40 Days In The Wilderness! - February 29, 2008

Today marks 40 days that Willie has been out in the wilderness. 40 days has had special meaning of life transforming journeys in other people... I'm sure Willie has changed somewhat during these past 40 days too. The lessons of the wilderness surrounding you each and every moment would have to have that effect on a person.

Last Saturday, February 23 marked the 1/2 way point of his journey. I had my own personal celebration, as this means we are 1/2 way closer to seeing each other again... Last night we had more Northern Lights across the night sky. I wonder if Willie saw them too?

Willie told me a couple weeks ago that, "I'm transforming into this guy who walks around in this vast wilderness by himself, alone, all day long... It has made me a stronger person..."

I read the journal entry from February 29, 1908 - 100 years ago- in Charles Sheldon's book. "They had seen plenty of sheep and the fresh track of a WOLF, THE FIRST THAT HAD COME INTO THE UPPER COUNTRY SINCE I HAD BEEN THERE." Meanwhile, 100 years later, Willie has seen tons of wolf tracks, and FINALLY saw his first Dall Sheep just this past week! Things have changed...

Toklat Temperatures For February 29, 2008 - Day 40

February 29, 2008, Friday
Toklat temperatures since midnight:
Max, -2 degrees F
Min, -17 F
Wind speed: 9 mph from NNW
Wind Gust: 13 mph
Denali Education Center temperatures at 6:30 pm: 0 F (and windy!) Our local forecast is calling for -40 F with the wind chill tonight. Winds at: SW 25 mph, Gusts 46 mph (I'm not sure why Tolkat reads so differently, but it sounds better out there!)
Sunrise: 8:02 am
Sunset: 6:08 pm
Total daylight: 10 hours, 5 minutes (10 hours!!!!!!)

Video - Day 1 - January 21, 2008

Video From 1st Day- January 21, 2008

Thursday, February 28, 2008 - Day 39

Toklat temperatures since midnight:
Max, 15 degrees F
Min, 1 F
Denali Education Center temperature at 4:00 pm: 19 F
Wind speed: 3 mph from WNW
Wind gust: 6 mph
Sunrise: 8:09 am
Sunset: 6:09 pm
Total daylight: 9 hours, 58 minutes

Willie called to let me know the camping went very well. We had a brief conversation as he was heading back out. He is taking advantage of this "beautiful and perfect weather".

The mushers Carmen, Krusty and Sarah headed back out yesterday, February 27, 2008. They are heading all the way out to the end of the park road. This is their "big trip" out to Wonder Lake. When they get to the Toklat area they will check on Willie. It has been 31 days since Willie has seen another human being. And that was when the mushers left him at Toklat on January 28.

Last night Wednesday, February 27th, the Northern Lights were rockin' across the sky. When I spoke to Willie today he saw them too. I think it is cool that we are seeing the same northern lights, stars, and moon at night...

This is all for now...

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Toklat Temperatures

Toklat temperatures since midnight:
Max, 0 degrees F
Min, -21 F
Wind speed: 2 mph from WNW
Wind gusts: 4 mph

Dall Sheep

When I spoke to Willie on Sunday, February 24th he share these entries with me about a big day he had:

Climbing a steep tundra bench I slowly peer over

And 10 sets of eyes are keenly staring at my every move.

Laughing to myself

I know that here in the ridge land

a Dall Sheep's survival is through its keen since of eyesight and hearing.

They seem unafraid and continue browsing the mountain side

looking up occasionally and then back to their foraging

My mind moves in a state of elation

FINALLY sheep,

6 ewes and 4 lambs all look healthy

The lambs were exceptionally fat

like a big round snowball with a thick winter coat.

I have not been present but 10 minutes

and the ewe rose an the mountain side

looked down the divide

and immediately got up and ran vertically up the mountain.

All the other sheep followed with surprising speed

at least 200 yards higher from my perch.

From the divide below I could see nothing.

Still though, the reaction was obviously that something other than me caused their alarm.

Finally I was too cold to remain.

And the cloud bank was not going to lift significantly

Descending the tundra bench

I am shocked and amazed

Directly below me are two sets of fresh wolf tracks crossing my path.

And proceeding over the divide between the butte and the ridge where the sheep were feeding.

This is what caused their alarm and their nervous retreat up the face of the mountain.

