Spell of the Wild

25 June: Days-18, Total-19; Miles-44, Total-637 – Chuck

Picture this: Rainy night, drift off to sleep, 5:30am awakened by something trotting in water just outside the tent. It was a moose, a big moose. As I was scrambling to get the tent door unzipped, Bill shouted my name, he was standing by his canoe at the water's edge and the moose had been coming directly toward him. The noise caused it to turn into the water. I got a picture as it swam and the current carried it downstream.

Later, Bill started down river while I unpacked the re-supply box that I picked up in Eagle. Finding space in the canoe to store additional items is a challenge. I also needed to put a fresh battery in my camera, fill water bottles from the five gallon jug stored in the bow and refill my fuel bottle. After taking some pictures, I was on my way, an hour and fifteen minutes behind Bill. It takes me about three hours to catch up a one hour lead. Bill's canoe is shorter, wider and more heavily loaded than mine, all these factors reduce speed and increase the required effort. We both like to spend several hours each day alone so it works out well.

In early afternoon a squall whipped up winds over 30 mph. It was raining sideways and the wind was pushing me across an open area so fast that I might have been planing. Meanwhile, Bill must have been in a protected area and noticed very little rain or wind.

We are passing through the Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve for about a hundred miles. They have acquired a few old cabins and maintain them for public use. Tonight we are at one of them, the Glen Creek cabin.

NOTE REGARDING BILL'S POCKETMAIL - Betty

Just a note to let you know that I received a call from Chuck asking that I let all of you know that Bill’s pocketmail took a swim and is not functioning properly at this time. If you have started contacting him on pocketmail, please go back to contacting him via his earthlink address: wquayle@earthlink.net.

He is trying to get back online with his pocketmail and once the problem is fixed, I will let you know. He was so excited and had been typing furiously on his journals just before the dunking, so I know he’s frustrated and disappointed. We’ll have his journals on as soon as I receive them.

Betty