Expedition Journal--August 4
Alex Perry
Today was our longest day so far (with regard to mileage), but really went quite smoothly. The gradient of the Koyukuk is still quite steep, creating a current that moves at more than seven knots (my own approximation). We covered 23 miles in a very short time. Today Deb and Cleve offered me a position as the sweep boat, using the klepper--often referred to as a folboat--which prominently resembles a kayak but has a strain of canoe heritage revealed in the keel design. It is longer than most kayaks and reacts much more sluggishly, but its tracking and wind performance are far superior to its hard-hulled whitewater cousin most are more familiar with.
We made camp on a gravel bar below Sona Rapids, a Class II with a few small waves and no real maneuvers aside from missing the small hole dead center. The camp spot was beautiful, it was well protected from the wind, and Peter and I were able to play a fun game of Frisbee for better than one hour. We also played chicken and did some balancing on a driftwood log jutting out from the beach. Today was the first day we had no low-pressure weather and not a drop of rain!
Rachel Flood
We woke this morning only to look back and see Boreal Mountain capped with fresh snow. The sun was out and there were no precarious-looking clouds in sight. For the first time this trip, I pulled out my sunglasses. I knew then that it would be a great day.
I paddled with Deb Sussex, our NOLS instructor. It was nice, because I didn't have to worry about broaching a strainer and could concentrate on my form. We paddled for 23 miles to our camp at Squaw Rapids. It was actually an easy day. The water was moving so quickly that it was just like being on a conveyer belt. And here's the best thing: My feet never got wet.
Vanessa Bacher
Today we canoed about 23 miles, which surprised me because it seemed fairly easy. Bria and I canoed together and initially we thought we would capsize and it would be downhill from there but fortunately we got into rhythm pretty early and the day went very smoothly. I also can't forget to mention that today was the first day that it was sunny almost all day long. We also saw the moon for the first time since we have been here. We were all pretty excited about the weather so we paddled in our long underwear but Jess was daring enough to wear a cotton T-shirt. Anyway, we pulled into a nice gravel bar to camp on pretty early so we began cooking dinner. We were almost at the end of our rations, so we had to settle on beans and rice for dinner. We were still a bit hungry after dinner and a little bored so we decided to make a cake with the food that we had not been eating or that we had too much of. We used coffee grounds, mix, chocolate chips, and whole wheat flour. The end results were awesome. After eating a whole cake between Perry, Pete, and me, we were not only stuffed but wired from all the caffeine and sugar in the cake.
We ended up playing chicken fight on a log until we calmed down enough to go to bed. I slept in the same tent with Perry and we stayed up even later talking about unresolved issues from the year before.
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