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Author Thread: An Epic Adventure (My story to uplift your spirits)
Gertz

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An Epic Adventure (My story to uplift your spirits)
Posted : 15 Feb, 2011 05:13 PM

Thursday Seventh of August, 2008

Crystal and Gertie were at the Temple up the Unalakleet North River at Covenant Bible Camp. After a fun filled time with Ruth and Tyler Johnson playing a game of Settlers we decided to go fishing, which we were doing almost all week and only two silvers on our belt (hehe my belt sorta). The plan was to Canoe with the poles and portage over three beaver dams and the unalakleet highway to Little North River.



We get to the Canoe Dock and get our Canoe set up. Given I've done this journey many a time as a youngster in earlier Jr Sr High camps I felt pretty confident leading the way. We set off in the beautious back lake of Bible Camp and head left (approx time 10:19 pm). We cruise through the first leg of the journey. Which was very enjoyable as the mosquitoes were not so plentiful and the lake was clear of muck and larva. We enter round one of the portages we must face. Took two minutes top to pull the canoe over the little bitty dam... no problems encountered.



The second lake was a bit more exposed to the nesting grounds of mosquitoes and muckyish type greens however, still enjoyable and exciting. We come to what we think is the longest portage area which we had to walk the canoe over. About 200 feet given it's low tide. Many moose tracks and a well set trail so we were very excited about. in hopes of seeing some wildlife (no bears intended) we continue .. making this trek through the muck and few willow we feel enthusiastic as we know we are near the end of our trials of canoeing. This third lake was very interesting. If you imagine tundra on a lake this would be it. If you imagined the Capital haven for baby mosquitoes in alaska, this may come close or even be it. We continue on and cruise as fast as possible however the muck did slow us down a bit. We come to the third and final crossing... easy to just lift the canoe and pull it over to the last leg of the lake till finally we know (or at least I know (crystal's first experience going to little north via canoe)) we are near the end of our journey.



Now, little did i know the lake has changed and become overgrown with branches just near the end of the lake that leads (what i think leads) to the road, which we need to get to and cross in order to get to little north. After going under branches and over branches we decide to reverse and plan our next move.



We retrace our path about fifty feet and reflect on our journey thus far. It's been about forty minutes since we took off so we are sitting at maybe 11ish or just before 11ish PM O>o.... At this point the bottom of the scattered clouds in the sky are pink and pretty and my heart feels fluffy and content. So i say to my sis, "hey crys, you think we should just turn back?" we ponder this thought a few minutes, seconds maybe... and decide we will take the canoe through the woods and follow the line the rest of the lake directs. Feeling very optimistic of the sounds of four-wheelers and distant voices we reassure ourselves that we are almost to little north. I take the lead of the canoe and head forth into the woods while my sister powers the back. Go into any nearest woods and notice how the trees/willows/grass do not make a path to transport a ten by two and a half foot wide (at the widest point) canoe right side up with paddles life vests fishing poles and a pack. The woods in Unalakleet Alaska have many types of vegetation one in particular is the Rosehip Thorn Willow.... and guess what... they are everywhere!!



I'm stomping down dead branches and using my left arm to wrestle away willow branches just to get through thirty minutes of semi fast pace canoe wood whacking. At this point it starts to get darker and darker. Adrenaline at this time is racing up the veins and throbbing through my body.... we as alaskan chicks at this point have kept our cool and hid any emotions .... til we realize it's probably getting very late. At the faint .. well not so faint .. voices and sounds of atvs we start to yell.... "hhhheeelllpppp!!!" "can ANYONE HEAR US!!!????" "We are LOST!!!" .... No response... Not giving up hope at the thought that we were very near the Unalakleet Highway (lol for those of you who have been privileged to travel such a highway).... we head straight for the voices. I scout ahead a few times to see how close we were to the road. Finally about the third or fourth scouting I see two willows with a white and pink ribbon tied around the mid top of the trunks and see below the markers a beaten not used so often path. AHHHHHH a huge sigh of relief for now I know we have made it to little NORTH!!! Excitedly I tell my sister the wonderful news... we've finally made it. We hurry and tread the canoe through a thicket of thorny willows. Crystal I say, let me check out this path and see how far we are from the road. Okay....



I head down the path a bit and to my big big big surprise see... a familiar building... the Welcome House to the Bible Camp....!!!!! We spent more than an hour carrying a canoe through the woods filled with thorns at the end almost sprinting towards the voices we heard ... crystal at one point stops to take her glasses off and bows her head as low as the canoe to create an aerodynamic advantage to pick up speed... all this... and we are welcomed back to the Bible Camp .... Now this is an epic adventure and goes to prove... no matter how many trials (portages) you go through in life or how hard and trialsome the through the woods may seem.... we are always welcomed back to the narrow path that leads to everlasting life.



Thanks to Crystal who never gave up hope through our journey and was with me the whole way through... to the canoe.. many apologies to the bottom (no excessive damage done) and thanks to Gunnar who was riding around with the ATV and the fish cutters who's voices we followed however thought kids were playing a prank by yelling... in the end... we made it.!!

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An Epic Adventure (My story to uplift your spirits)
Posted : 15 Feb, 2011 08:22 PM

You told your story well and made a good point about ending up back on the right path. Your friend could represent the Holy Spirit, too. :) He does make a good companion. :purpleangel:



God bless you for sharing that wonderful story. :applause:

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An Epic Adventure (My story to uplift your spirits)
Posted : 4 Mar, 2011 03:40 AM

That was a wondeful story. It's amazing when we stop and ponder the events in our life, how much God can teach us.

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