Even this morning we attended our presentation at the School of Nulato where we were guest at…with a guitar on my hand! Many students sang with me the refrains of my songs "Bianca", "Yukon Quest" and "Che sarà". Under a dense snow fall we left at noon among a little crowd of students and curious people gathered there to cheer us up. A fellow from Nulato volunteered to guide us to Kaltag with his snow machine to break trails since the original trail disappeared completely due to the heavy snowfall. Chris with her fresh dogs took off first while I and Sven traveled pretty slow with our teams, tired of breaking trails in the fresh snow, in the last 5 days.
During our travel it kept on snowing heavily and continuosly , plus I had to load in my sled the little dog STORM because she was a bit sore at her shoulder muscles. She was very polite in the sled but .." talked " too much distracting the other hard working dogs. Very kindly Sven gave me one of his leaders - COPPER - to replace Storm. He even waited for me when I was a bit far away because we were too slow. In 1925 this section of the trail had been done covered in 3 and half hours by a Native man of Koyukuk Tommy Patson ( Patsy). In today's storm it took us just about 7 HOURS to cover the same distance !
Just before Kaltag, on a spruce tree on the Yukon's banks we could see a huge Eagle's nest. Before entering the village, after 6 days in its company, I greeted very warmly the Mighty Yukon which we won't see anymore in our journey…on Balto's footprints. Our friends Rich and Terry were waiting for us at the School to assist us in taking care of the dogs and our things. Thanks to them our supplies made it to here and we will have a warm place to sleep peacefully on a floor, with our dogs well bedded around the building on their dry straw. Tomorrow morning we will attend at two meetings / concerts with the students. After that we'll get ready for the 40 miles run to Old Woman's Cabin, half way from here and Unalakleet on thre Bering Sea.
This message will reach you in real time thanks also to: 1) the internet tecnology " REMOTELY ANY WHERE " by the Friends of the Company CMP from Bologna - look in the home page for details -, who are taking care in a wonderful way of this web site. 2) the lap top ( given to me as a gift by the friend Pierangelo Artini from Padova ), from which I am writing you now and is traveling with me in…my sled since the first day in Nenana…3) two extraordinaire japanese digital tele - photo cameras - one with me on the sled and one with Gianni. 4) Gianni the TV cameraman who his heroically following us on a snowmachine and is much more able to use these technologies than I am….5) all the Schools we find along the Balto's Trail because they kindly let us hook to their internet connections - beside the fact that they offer us also a floor where we can sleep on too. THANK YOU !!!!
Remember that you are still in time to buy, with a minimum offer of 10 $ to be sent at our adress in Italy ( see home page ), the official post card of this expedition, which will be sent to you from Nome after our arrival. Send me your address at : ararad1@hotmail.com you can write me there too…on the trail, if you feel. I'll answer when possible.
HUGS ARARAD K