I found the two wolf tracks and they stick to the edge of the river and the embankment.

Then they head out into the middle of the frozen Toklat.

Hoping they found an ice bridge off the main open channel

which will hold my weight. I proceed.

They indeed found a bridge but it was broken and they jumped the 3 feet of open water between the sides.

Not me, imagine a turtle jumping- same thing

"Kr-plump"!

Moments Alone

Journal entry from Willie...in February- I missed the date...satellite phones...
My time out here is the most wonderful opportunity I could ever ask for
in getting to know what it is like to live in wilderness.
I am getting to know a different culture
one without people.
But living on the edge of our impact.
It is a profound lesson for me
in acceptance, adaptability, survival, and simplicity.
Each day is a lesson that teaches me how to be a better person.
And how to not only respect who I am in the present,
but in moments and in the future as well...

Glorious Denali

The above photo was taken by Willie on his trip out to Toklat the end of January.

A journal entry from Willie on February 9, 2008:

I can see Denali is out perfectly

and hoping to catch a better look

I continue up the ridges

And I sit basking in the sunlight

watching a single raven acknowledge my invasion into the ridge land

I feel revived and spirited

surrounded by majestic splendor

Alone in the glory of Denali.

3 Lunar Cycles

Willie planned his trip around 3 lunar cycles. He did this because he wanted to travel with the most light possible. The full moon, when it is a cloudless night, is amazingly bright. When he started out on his trip on January 21, it was the first full moon of his trip. The nights were lit up for traveling. Gradually getting darker...until the 2nd cycle. The next full moon, with a lunar eclipse, (that we all missed because of clouds here in the Denali area) was on February 20th. The third cycle will be March 21st. This is the date that Willie plans on starting his journey back out. He plans to start to travel on March 21st with the full moon. He figures it will take about 10 days to walk/snowshoe back out of the park (give or take a few days). He will be traveling out solo. No musher support this time. He wants to be back here on March 31st.

Below is a link to the moon cycles:
http://www.tutiempo.net/en/moon/phases_1_2008.htm

Tuesday, February 26, 2008- Day 37

Willie called on Sunday night February 24. He let me know that he FINALLY saw Dall Sheep!!!!! He went camping with his regular tent, sleeping bag, warm gear, and food. He climbed the ridge line behind Sheldon's cabin site, first going up the Draw to the south. This is where he saw 10 Dall Sheep, 6 ewes and 4 lambs. He sat and watched them for quite awhile. Then all of a sudden, one sheep looked down the ridge alarmed, took off running up and over the ridge and then all the rest followed. Willie had been watching them for quite sometime and wondered what scared them. When he was heading back down the ridge there were fresh wolf tracks in the snow. So this must have been what scared the Dall Sheep. Willie had a cold night sleep that night, as he had gotten sweaty from the climb and could not warm up. He headed back to the Pearson cabin late the next day to restock his camping gear. He decided to leave his regular tent behind, and pulled the arctic oven tent out (with the wood burning stove). He was planning to pull it with the sled and set it up in the same Draw. This way he will have a heat source to warm him up after his climbing. He plans on being gone for 3 days. I should hear from him by Thursday. I will add more photos and past journal entries in the next few days.

Saturday, February 23, 2008- Day 34

Toklat temperatures since midnight:
Max, 23 degrees F
Min, 19 F
Denali Education Center temperatures at 2:00 pm: 28 F
Wind speed at Toklat: 3 mph from SE
Wind gusts: 4 mph
Sunrise: 8:24 am
Sunset: 5:48 pm
Total daylight: 9 hours, 25 minutes (Over 9 hours!!!!!!)

Willie is off to explore the area. He has his regular tent, -30 below sleeping bag, extra warm gear, cook stove, and food. He was heading out on Friday, 2/22- for a 3 to 4 day camping trip. He will be in the Cabin Peak area. Which is about 3 miles north of the Toklat bridge, on the right side of the river. Cabin Woods was the area where Charles Sheldon's cabin was. Cabin Peak is the area behind that. Willie plans on gradually making his way up the ridge line and camping out. I should hear from him again on his return to the Pearson Cabin on Monday. I will let you know as soon as I hear from him...

