15C Part sunny
Helped all day yesterday at the Ladies Silver Tray Tournament. Company for a short visit in late afternoon.
Amazingly we are still eating strawberries from our four plants. The cucumbers are down to the last few, we have certainly enjoyed them.

He spread out the remaining clothes and then finding a spot almost bare of rock lay back and fell a sleep in seconds.

  Nat awoke a long time later, he laid there his mind at first blank then realization of where he was and the memory of the trip down the river finally broke through his semi stupor. He had rolled onto one side as he slept and his clothes on that side were quite dry, he rolled over on his back and realized that the sky was almost clear and a warm sun was beating down on him.  He started to stretch only to be quickly reminded of aches and bruises almost everywhere on his body.  He tried to clench his fists, to find his hands stiff and swollen.  He lay back and stared up into the sky for a short while then forced himself into a sitting position.  He checked the sun, it was high in the sky, ‘it must be about midday’ he thought.  He looked around gathered a pair of socks, pulled them on then worked his feet into his boots.  Suddenly he felt pangs of hunger, he searched around and found where the apple had rolled when he pulled everything out of his pack.  He took a bite then another then as he went for a third, he hesitated. “Take her easy Nat, this may be your supper as well.”  He slowly chewed away an even half then putting the other half down, painfully pushed to his feet. He looked all around, the cliffs were about a quarter mile away, lower and less imposing than the ones in the canyon; between where he was standing and the cliffs a few logs were scattered about otherwise the bar was barren of everything but sand and rocks.

  He reached under his shirt and brought out his compass, he was almost afraid to open it in case it had been damaged during the ride through rapids. To his relief it was unhurt.  He set it for a due south reading, thankful that he had set the offset when he had first arrived in Fort Nelson. He tilted the mirrored cover and holding it in front of his face turned his whole body until the compass arrow rested between the two painted lines, ‘well there’s south, some where out there is the Alaska highway’ he thought. ‘But what to do? There will be a search, but am I in the search zone? I could follow the river, but it is swinging north and I have no idea how far it is to any major river.  There is no wreckage; it’s probably jammed in a hundred pieces in a hundred different places in the river. I have nothing here for fuel and there sure as hell isn’t anything to eat’.  He smiled ruefully and said aloud, “Easy decision, I walk.”

  Bending over he gathered everything together again and repacked the knapsack, he stripped the rope from the two seat cushions and belted it onto his belt, he looked around and seeing nothing but the two cushions discarded on the ground turned and headed out on his south bearing. 

  He only went about a half dozen steps when he turned and went back, he undid the rope from his belt, picked up one of the cushions and after un-slinging the knapsack he tied the two together, re-slung the pack and headed out once more.

  About fifteen minutes later, he found three water tossed logs fairly close together, grunting, straining and pushing he managed to roll them together in the form of an arrow, he took his leatherman and smoothed a small area on top of the “arrow shaft” he scratched the word’s “going south” followed by his initials. He walked on.

 5

T

he cliffs were further than he had estimated and it was over an hour from the time he started out until he arrived beneath them.  These cliffs were not as sheer and were made up of a mix of sandstone and a shale-like schist.  He walked along the base a few minutes then looking up decided that at this point they looked less formidable.  He gave himself a few minutes to rest then started climbing. 

  At first it was very difficult he would scramble ahead a few feet then slip back almost as far, but as he slowly worked his way up, the slope changed subtly and it started to lessen and lean back.  This carried on for over an hour then as what appeared to be the crest came in sight, the ground steepened and he had to work his way across the face of the slope. Half an hour later he pulled himself over the edge and stood up to look across a brushy plain.  Mountains were in the distance.

  He took a shot with his compass noting that the bearing was just to the left of a peak with a noticeably notched top, he started walking.  He was already sweating from his exertions from the climb and remembering he had no water, he slowed his pace.