After having presented in two different sections our adventure trip to the kids of the Kaltag School, we went to visit VIRGINIA KALLANDS, 90 years of age in October, widow of Edgar Kallands, one of the heroic 20 mail carriers of 1925. She told us wonderful stories regarding the dogs they used at that time…neither huskies nor malemutes….simply GOOD DOGS and all Leaders. A very alive and with a big sense of humor old lady who gifted us with a moment of magic that I will NEVER forget.
Just for a change, it started to snow real hard nevertheless we left at 3pm. It has been a very long trip and hard in a constant snow storm. I had to load again in my sled STORM because still sore at the right shoulder and doing so I slowed very much the speed of my team. 5 feet of fresh snow are something hard to deal with specially with such a heavy sled so I ran, pushed, walked and kicked my way out in order to help the rest of the dogs.
Beth and Keith in the meantime were having serious problems with their snow machines which got stuck in deep snow. We lost contact with them at 7 pm and we traveled all night long with Chris's team, fairly faster then my. To cross the Pass which divide the Yukon from the Bering Sea It has been a real challenge, the storm was keeping on increasing and our leaders were following the reflective markers on tripods and trees with our headlamps. Passing at the Old " Old Woman" cabin I stopped the team and left a cookie inside the abandoned shelter, ..just to calm the spirit of…the old woman who once lived there. We arrived at the new Old Woman cabin after 9 hours of travel at midnight. Took the Indian " Jackscrew " in 1925 about 7 hours, but he didn't have to deal with a storm of that proportion.
Vs. ARARAD K
