Back from my float trip, had a great first week then things fell apart. My partner got sick after at the end of the first week. Spent four days waiting for him to get over it. During that time outfitters started dropping people off on the river we were on, due to all the other rivers in the area being too low to float. Also unknown to us at the time Alaska Magazine had ran an article on how great the Moose hunting was on this particular river. Hence, the river was overrun by hunters. Twice we were working a Bull Moose, had him coming to us when other people started blasting away at over 800 yards. Another time we were looking at a group of cows in a lake just off the river, thinking a bull would eventually come out. Sure enough just before the end of shooting light a bull emerged in the shadows, about 500 yards away. We started working our way closer. At 400 yards we felt we could easily get closer, we continued working our way around. Suddenly a chain saw started, the bull made four jumps and was gone. When we got back to camp we found another party setting up camp less than 50 yards from our camp. Another time I spotted a Black Bear on the river bank. I looked him over and decided to let him go since it was a small bear. As I turned to tell my partner I was going to pass, four shots rang out. Out 800yard shooters were at it again, they missed.
Then the temp dropped, along with the river. Water suddenly became scarce. We started paddling, the river had actually stopped flowing. For the next three days we paddled 12 and 14 hours a day. Having to stop and drag the boats over all the gravel bars. The last day we broke ice most of the day, temp was in the teens. My waders were not big enough to get more than one pair of wool socks inside, so my feet got cold. I did not realise just how cold till I got home. The Koyakok sure looked good. Just as we came out of the mouth of the river into the Koyakok the boat arrived to pick up another party that had been waiting since the day before. Since our rafts were small and we had no meat, he picked us up at the same time.
When we arrived in Beattles, the pilot of the 206 said the weather was getting bad at the airfield on the highway, he could only made one more trip out. Since my partner and I could get all our gear in the 206, we got out that night. The other party needed two trips. Arriving at the highway I changed clothes and finally took off the waders. That's when I realised I had a problem. I drove most of the way back to Fairbanks, in a blinding snow storm. Just before town it quite snowing, my partner took over and drove the rest of the way to North Pole. When we got home I unloaded my gear then took a hot bath, I had no feeling in none of my toes. After the bath they started burning, and haven't stopped yet. It's now been 48 hours since I got home. I had a scheduled doctor's appointment today, he looked at them and told me I had a mild case of frost bite, and it will probably be three or four more days before they feel normal again.
Next year, I'm going to a different location, no water. Just think, I've been in Alaska over 33 years and this is the first time I've frost bit anything. Oh yes, my son wants to go out for Caribou this weekend. Time to break out the Bunny Boots!
