When there was beach.
Carlisle and I had an unnerving experience on a morning walk with the dogs. Breezy caught sight of a rabbit crossing our trail and took chase. We soon heard her yelping and crying. To me it sounded like our beagles when on a rabbit so I wasn’t concerned. However, Lisle sensed she was hurt and dashed into the brush to locate her. There she was, clinging desperately to the creek bank, half submerged in the fast moving water. Grabbing her by the scruff of her neck, Lisle pulled her up the bank and onto dry land. I definitely witnessed a mother’s love.
We spent the next hour looking for Carlisle’s favorite hat that was lost during Breezy’s rescue.
Hunters came and went during our month at the lodge. Most caribou hunters were successful and Bucky added an extra spruce pole to hold the racks, but soon a third sitting on sawhorses was needed.
(The following is AI generated)
A hunter suggested drying the velvet for dog treats, but I wasn’t keen on the idea. Breezy and Pika would occasionally eat scraps of velvet from the ground and neither seemed impressed.
We were excited to begin our own hunt. Unfortunately, Lisle couldn’t join us due to lodge and dog responsibilities. However, our family friend, Carter, came a long and was not only terrific help, but brought much laughter to the rainy days we’d experience.
We were flown into an abandoned gold mine! Many mines dot the hills of the Brooks Range and some remain somewhat intact as if the miners just stepped away, never to return. The mine where we were placed had been abandoned for years, but just a quarter mile away was one Carter explored. He reported solid buildings, a nice bathhouse, lots of available hand tools, clothes, books, and more. He returned with a shovel, western novels for Bucky and a pair of Levi jeans just his size!! We’d have to wade across a creek to reach it, but it was good knowing a dry place was available if needed. There’s talk of some mines being reopened with gold at an all time high. However, most of the equipment that Carter saw was missing parts and apparently unusable.
Our exploring was done on the day we flew in which happened to be sunny, blue sky and a no hunt day. Regulations prohibit shooting an animal the same day as airborne, wolves might be an exception. I was delighted to find a clear, rectangular glass medicine bottle in a dump near the gravel roofed cabin. Frankly, the bear activity and tall grass I was walking through gave me the willies so I didn’t stay long.
Continual rain made leaving the tent to pee very uncomfortable. I know you’re curious on how I’ll address this topic. We traveled with a luggable loo (google if necessary) lined with a plastic bag. Dirty tp went into a separate tin can and was burned. We were able to bury the contents of the loo, minus the plastic bag….Carter’s job! The dilapidated building seen in the photo above housed the loo. It gave privacy and i carefully situated the loo so the leaking roof didn’t drip on us.
We hunted eight days with only two clear days, the day we arrived and one other. We saw animals most days, but often they were out of range or covered by cloud.
We experienced a 27 hour stretch of steady rain.
During this prolonged wind and rain our Cabelas tent stayed warm and dry. Carter’s small spike tent became damp so he moved in with us, placing his sleeping bag at night between our cots. We had resorted to cooking in our large vestibule and the tent’s size allowed for a folding chair to be opened inside. So, there we were, for hour after hour…..sitting on cots, laying on cots, some sitting, some laying, one in a chair…..talking reading , sleeping. Carter heard about our childhoods, our days at UVM, past loves and marriage. We heard of Carter’s high school growth spurt, his time at UVM, meeting Lisle, and fish stories….literal fish stories…..his walking on the ocean floor in diving gear, grabbing sea cucumbers and geoducks while tethered to the mother ship floating above. Stories of Orcas sighted and their possible danger to him while diving and docile fish bumping his body, tales of regaining the surface from the deep and how to avoid the bends, stories of my life at home during college and Bucky’s much more exciting college exploits.
Slowly, the sound of rain on the tent roof softened and we awoke to snow!
Carter’s tiny tent!
It was a wonderful week and we’re pretty sure Carlisle and Luke will share some meat with us. Spending a month above the Arctic Circle and in America’s remaining wilderness was such an amazing gift.
It’s quiet when dinners are for 10 instead of 20 or more. The days are getting shorter and soon it will be just Carlisle, Luke and the dogs at the lodge. Northern lights will dance across the sky to the music of the wolves’ howls.
