Day 60 Yukon River
Cold, rainy and windy once again today. Packing up after breakfast the rain picked up and threw down on us, enough to ensure we were wet for most of the day. Despite the weather, spirits were pretty high. In the afternoon both Jackson and I confirmed our flights home from Anchorage to Montana. Jackson will leave the morning of August 22nd, and I the afternoon of the 23rd. The 23rd is symbolic date for me. August 23, 2017, I began my journey down the Mississippi. With my official end date on this trip being August 23, 2018 (by total coincidence) it means I will have paddled the two largest and mightiest rivers in the United States in one calendar year. That's pretty damn cool, and an accomplishment I am damn proud of (assuming we finish these last 3-4 days on the Yukon.
With our dates set to fly out our attitudes were doing well. We spent the day talking of burgers and beers and things we’ll do when we return to Montana. By the time we found camp, about 5-7 miles down river from Pilot Station, Jackson was soaked to the core and I was damp and cold. We found a beach pinned up against a forest, started a fire and cooked minestrone soup in the dutch oven. A small dry window allowed us to cook, eat and set up tents without the rain crushing us. As we retreated to the tent for the night rain kicked back up and continued throughout the night. The coast of Alaska mid August is not a particularly hospitable place, especially if you enjoy clear skies and rain.
Tomorrow we trek on toward the Bering Sea. With our sights set on getting to Anchorage, then home to a warm bed, hot shower and summer weather in the mountains of Montana. Yeehaw.