Jake & Susan's Yukon River Trip: Thirty Mile River

Click here to continue by reading "Anxiety on the Thirty Mile River: Day 11 of the Yukon River Trip."

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Fishing on the Yukon River: Days 9 & 10 of the Yukon River Trip

Hot…very hot. We stayed in the same spot and fished and panned for gold until the sun got to us. I also took a bath and washed my hair again--oh, so cold! I did the dishes and washed some clothes as well. We are starting to regain a bit of energy to continue on our journey (though I do fear rowing against the wind again).

Jake's Northern Pike on the Yukon River

Another Gorgeous Night on the Yukon River

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Monday, July 11, 2011

Video Boat Tour on the Yukon River: Day 8 of the Yukon River Trip

The Sundowner on the Yukon River Trip

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Rain on the Thirty Mile River: Day 8 of the Yukon River Trip

I wish I was stronger, could row more, handle more obstacles, and muscle my way through to help Jake more. I feel he's taking the hardest blow of this crazy Yukon wind. I'm trying--I really am. I just feel so useless sometimes. I lack the water reading ability that he has, and I certainly lack the strength. I feel like a failure much of my rowing time. I feel like I'm letting Jake down, and he's having to make up for my weaknesses. Maybe we'll leave this spot, and the following miles will have no wind, no crazy rowing. But, I honestly doubt that. It could rain & rain, or the wind could blow & blow. We could wreck. We could die. (Wow, there's Miss Worst-Case-Scenario Girl again….) I can't really control any of that, and we can't take a detour from where the river will take us. My hands are so tired. I sometimes feel like this place is out to get us. I just don't know what else I can do.

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It rained most of the morning…I'm so disappointed about the rain. It couldn't have come at a worse time--our morale is so low. I thought pancakes might lift the mood since we've been so hungry. Through the off & on rain, I cooked pancakes, and they slowly worked their magic as we filled our very empty bellies. That got us going; we worked on reorganizing the boat, and Jake caulked some leaks the rain showed us last night. Oh, and we finally saw some people pass by in canoes & kayaks today!

Another Rainbow on the Yukon River

A Rare Glimpse of the Moon on the Yukon River

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Sunday, July 10, 2011

Horrible Wind on the Thirty Mile River: Day 7 of the Yukon River Trip

The frequent bluffs coupled with the strong winds create frightening situations for my slowly building (and sometimes falling) confidence. I hate to admit it, but I bailed today. When I say bailed, I mean the wind was pushing our boat sideways into a bluff, and I couldn't gain control. I freaked. I jumped forward and yelled for Jake to take over. He had to scurry out from the cabin and take the oars. Now, I did try to cope with the situation before bailing, but my arms--my arms were so worn out. I had neither the strength nor the self-confidence to handle the obstacle. Thank God for Jake; even with the wind and my mess, he got us straightened out and back on track.

Jake Fishing with High Bluffs in the Background on the Yukon River

After that, I don't know what it was, but it was so hard for me to pull it together. This trip has been so hard, so exhausting, and so emotional. I can't put my finger on what it is….my only guess is the fear factor. It's all so big out here, and no one is around. We've only seen 3-4 boats in the last 6 days. The wind just grabs our boat. If we wreck, we're in trouble--maybe life-threatening trouble. And if we survived any trouble, it'd be quite a while before anyone would happen upon us to offer help. And even then, it could be a kayaker that could take days to get to any sort of civilization to send help our way (maybe there's a reason Jake calls me Worst-Case-Scenario Girl? haha).

I soaked through both of my boots today getting off of the boat--two different times, of course. My lack of balance on the wobbly rock pile landing that we made was the cause of it. Thank goodness Jake's backup pair of boots will work for the night to help keep my feet warm, but my favorite Point6 socks will have to dry overnight. :( (They have become the equivalent to a child's blanket to me. They offer comfort and warmth, which help provide me with a weird sense of security.)

Our Favorite Point6 Socks from the Yukon River Trip

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Saturday, July 9, 2011

The Thirty Mile River: Day 6 of the Yukon River Trip

I washed my hair for the first time in the frigid Yukon waters. It felt so extraordinary to have clean, soft hair again!

The Thirty Mile River (part of the Yukon River) is a nice change from the lake; I regained some confidence in paddling today. But, it's still difficult to find a place to pull the boat over & stop/find a place to cook or sleep.

Once again, I'm terrified of bears. I can't shake this obsessive fear of the bears coming to get us while we sleep. I can't stop scanning the treeline, and if I do, the least little rustle from the wind or some bird sends me into another obsessive scanning session. I know I'm driving Jake crazy, but I seriously can't stop myself. We've already had two mornings when we've seen a curious grizzly wander into our boatsite, and one made a 2nd appearance. Both bears scared off easily, and I am pleased they don't realize just how terrified I am of them.

We got extremely dehydrated the last couple of days and tried to make up for it today--though I'm still very thirsty. The air is dry, and the wind sucks the moisture out of you, but I'm too scared to drink more now because I don't want to have to pee in the middle of the night (even though it won't be dark...but Jake will be sleeping).