This country's hard on people. You can't stop what's coming.

[TOGIE]

"So you're big toes will probably go numb from this. Probably be that way till Christmas. Probably."

That's not actually how he said it, but that's how my brain likes to replay it. I thought about it, my teeth rattling from the potholes and the stiff suspension of an unladen U-Haul box truck now hundreds of miles from any legitimate civilization. Odd, I thought. I could see that happening. Probably doesn't happen to everyone, right?

Right?

I already knew that it pays well to listen to what he says, a wildly more experienced hunter than me, and he's done this hunt before, more than once.

More astonishing to me than the invite from @Bluffgruff to join in on a North Slope Caribou adventure was my wife agreeing to a 2 week absence of mine come late August. Solo parenting two toddler boys for two weeks is quite honestly a task of far greater weight than what lay before me. I still don't know how I got this green light, I honestly didn't even have to try for it. Some things you don't question.

One thing I was certain of that I really didn't need anyone to tell me, is that this wasn't going to be easy. But that's kinda the point, isn't it?

Setting eyes on this country for the first time really makes you feel small. It's hard to comprehend how vast it really is. The notion of setting off towards the horizon is as irresistible as it is daunting.

 

[Deez Nutz]

Been waiting for this one.

 

[TOGIE]

North Slope Caribou brings with it many challenges. Not least of which is logistics. It's hard to overstate how lucky one is to get to do this with someone who has ironed out many of those metaphorical bumps.

We met up for gear prep, we met up to talk logistics, and the day came where we set early alarms for a carpool to DIA. I snuck into dark rooms to kiss children goodbye, made a coffee, loaded the truck, and slipped out the door.

I made sure I booked a window seat. Right side. I knew there were gonna be views. I was bummed after we took off from Seattle, a nice thick cloud deck seemed to show no end. I snoozed a little. I slept terribly last night, as I often do on the eve of any big trip. Every now and then I would lift the window shade to see if there were things to see.

Eventually the clouds began to break and the Coast Mountains of British Columbia revealed their grandeur. This was the entrance sign to the great north I was hoping for. A stark visual that you were entering a new world.

I was nervous. It had little to do with where I was going and everything to do with what I was leaving. I had never been away from the kids this long. They change fast at this age. I love being a dad and I feel like I'm constantly getting the wind knocked out of me when I notice how fast time is flying. Big trips feel selfish and wrong. While I know that's not true, it's forever hard to fully believe.

It'll just take settling in to the tasks ahead to allow my mind to be properly focused. I start getting eager to get there.

 

[noharleyyet]

And so it begins, love this time of year and admire Togie's excellent writings.

 

[TOGIE]

My eyes remained glued to the airplane window for the rest of the flight. It's hurting my neck but I can't stop.

As the descent into Fairbanks progresses my brain begins to pivot back to what needs to get done and, upon landing, there is much to get done.

The time change gains us two badly needed hours to pick up our transportation and make the rounds between grocery stores, home improvement stores, and outdoor stores for the troves of gear and food needed for nearly two weeks. But the time change is also double edged, we realize we've been awake for nearly 16 hours on barely any sleep and it's not even dinner time yet, and we are still gonna push north tonight.

I was cognizant of the likely very comical looking nature of our very sleep deprived looping back forth through the grocery store, looking for items we forgot to grab, getting distracted by items we wanted, and forgetting to get the items we forgot to grab in the process. I felt like a ghost. But I had my Mt. Dew in the cart, what else could I possibly need?

Finally, U-Haul loaded, we grabbed a final hot bite at a brew pub before setting off north. The adventure was truly beginning.

We didn't go far, just far enough to find a place to pull off and sleep. I'm reminded of the midwest and south on the roads out here. Off the roads is an immediate wall of seemingly impassable forest. Very different forest, to be sure.

Exhausted, we do little but set up our sleeping gear and settle in. Rain starts pattering the roof in short order. Pushing 22 hours awake at this point. We fall asleep easily.

 

[Song Dog 2224]

Tuning in