Journal Entry From January 26, 2008

Knowing that this is the last pass to go over before the Toklat- re-invigorates me in a brisk morning air. I feel so alive, fresh, and privileged. Just then, the sun peaks over the southern range and lights up the entire Polychrome Pass, as if someone turns the switch and darkness comes to light. I stop to bask in the January sunshine. And yes, I feel a fleeting moment of solar gain-- warmth. A familar sound comes from the north, then the east, then west... I count 22 Willow Ptarmigan. All grouped together feeding in the bushy willows and flying from clump to clump. They seem oblivious of me and so I stare and realize that their call is much more extensive. I count 40 then 60 spread throughout approximately 200 yards. Time to ski-- as my sweat runs cold...

Above is a journal entry from Willie-- January 26, 2008. The video below is taken from the same moment that he later wrote this entry about. This was when Willie was traveling to get to the Toklat, and was in the Polychrome Pass area.

Video Of Willie From January 26, 2008

Thursday, February 21, 2008- Day 32

This past week Willie has been focusing on finishing up one of his volunteer projects. (see the above photos of the dunnage at Toklat) Dunnage- is the word for his week. He has been moving these dunnage piles (of old wood & poles) left out at the Toklat. These heaps of HEAVY scrap wood have been a bit all consuming. Willie has been cutting the dunnage into smaller easier to handle pieces. He then loads them onto his sled and hauls the sled with his snowshoes to the woodpile near the Toklat bridge. The process has been very labor intensive. But, Willie has enjoyed the process of seeing the area cleaned up. Just yesterday, he found 3 more piles further up (North) the Toklat... more work ahead!

Willie was watching for the lunar eclipse last night, but like us here on this side of Denali, it was a cloud covered night. No moon to be seen. We missed out on it.

Signs Of Wolves Left In The Snow-Toklat-Photos By Willie

The Latest GPS Collar Data On The Wolves

Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:30:39 -0900> Hi Christine, I just processed the latest GPS collar data. On the 17th and 18th the wolves (or at least the alpha male) were back out on the Toklat, six and two miles north of the bridge, respectively. But yesterday they were back east, on the Teklanika. In answer to the questions-- The area covered by the East Fork wolves this winter covers about 40 miles by 15 miles, maybe 500 square miles, and centers on the part of the park that visitors are most familiar with, the lower mountains along the Denali Park Road. A lot of these wolves' locations are in the major river valleys, and they also like to travel on the park road at times, so it's not surprising that they (and the neighboring pack to the west) have turned up by the Toklat bridge, where valleys and roads come together. We've also found the East Fork wolves up on the mountains sometimes, because they hunt Dall sheep there. In the last few days, the East Fork wolves moved from the Toklat to the Teklanika from one morning to another (we get one location at 8AM every day)-- a straight line distance of almost 20 miles. Tom Meier, Wildlife Biologist, Denali National Park and Preserve

Journal Entry From February 1, 2008

This is a new photo from Willie. He shared a journal entry with me from February 1, 2008...

An unexpected thing occured today

as I walked among the mountains

following impressively gigantic wolf tracks.

It struck me,

I never thought I would know what it felt like to be a king,

I was wrong...

Being in the wilderness with a different set of rules and social order is humbling.

This is a kingdom not of power but of balance and peace.

Great lessons for the rest of us-

simple, caring, life

our history is our future

the only thing missing is my queen...

Total Lunar Eclispe Tonight!- Wednesday, February 20, 2008

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEmono/TLE2008Feb21/TLE2008Feb21.html

Click on the above link for more infomation. It is the NASA link to the eclipse. The moon will become completely immersed in the Earth's shadow Wednesday night, resulting in a total lunar eclipse. "Alaskans will also see the moon rise during the eclipse; infact, much of western Alaska will see the moon rise while completely immersed in Earth's shadow." (MSNBC news)

Tuesday, February 19, 2008- Day 30

Toklat temperatures since midnight:
Max, 42 degrees F
Min, 26 F
Denali Education Center tempertures at 5:30 pm: 40 F
Sunrise: 8:38 am
Sunset: 5:35 pm
Total daylight: 8 hours, 57 minutes
Gain: 6 minutes, 48 seconds

The wind has been blowning out at Toklat, so I decided to add the wind speed & gusts from the Toklat weather station.
Wind speed: 16 mph from SE
Wind gust: 20 mph

This is a new photo of Willie. I now have the photos of Willie's trip out with the mushers. I will be posting these new photos as often as possible, mixed in with new news that I receive from him. I am waiting to hear from him tonight. I will add an update tomorrow 2/20.

