Day 63 - To Emmonak

We woke up today at a beautiful campsite overlooking the river and a massive mountain range in the distance. After enjoying a cup of coffee we paddled up and hit the water with our eyes set on Emmonak. The first half of the day was enjoyable. Clear skies and a light breeze that brought a crisp briskness with it. By late afternoon, however, the wind picked up and made for a difficult rest of the day. Not far from Emmonak we made our last crossing of the trip. It was pretty gnarly with all the wind. At this point the river was nearly four miles wide, with white capped waves crashing about. We darted behind a few islands and were able to reach shore having taken on a fair amount of water.  For the rest of the day we battled a stiff headwind and rolling waves. Tough sledding. 

Eventually, around 10pm we made it to Emmonak. The town has a large salmon processing plant on the banks of the main channel. As we pulled up a few locals came down to talk to us. One fella asked how much for the canoe, and I randomly said $100. He immediately whipped out a one hundred dollar bill and handed it to me. We then made plans for him to pick us up on the coast tomorrow. 

Jack and I canoed across a small channel from town and set up camp on an island. Deadbeat from the day and without eating any food all day, both of our tempers and patience were being tested with one another. We made plans to wake up early and hit the sea.