Building the condo in the rain

They would work on the condo as the weather would allow.  Within 8 days their piece of heaven was done.  What an accomplishment.  Here is a funny little story with that.  They had no ladder; just a 6’6” George.  They stacked their shipping boxes up to be able to put up the roof.  Oh how OSHA would cringe.  They finished without one scrap of wood or tin left over.  They were proud.  What minor wouldn’t want to stay in this beautiful tin can fully designed with a loft, some shelves and hooks?  But the real test will come when they convince Marlene or I to visit.  Remember, there is still no outhouse.

Starting from Scratch

They still haven’t done any dredging after the first week.  There was a condo to build.  The bears were still at bay and the cabin was next on the list.  It was amazing to me to see how much these two guys could accomplish and call fun.  They would still laugh and talk about their days events every night.  There wasn’t ever any animosity or bickering.  Something the Discovery Channel would not like.  They like the drama and conflict.  George and Dave only saw the adventure and the joy of discovery of just living their dream.

It is truly is amazing that these two can work, eat and sleep in tight quarters and still come out best of friends.  It just shows how the universal law of attraction is always bringing what you are looking for.  They were in God’s country and grateful for every moment and every experience. 

First Landing July 2012

Now the guys are getting a little low on gas as it went faster than they had anticipated. They were getting a little nervous and were hoping to see Ken.

Ken showed and circled the site letting them know he was there.  They ran up to the runway with camera in tow just to get the historical landing.  It took every bit of that runway but you can hear the cheers and praises on video.  Now they had fuel and the battery for the refrigerator.  It was exciting for them to see him even though it had only been 5 days.  He ate a sandwich with them as the guys talked about their plans.  Ken is a seasoned pilot and has ran the Iditarod 18 times.  I think it's pretty clear the guys are in good hand with this guy. 

The Fourth of July on the Fourth of July Creek

They got their water supply from the creek and boiled their drinking water.  They had a black plastic bag which was a solar shower system.  Since the sun didn't shine much they also had "Bath in a Bag" which proved to be quite valuable to cleaning up when there was no sun to heat the shower water.  They are pre moistened washcloths loaded with special soap. 

This is Dave down at the river getting their water supply. 

What are they there for

If you are a gold miner or panner you already know what gold looks like and the excitement that comes from just seeing the yellow stuff.  Here is a picture of what a one ounce nugget looks like. 

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We're trying to train our little Jackaranian (1/2 Pomeranian and 1/2 Jack Russell) to sniff out the gold.  Yep that's a one ounce nugget he's holding. 

The camp

Over the next few days it rained.  They cleaned up around the site and found a spot for the cabin.  Priority was to get the runway cleared to enable someone to land.  Good thinking.  I think their meals became a highlight after a hard days work.  You can see from the pictures George became the designated cook especially after Dave asked George the steps to boiling water. 

They used their ingenuity and set up their bear alarm.  George found some rebar, drilled some holes in some duct tape and ran fishing line through and surrounded their tent as a barrier.  The fishing line was hooked to these little alarms that blew your ears out when the pin was pulled.  If anything crossed the parameter they would be able to hear it.  They worked 2 days on the runway and cleared another 250’ making it an 850’ runway. 

Arriving for the summer stay

 

 

They made it!  You've read their journey and now they're on their claim.  Now, all alone on their site, they did a gentleman’s high 5.  First thing on their agenda was checking their guns.  After all they were sitting ducks for the bears.  They started unpacking and used the chainsaw to make a clearing to put the tent up.  Now I just want to point out that when I was a kid I felt safe under the covers so I’m wondering is this tent providing that same feeling? 

They worked till  7 or 8 setting up camp.  They were starving and they actually cooked a meal.  The cook stove was set up.  They had a propane refrigerator but had to hook it a battery to get it to work.  A little something they learned after the fact.  I even sent a little microwave to make life a little easier but they didn’t ever use it.  They had some generator problems.  They didn’t have their bear alert system set up but they were sure their generator would keep the bears away.  They still slept with their guns under their pillows.  They're alone in the wilderness with only a world phone as their only link to civilization.  They have walkie to communicate between them on the site.