The Yukon River Descent
To the end of the river.
Ed had always wanted to finish the trip at Emmonak, as apposed to the rivers end which was 18kms further and once we got there we would have to paddle back against the current another 18kms because there was nothing there but the river mouth. Today though, he gave the first indication that he would go on to the end. He talked about hiding our gear in the bush, as it would be safer than leaving it in town. It looked as if he had finally accepted that we both were going
to finish the trip at the river’s end, rather than at Emmonak where we would fly out!
That night I was determined to get a good uninterrupted night’s sleep with no trips out onto the soggy sand so I readied my pee bottle outside the tent, took anti-inflammatory tablets to reduce my now swollen feet, settled into my cosy tent early and watched the evening go by and Ed having his last
cold dip in the river. I was a little sad that I couldn’t join him for this ritual, but it just wasn’t worth the discomfort.
Sunday 25th July. Day 40
My feet felt much better when I woke after a good night’s sleep, – the swelling had eased a little and they
were feeling pretty good. I packed up most of my gear in the tent before getting out. It was customary for me to race out of the tent, pick up the shovel and toilet paper and go for a swift walk to find an ideal squatting place. That morning I had to practise self control.
My dry booties were waiting in the tent vestibule so I slipped my feet into them complete with socks. My feet felt
so snug and dry, – why hadn’t I done this before, I thought? It was easy to keep my feet dry around camp but it was virtually impossible to drag the canoe to the water’s edge, push it out into the river and get in without water filling my booties.
Once outside the tent I realised that I hadn’t sunk in the mud; in fact the spots that we had walked on, where the water had come to the
surface, had dried out during the night. When it was time to leave our last camp spot, we loaded, then pushed and pulled the boat into the water keeping my end of the canoe in the shallows. With two big steps and a giant leap I was in the boat with dry feet.
With mixed feelings we left the shore for the last time. On one hand we were elated at being almost at the end of our journey, on
the other hand we had a sense of sadness, our journey, our way of life for forty-one days was nearly at an end. And although Ed hadn’t caught those dozens of fish, and we hadn’t seen as much wild life as we had dreamed of, but what the heck, we still had an amazing experience, one that both of us will remember in different ways.
The wind was blowing from the south and hitting us
broadside which made paddling difficult, but we didn’t care, we were nearly at Emmonak, which was situated a few hundred metres down a channel that forked off from the main river. From afar we guessed where the channel entrance should be, but on closer inspection we saw nothing. The river banks blended into one, making it difficult to distinguish a narrow waterway, but it just had to be there. Although confident that we were headed in the right direction I began to doubt my own navigation. Then
with delight we saw a channel opening up before us, almost like the parting of the sea.
As we approached the entrance we could see cranes and boats ahead and we both gave out an enormous yell, YES we’re here! Our delight was soon overshadowed by the tremendously strong wind forcing itself down the channel towards us. It was like one big wind tunnel which played havoc with our progress.
We were so close to home but the elements didn’t make it easy to reach. Ed was desperate to have a pee so we struggled towards shore where he jumped out onto a log, avoiding the soft mud that definitely wouldn’t support his weight. As Ed balanced on the slippery log, I decided to empty my bladder as well and stood up in the canoe and peed in my pee bottle, but just at that point the canoe broke loose. I was blown into the channel with the wind and waves rocking the boat so much that I thought I
might fall into the water with my penis in one hand and pee bottle in the other! We were now both in delicate situations; Ed stranded on the log and me standing up trying to put my penis away whilst the canoe floated down the channel. What a laughable position to be in. As soon as I was sorted, I carefully sat down and took control of the craft and with difficulty paddled my way back to Ed to retrieve him.
