24 July: Days-46, Total-48; Miles-37, Total-1648
– Chuck
We waited until nearly 2pm for the rain to stop, that's
over 13 hours in a pretty small tent. We were ready to get on with meals,
drying equipment and paddling.
Bill yelled across the water to me that a cow moose and a young one
were walking in the green flats behind my tent. They were about a half-mile
away; we watched them for several minutes.
The rain slacked and we quickly packed and were on our way. It was 2pm.
The water was much smoother than it was when we pulled into our little
cove last night. The sky was heavily overcast and threatening more rain.
It soon came, we zipped up and paddled on, thankful for calm water and
a hint of a tailwind.
An hour or so later, we were talking of Betty's being from Minnesota
and a voice from behind says "Minnesota, we're from Minnesota".
I turned and there were two kayaks, one of the guys said "You must
be Swamp Eagle". My mind was still in the Alaskan wilderness and
was frantically searching for an explanation. Finally, I sputtered,
"You must be Ron". It was Ron Severs and Dan Stangel from
Minnesota, south of Duluth. We had never met before, but I had called
Ron about four months ago when I heard that he would also be paddling
the Yukon. We had talked on the phone for nearly an hour comparing notes
and exchanging addresses, etc.
These guys started about two weeks after our departure, but we knew
the much faster kayaks would eventually overtake us. We all talked at
once in the excitement of meeting "friends" in such a remote
setting. Soon, Dan and I were paddling ahead trading information about
our Yukon experiences, while Bill fought the growing waves and he and
Ron got to know each other. It was a grand time; this special meeting
of kindred spirits and all faced with the same challenges, hardships
and joys. After an hour or so, Dan and I waited for Bill and Ron to
catch up. We said our good-byes a let these two in there swifter kayaks
move on down the river. We promised to let each other know when we finished
and each invited the others to visit if ever in their part of the country.
Bill and I were on a high for hours, reliving the meeting and telling
what each had discussed during this short but special time. The rain
stopped, we had a light tailwind and the water was smooth; life was
good.
For hours we just missed rain showers that were all around us. Gradually,
we could see a bit of a promise of the sun. About 9pm we saw a cow moose
and a calf enter the water on the right shore about a half-mile in front
of us. Unbelievably, they were attempting to swim this mile wide channel
right in front of us. As we drifted, we grabbed our cameras. One photo
and my camera was rewinding; "Drats", the spare film was packed
away in the front of the canoe. Bill also had to reload, fortunately
he did have film available. The moose were great swimmers, the cow swam
with much of her body out of the water. Finally, she saw us and they
both stopped. With their big ears trained on us, they watched for a
long minute then turned back. We watched as they exited the water and
walked across the sand into the underbrush.
It was another great night to paddle. The low sun was behind the mountains
and reflecting off clouds in the still mostly clouded sky. An array
of colors lined the clouds above the horizon and anywhere the sun could
slip through. We paddled through this vast, open, calm beauty until
about 12:30. We selected a sandy island with big mountains behind and
to one side for our camp. The light got lower but the colors continued
to glow as we pitched our tents and turned-in. It was another great
day on the Yukon.
Q: A couple of folks have asked about the river at our
current location.
A: When the river is contained between two banks it is now about 2 or
3 miles wide. If there are islands or large bays it can be over 5 miles
wide. The current varies, in the wide areas it can be only 1 or 2 mph
but when in a single channel it may reach 6 mph. It is very silty and
we can only see about 2 inches below the surface. The water temperature
is now up to the 50's. There is usually a cut-bank on the outside of
bends and a mud or sand shore on the inside. The shores and banks are
littered with trees, limbs and roots that were scoured out by the spring
ice and have been caught on sandbars or the edges. Black spruce, birch
and aspen have been the dominant trees on the higher ground and they
cover the hills and mountainsides. Willow and other smaller scrub are
in lower wet areas and on the lower islands.