Day 18 Yukon River

From left to right, Will, Jackson, Jere and Scott. Late June, 2018. Yukon River, Alaska.

After spending the previous evening around the campfire listening to old navy stories from Scott and Jere the four of us woke up late. Jackson and I had planned to take it easy today and play it by ear as to whether we would push off for a half day on the water or take the entire day off at Slavens Roadhouse cabin.

Following a few cups of coffee we rolled down to the main cabin to pick the brain of the local ranger about our upcoming stretch of river. We learned a ton talking with him. Downstream of Circe, AK the river's current slows down, and becomes larger and braided in an area known as the Yukon Flats. If we can put on fifty miles a day for the next 4 days it should get us into the village of Fort Yukon on Friday, in time for us to pick up our resupply.

The ranger and his family live at Slavens Roadhouse, a two story, public use cabin on the banks of the Yukon River in the midst of Yukon-Charley RIvers National Preserve, eight months of the year. He spends the other 4 months downriver in Circle. I found it fascinating to pick his brain about hunting and trapping and the Bush way of life. Both he and his wife said that out of all the meat they harvest throughout the year, they enjoy bear meat the most. Smoked bear ribs, bear stew and bear burgers. Both kids gave the nod to King Salmon.

As our conversation continued I ended up spending the better part of two hours in the family's living room taking with the mother Amanda, nine year old boy Natchra and five year old girl SA’Adrii, whom I came to know as the Popes’. I found it fascinating and calming talking to them. They live an extremely isolated life in the Bush. The majority of their food comes from game that they hunt and fish that they harvest from the river.

As we wove together different different topics of conversation a small radio crackled country and old time folk music in the background. Once the Popes’ learned that I was a radio DJ, it was game on. All three confessed their love of radio and explained how they tailor their day around particular programs. Both kids love listening to Coast to Coast with George Noory, a long running call-in show about the paranormal and other oddities in the universe. At 9:30AM they listen to a show on KJNP out of North Pole, Alaska called Trapline Chatter. The show broadcasts personal messages across the bush. Someone calls into the station, tells the DJ their message and the DJ reads that message live on air, addressing a particular listener or family in rural Alaska. With no phone, no computer, and no real line of communication, this was their lifeline to the outside world. The kids beamed with pride when they told me that once a message “all the way from Minneapolis, Minnesota” had been read to them.

As I was leaving, Amanda asked if I had ever had King Salmon before. When I said yes, but only pre packaged, she asked with curiosity, “Store bought? Then you haven’t had real King Salmon.”

She handed me a mason jar full of thick pink salmon cuts. This fish had been taken last year, about 150 yards down river from where we stood. It was then jarred in olive oil and salt. Simple yet delicious.

For the evening we enjoyed minestrone soup and home made bread baked in the dutch oven. Sadly, I burned the bread. Jackson and I enjoyed listening to Scott and Jere’s world travels and wild times. These dudes are great guys, extremely bright, driven, down to earth, funny and adventurous- my kind of people. It’s been great spending the past few days with them and getting to know them. By far our best company of the trip yet. Both of them being sailors and telling stories of traveling the high seas has stoked my fire for ocean travel. I would love to sail across the ocean. I hope to make it happen.

Great night, relaxing day. Tomorrow we hit it hard toward Circle, AK, and onward and upward toward the arctic circle.

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Day 18 of a 70 day expedition canoeing the length of the Yukon River, Source to Sea, Summer of 2018 #buffaloroamer