The Pearson Cabin - The Cabin Willie Is Staying In

This is a picture of the late Charlie Ott, associated with the park for 50 years, in front of the Pearson cabin on the Toklat River. On a memorable January 30, 1926, Grant H. Pearson accepted a temporary ranger position which soon turned full-time.. Pearson, born in Litchfield, Minnesota, spent his youth in Michigan where the writings of Robert Service, Rex Beach and Jack London sparked his interest in Alaska. He aspired to a life described by Ernest Gruening, "In Alaska a man or a woman is judged not by family, means or previous stateside condition, but by what he is and can do in Alaska." He served as acting park superintendent from 1943-1947, and Superintendt from 1949-1956. In 1932 he summited Mt. McKinley as part of the Lindley-Liek Expedition. For more see his book, My Life of High Adventure. (The above photo and text is courtesy of Tom Walker. Thank you for your time and generosity Tom!)

This cabin is one of Denali National Park & Preserve's valuable Cultural Resources that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a representative of historic patrol cabins in the park. It is also listed on the national List of Classified Structures. The NPS has rehabilitated the cabin by replacing rotten sill logs and other parts. The cache is decaying and has been stabilized to prevent its demise until it can be properly restored to its historic condition. (This text was emailed to me by Jane Bryant, Cultural Anthropologist, Cultural Resource & Subsistence Division, Denali National Park & Preserve. Along with a 112 page Historic Furnishings Report for the 'Pearson Cabin'. Thank you Jane for your time and your generosity.)

The Wolves Of Denali

This is the cover of The Wolves of Denali book, 1998. Published by the University of Minnesota Press. The cover photo was taken by Leo Keeler, 1998. The books authors are L. David Mech, Layne G. Adams, Thomas J. Meier, John W. Burch, and Bruce W. Dale. Tom Meier has been extremely generous with current wolf information pertaining to Willie's trip. He best answers the questions that the Alaska Studies Class asked about the wolves. I will include his email infomation to this entry...

Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2008 14:58:24 -0900> > Hi Christine, I processed the data from a GPS collar that we have on one of the East Fork wolves (the alpha male, probably the wolf with the huge feet that Willie noticed). Over the last month, they've moved back and forth between Riley Creek and Stony Creek (see the attached map). On the days when Willie heard and saw wolves and wolf sign, sure enough, the East Fork wolves (or at least the alpha male) were out around Toklat. But since then they have moved east to the Sanctuary. The last location I have is February 4, and I should get another update from the satellite link on February 10. If Willie decides to move up to the camping site, it might be a good idea to store food in Action Packer boxes, which should be sufficient to keep wolves out unless they have time to gnaw on them for quite a while. The East Fork Pack is currently the biggest pack in the park, with 17 wolves, so they must make an impressive amount of sign when they pass through an area. With that many wolves, it also seems likely that they'll keep moving around, in order to find food for all of them. There are some nice photos of the East Fork wolves on Gordon Haber's website (February 3 blog entry). He refers to them as the Toklat pack. Here's the link: http://alaskawolves.org/. Attached is the map of satellite locations for the pack, from January 7 to February 4. ***(SEE ABOVE MAP FOR SATELLITE LOCATIONS OF THE WOLVES. If you click on the map it will enlarge the map.)

Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 16:48:41 -0900 Hi Christine, I got two more GPS locations uploaded, from the 5th and 6th, and the wolves are still in the same area in the Sanctuary, which is where we saw a lot of hares last winter so they might be chasing hares, or have a big kill there, but they haven't moved much.

Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:06:07 -0900 Hi Christine, I checked another batch of GPS collar data and the East Fork wolves are still in the Sanctuary area, so they've been there for 10 days or so now. The map I sent shows that they've travelled pretty widely, but they do seem to have settled into the Sanctuary area for quite a while. The did the same last year, and it seemed to be because there were really a lot of hares in the Sanctuary vallely, and the wolves were hunting them. There are probably quite a few moose in the area too. Most packs in the winter travel widely, looking for vulnerable moose, caribou or sheep. Some packs move out of their territories entirely, if there isn't enough to eat. Several packs in Denali have shown a pattern of moving northeast into the Stampede Road area in winter, because that's where the caribou often are. That's probably not happening this winter because most of the caribou are wintering in the Kantishna Hills. There are several wolf dens in or near the Toklat valley, so there have been many summers when there was a lot of wolf activity there. Wolves generally don't visit dens in the winter, and move around their territories without any real home except for kill sites that they might spend a few days around. So while we worry about people disturbing wolves around their dens in early summer, or rendezvous sites in late summer, we don't usually worry about wolf disturbance in winter because the wolves can simply move on if they're bothered by human activity.

Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:00:23 -0900 Christine, The 3 wolves sound like the Grant Creek Pack (the wolves who denned a mile> or two SW of the Pearson Cabin in 2005 and 2006). For a while this winter they were actually east of the East Fork pack, though their territories are basically the other way around. There are only 3 wolves left in the Grant Creek Pack, as far as we know.

*(The top photo is from The Wolves Of Denali book, page 34/figure 2.4, photo by L. David Mech)

February 13 & 14 - Days 24 & 25

February 14, 2008
Thursday
Toklat temperatures since midnight:
Max, 35 degrees F
Min, 29 F
Denali Education Center temperatures at 12:15 am: ( i guess it is really Friday, 2/15 now) 30 F

Sunrise: 8:55 am
Sunset: 5:18 pm
Total daylight: 8 hours, 23 minutes (8 HOURS!!!!)

"TODAY WAS ALL WIND" this is what Willie had to say about the past 2 days...
February 13, 2008
Today I climbed a ridge of an area where Sheldon had taken a photo 100 years ago. A great day!
Today was ALL wind. I took photos. The landscape is totally different from yesterday. Where the road was- it was a big snow road. Now there is no snow on the road. It is totally changed. It makes me appreciate (what I think?) the relationship that Dall Sheep have with wind. Because as wind blows off all the snow, the plants and vegetation are exposed that the Dall Sheep eat. Dall Sheep like the wind-- my guess. Conversely, the problem is that the slopes are all bare and this will expose them, making it easier to be hunted by wolves, and other predators...

February 14, 2008
"TODAY WAS GUSTS OF WIND"
The last two days the wind has been blowing non-stop. It has totally transformed the landscape. The snow is totally off the mountains. They are bare. Also, the Toklat is a glaze of BLUE ICE. In front of Divide Mountain, where all the rivers are and the low pass area is, it is almost all gravel and ice now. It has totally been transformed in the last 2 days. The wind gusts were REALLY HEAVY. I don't know how hard they were, but I guess 45-50 mph. A few times walking I was almost knocked over by it. There were great cyclones of snow. I'd look across the Toklat and I could not see the other side- one big mass of snow blowing to the south then to the north. I am covering alot of ground- seeing all kinds of new country. But I have NOT seen ANY Dall Sheep! You read Sheldon's book and he saw huge bands of them. I look everyday, ALL DAY, and I have not seen any! I think it is going to snow again. It feels like it. Today my "buddies" were Ravens, Magpies, Boreal Chickadees, and RedPolls. Plus a Red Squirrel that chatters at me everytime I go to the outhouse. He was shy before, but now he is all about letting me know he is there...

Willie's Journal Entry for 2/3 - 2/12

Willie shared his journal entry with me to sum up his week:

"It's been a great week! I've continued to explore my surroundings-- climbing, snowshoeing and for awhile, skiing. The tip on my right ski cracked making it un-useable. It's okay though, because this trip is about adaptation. I feel more and more comfortable and less a stranger here everyday. I wish everyone could feel what I am experiencing. It seems like I learn something new with each step I take. Each day I walk out the door and have a little adventure. Our lives are the accumulation of all of our little adventures. And I'm realizing this more than ever before. Today Tuesday, February 12th I went for a walk in a heavy flake snowstorm. I was rewarded with seeing three wolves. One totally black, and two gray and white. I was able to film them at a distance. They had been sitting watching me for sometime. We are playing a game of hide and seek, and I am definitely the loser. I've been looking forward to fresh snow as I am more aware of tracking individual animals and watching their habits. My best times are when I walk out the door".

Willie told me that on February 10th he saw two fresh wolf tracks so big that the indentation they left in the hard packed trail was like what crampons would leave from a persons boots. They also "marked" the area where Willie had urinated outside. They walked up the trail to the cabin about 20 feet and circled around and then headed back down the trail.

