroll reside in our previous residence and will assist you with any questions or needs you may have.
Tommy is employed with NOAA, (National Ocean and Atmospheric Association). I have worked in the customer service industry for 14 years. In the Fall of 2006, after the birth of Allison, we decided to build Hillside Haven. Tommy, I and with help from my brother Troy Lankenau, (Lankenau Construction in Willmar MN.) we completed construction in mid May 2008.
We want to thank all of you that helped us in the process of building Hillside Haven and also to all of you that choose to stay with us. Both Tommy and I enjoyed getting to know all of you and wish you all well in your adventurous lives and hope to see you again. We look forward to meeting the many visitors that may stay with and encourage you to contact us with any questions or comments you may have.
The Abbas Family
