19 June: Day-12, Total-13; Miles-30, Total-419
- Chuck
Per our standing agreement, if it is pouring down rain
in the mornings, we sleep in. That was an especially good arrangement
this morning since Bill was recovering from his neck problems of yesterday.
We were both getting a little stir crazy in our tents and about 9AM
there was a short break in the rain and we were both out in a flash.
Bill was feeling much better, but not a total recovery. He wanted to
try paddling so we quickly packed and were on our way, even if much
later than usual. It was raining again before we got on the river. As
we were loading our canoes, a German couple in an aluminum canoe floated
by. They are going to Circle, Alaska, farther than anyone else we have
met on the river.
Bill tried paddling with a traditional canoe paddle instead of the double-ended
kayak paddles we have both been using. It seemed to help, especially
if he only steered to stay in the main flow and did little other paddling.
The White River and the Stewart River both joined the Yukon today. The
White was white, laden with glacial silt it made the Yukon even thicker.
We can now only see about 4 inches into the water. The additional water
from these two rivers increased the speed of the already fast Yukon.
We made pretty good time today just floating.
The rain finally stopped in mid-afternoon. We passed a dredge/barge
that may have been part of a copper mine operation we had heard about.
Not wanting Bill to have a relapse, we stopped early on the point of
an island, which is filled with fresh moose tracks. Also, we wanted
to have time to dry our tents and other gear. Just after dinner, a couple
floated by in a red canoe. They were in the middle of the river and
too far away to talk. They were in a rental canoe and lightly loaded,
probably only going as far as Dawson.
We had a short day, 30 miles, but it was good to have Bill end the day
without being in pain. He still plans to see a doctor in Dawson.