On February 11th he heard a lone wolf howling before daylight. The 12th is when he saw and filmed the 3 wolves.

For The Tri-Valley Alaska Studies Class

February 14, 2008
Willie called tonight and we caught up on the last 12 days. I asked Willie your questions and here is what he had to say:

"Thanks so much for the questions. You are absolutely correct. The arctic oven is more heat efficient. However, I believe I have enough wood and I am learning how to regulate how much of it I use. I'm actually not using that much. It's nice to be in the cabin. Though the arctic oven is a whole different experience that I would like to experience as well. And I may in the future".

Willie also told me that he decided not to stoke the fire in the cabin all night long as he had been doing. He cranked the fire box to it's max-- about +50 degrees F. By morning it was about +18 degrees F in the cabin. That was fine for him as he has his Marmot -30 below sleeping bag. It did take about 1 hour to get the cabin temperture up to +32 degrees F. Anything below zero outside and the cabin just cannot hold much heat. His days are "lightning fast". "A constant battle with the cold, staying warm, chores and exploring". The coldest temperature Willie had during our cold spell was -30 below zero. That was when Healy had the -60 below reported.

To answer the wolf questions Willie asked me to email Tom Meier who is the Wildlife Biologist at Denali National Park and Preserve. Tom was very generous with his information on the wolves at Toklat. I will post his answers to your questions asap. I just want to catch-up on Willie's week first. Thank you for your patience in the update of Willie's week.

The Week of -55 Below Zero!

WILLIE IS FINE!!!!! During the cold spell Willie called to check in. It seems that he is sitting in the "banana belt" of Denali. His lowest temperature was only -30 below zero. He did not even realize that it was so much colder everywhere else in the area. He felt VERY lucky that he did not get the -50 below & the (-60 below that Healy got!)

Hello Everyone! I am so SORRY for the delay in a new update on Willie. I APOLOGIZE for any un-do stress and/or worry that I may have caused. Especially to Sonja Schmidt's Tri-Valley High School class in Healy. As you know, I was off to Fairbanks to pick up friends visiting from Florida. The temperatures kept dropping. Our mercury thermometer at our cabin showed a daily low of -55 Below Zero with highs only to -40 below zero. I was to return to Denali with my friends and update the blog, but I felt unsafe to drive the 130 miles down to Denali. We were Fairbanks "stranded" in the ICE FOG-- computer-less. I left the laptop in Denali. The temperatures did improve on Sunday night. But at this point, I had to stay in Fairbanks to get my friends to the airport and I had previous scheduled appointments on Monday & Tuesday. So I just got back to Denali. I wanted to write this as soon as possible to let you know what had happened and I hope you can understand. AGAIN I AM SO SORRY! Please, allow me to digest all the new blog comments & news from Willie. I will write back asap.

To the Tri-Valley class- as soon as Willie calls, I will ask him your questions & will post his answers on the blog.

PS. Annamarie & Cory- you 2 are TROOPERS! To handle -55 below zero from 81 degrees above! That's "only" a 136 degree difference! Thank you both for making the trip!

Sunday, February 3, 2008 - Day 14

I haven't heard back from Willie yet. So no new news. But I wanted to let the folks reading this blog know that the next entry will not be until around Feb. 8th. I have friends visiting from South Florida--Brave Souls! No one has ever visited me in Alaska in the winter! We are off to Fairbanks, Chena Hot Springs & basically I'm staying away from the computer for a few days. Thank you for reading. And I will be back the end of the week with an update from Willie, and lots of stories I'm sure...

Have a wonderful week! Cheers, Christine

Saturday, February 2, 2008- Day 13

Toklat temperatures since midnight:
Max, -3 degrees F
Min, -15 degrees F
Denali Education Center temperature at 8:30 pm:
-9 F

Sunrise: 9:35 am
Sunset: 4:37 pm
Total daylight: 7 hours, 2 minutes (we are up to 7 hours now!)
Gain: 6 minutes, 43 seconds

I spoke to Willie and he gave me an update on the past few days out there.

Wednesday, January 30, Willie was hauling wood from the Toklat river to the cabin. He noticed wolf tracks that went from the wood pile to the cabin and then down to the outhouse trail. The tracks made a full circle from the Toklat wood pile to his cabin. Obviously they seem to be curious about Willie's presence at both places.

