The Journey Begins...

Ryan & Heather's 1st Dispatch

After spending a week gathering together last minute supplies with the help of dear friends in Fairbanks heather, Ryan and his dad, Randy flew into the Arctic by bush plane on July 3rd. Although Kurt, the bush pilot, said he had seen a female griz and cubs the week before, all the cabins were intact and, except for some large paw prints in the sand, there was no sign of the furry visitors.


July 4th, Ryan, his dad, Randy, and heather, got right to work. They lifted the 100+ lb cookstove thru one of the windows of an older cabin, put it on a plastic sled and push/pulled it up the hill to the new cabin. Now the new cabin is cozy and ready for winter with a heat stove and a cookstove inside!



Throughout the next few days the three of them worked on organizing the cabin and cache (where the food is kept out of reach from the bears) and building new shelves and countertops for the cabin. Even with all this "work" there was plenty of time for adventure and exploring. Ryan and his dad hiked up one of the mountains as well as up the valley to the North. They explored an old miners cabin where Ryan and his dad tried unsuccessfully to strike it rich paning for gold! Apparently the former prospector took all the gold.

Spring has been late this year and the birds, animals and plants are just now waking up. The beloved mosquitos aren't too bad this year and heather and Ryan are only averaging a couple hundred bites a day! Swans and loons have arrived at the lake now and an eagle was spotted. Beavers are busily dragging branches, slapping water and building a fine beaver lodge nearby. Ryan and Randy were even lucky enough to get a brief glimpse of a wolf walking along the shore.

With Randy now safely back at home in California, Ryan and heather are settling into their new life. And they're busy taking advantage of an abundant berry season - the last fresh produce they'll have until June! With many more tasks to complete its hard to remember that its equally important for Ryan and heather to enjoy the remaining summer time. Fall and its freezing temperatures will set in by September.

When Fall arrives Ryan and heather will have little or no access to mail through the Winter months so if you've been thinking about writing or sending a care package now's the time to do it! Contact northernlightlegacy@yahoo.com for more shipping information.