I will never go back to Alaska. Spending 10 days on an Alaskan crab-fishing boat was one of the toughest and most miserable experiences of my life.

I was on board the Wizard. Our mission: to head out to the Baring Sea and catch king crab. It's a lucrative business - a single catch can earn thousands of dollars - but this is danger money. As we headed out into freezing, treacherous waters, I was aware that one in every 200 crab fishermen do not make it back alive.

The skipper, Captain Keith, immediately set me to work on the bait. But this mind-numbing and repetitive work was coupled with the nightmare of constant seasickness. With the boat lurching up to 40 degrees left and right, sleep was rare. I remember thinking that being swept overboard would be a welcome relief. At one point, I seriously considered slicing off part of one of my fingers to incapacitate myself and avoid more work.

Finally reaching port and fleeing Alaska filled me with relief. I'll never eat crab again.

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