Thursday, January 31, Willie went for a ski. He left his skis outside and walked up the trail to the cabin. He got busy with errands. A few hours later he went back to grab his skis. It seems that the wolves were checking out his skis. Willie could distinguish 8 different sets of tracks, and one set in particular were "HUGE"! The wolves also left their "mark" by urinating all over the area, but not directly on the skis. Willie says, "How exciting to be right in the heart of wolf activity like this". This shows how truly special Denali is. That it is supporting these amazing animals. Willie says he feels safe sharing the space with the wolves. They are keeping away from him, yet checking him out at the same time. Ultimately this is a great story about the wolves, and a great educational tool to get people interested in Denali in the winter time. "This is a very powerful spot to be in".

Friday, February 1- "A beautiful day, clear, not a cloud in the sky". -5 below zero and dropping. He has a new buddy hanging around, a Gray Jay that watches him every morning outside the cabin. Ravens have been flying about too. He is getting into the groove. The sun is coming up higher. It is lighting up the Alaska Range.

I am able to get updates from Willie on the satellite phone. I love that I can hear his voice & know that he is fine, but the satellite phone is not easy to communicate on. There are these long pauses, and a delay. We sometimes end up talking over each other. There are also dead spots & you can't hear what he is saying. So, that is why I'm not exactly sure when this next thing happened. But I think it was Friday. He said, "This morning there was fresh snow. The whole place, by the cabin, was full of snowshoe hare tracks. When the wolves were around here the past few days there was not a single snowshoe hare track to be seen. Today, no wolf tracks but snowshoe hare tracks are everywhere. So everyday it is a little bit different out here".

Today, Saturday, February 2- Willie said that he is going to start to explore the area now that all his daily living systems are in place. He will head out with his snowshoes today. He will go up the drainage area toward Highway Pass. (see the map link from day 6 below to see where Highway Pass is)

Wood/Water/Food/Batteries

The latest from Willie:
He has been working on getting his "systems" down for everyday living out at Toklat. His daily chores revolve around WOOD, WATER, FOOD, and BATTERIES.

WOOD- He has to haul the wood that was dropped the end of September from the Toklat bridge area to the Pearson cabin. He now has enough wood hauled & split to get him through a few weeks. He has been sleeping a little bit longer than usual because he has to get up about every 2 hours to stoke the fire to keep it going. He has got into a rhythm with the fire and says he can now hear it when it is getting low & needs more wood added to it. He is tuned into the wood stove now. He gets it going really hot at night then just keeps adding to it. The cabin stays at about 48 to 50 degrees F.

WATER- Everyday he goes down to the Toklat River which is mostly frozen, but does have open leads. He gets his drinking water from these open leads. He has 3 Nalgene bottles for drinking water everyday. (He can get more water if needed) Willie washed his clothes & body for the first time since his travels began. On Wednesday he got the wood stove as hot as it would go. He melted snow for washing. The water is in a 3 gallon bucket and he has a metal tub to get into. He hung over the tub & washed his hair & face 1st. Then he sat in the tub & washed his body "sort of" bathtub style. He was set up right next to the wood stove. He used another bucket for rinsing off with. Then he washed all his dirty clothes in the same process. Willie said, "Everyone should not shower & get massively dirty, just to feel how wonderful something as basic as a shower is". To dry his clothes overnight he had to keep the cabin as warm as possible. That night he had to stoke the fire every 1 & 1/2 hours. By morning his clothes were dry.

FOOD- His mornings start with the same thing everyday. Instant coffee, oatmeal with powered milk. Lunch is trail mix, power bars, nuts & cheese. Dinner SAUSAGES!!!! He does recommend "easy is best".

BATTERIES- He is getting the systems down for recharging the batteries needed for the satellite phone. The SOLAR PANELS are working!He has been able to use the solar panels to charge the satellite phone battery.

Now that he has the systems down- he has enough wood hauled & chopped- water & food are in place. He will start to do some exploring now. While he is away he will have the solar panels charging batteries inside the cabin.

Musher Update- Saturday, February 2, 2008

The mushers spent another day out at the Sanctuary cabin yesterday. They should be heading out today from Sanctuary back to the park kennels. They should be back home by tonight. They will have photos & video for me of their time spent with Willie traveling the 55 miles out to Toklat. I will update the blog with these photos & video as soon as I get them.