Stuck in Akiak

It's 7:45 on Thursday evening. I'm sitting on the floor in an empty classroom at the school in Akiak, Alaska. I'm stuck. A ground blizzard in Bethel has prevented my charter flight from picking me up so I can move on to the next village. When doing the village travel thing, I hop on small planes like New Yorkers take cabs. So do the rest of the crazies who live out here. Tonight,I get an offer for a snowmachine ride to my next village, Tuluksak. It's about 45 minutes at 60mph on the frozen Kuskokwim River...in the dark...and cold...with some crazy kid who'd probably add 30mph to the normal 60mph, making the trip much quicker, and deadlier...therefore, hardly worth it. I've been in this situation many times, and have many times accepted the offer. I've been lucky and survived those trips with only minor scrapes, bruises, and frostbite. But, those days are over. I'm getting cautious...and I hope, smarter.

This trip was to be a short one...three villages in four days. I usually measure the time out in the villages in "cups of trail mix and bags of Mountain House" dinners. The plan was for this trip to take "two cups of trail mix and three bags of Mountain House". Good thing I packed some jerky, a couple of Snickers, and some instant oatmeal. Might need it. I just had a funny feeling...

Things didn't really start off that well...I arrived in Bethel Tuesday morning at 8:30 am. I was already four and a half hours into my day at that point. After grabbing my bags, I walked the 200 yards or so to JP Air. It was -25. Walking through the door at JP, I was greeted by the two resident pooches and Amy, the dispatcher/office manager. I was told we would be on the ground for awhile as the pilots were having trouble getting the two Cessna 207's started. I told Amy that I was scheduled to fly the 172, a smaller plane. She had a brief, strained look on her face, then told me that Carl, my usual pilot in the 172, had wrecked the plane on Monday, so I'd be flying in one of the 207's this go 'round. Yeah, we do crash planes up here once in awhile...and people do get hurt or killed. But more folks get whacked in car wrecks, and heart attacks or cancer get the rest of us, so I guess it just depends on how the Good Lord decides to take you. Never-the-less, my Faith and Carl's little misstep didn't make me feel better about hopping on a plane at -25. Eventually, one of the 207's was started and I got a lift to Akiachak, my first stop. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Akiachak, then moved to Akiak last evening via 207. I was to leave Akiak for Tuluksak today at 4:30, but strong winds and blizzard conditions in Bethel have flights shut down.

I'll try for Tuluksak tomorrow morning about 9:00. With any luck I'll get over there, complete my work, and catch a flight to Bethel at 4:00. Once in Bethel, I'll catch the Alaska Air jet to Anchorage at 8:30. For now, I'm hunkered down on the floor on a few dirty cushions I found in the library. I'm listening to music on the computer and writing. After posting, I'll have a cup of hot chocolate, finish a report for work, read a little from "Light, Science, and Magic" (a photographic lighting book), and call it a night. I gave Angel a call to let her know that tomorrow "could be interesting". For now, it is what it is.

The photos are from Palmer, Akiak, and Tuluksak...obviously not from this mid-winter trip. The picture of Annie Oakley is one of my favorites. They teach 'em to shoot young out here!