Thanks to the infinite wisdom of our Army leaders, we carry no ammunition,
just our M-16 rifles. Supposedly to prevent us from shooting each other! Not
trusting trained infantry soldiers? Only our sergeant Reilly carries ammo in
case of emergency. So according to this safety feature, in the case of a bear
attack I have to look for my sergeant, get some loose ammunition, proceed to
load my weapon and then I am able to protect myself. These bears are lightning
quick and since we traveled in dispersed groups of 3-5 men, every man should
have had ammo for his protection.
Walking along the bottom of this stream is no fun but it’s easier then to try
to walk through the thick alders. A number of streams are flowing around me as
they drain from the Russian Lake, the spawning waters of early sockeyes. Not
much of a view now which makes it difficult to spot bears. In this area
grizzlies are attracted in large numbers to feed on the spawning salmon.
The water is bone-chilling and my feet are beginning to hurt. In the distance I
see fellow soldiers trudging thru impenetrable brush. There are no trails here,
an occasional path made by animals doesn’t necessarily go in our direction. We
all know that these streams all drain into the Resurrection River which enters
the ocean in Seward, our destination. We will end our hike in the RR center
there. It’s 50 miles as the crow flies. Taking river bends and meanders into
considerations, it’s probably closer to 80 miles. I am sure it will take us
about a week at present pace.
I am thinking, damn, they are all moving much faster then I am, I don’t see
anybody except my roommate Chuck struggling about hundred feet away to my right.
I better speed up! Cold water is more than good for my roommate and his feet. We
have been having some serious arguments in our room about his foot odor. His
feet are just extremely pungent and he usually refuses to open a window in
Alaskan cold. I am sure he has some medical condition. We even had a scuffle
over this last winter.
I tighten up straps of my backpack, readjust the rifle and decide to move
faster. Getting sort of tired by and hungry now but my pack contains no food. A
helicopter is supposed to drop us some rations late in the afternoon. At least I
am not thirsty, plenty of clear water around me. We were traveling in small
groups at fast pace and I always had 2 – 3 men in my field of vision.
Another 20 minutes and I don’t even see Chuck around me. Where is everybody?
Yeah, I know I have been dragging my feet too much.
Rounding the rocky bend I realize that the creeks have solidified into a large
and distinctly straight stream and for some time now; I have been walking on its
left bank. I do think that I hear a distant chopper downstream, obviously my
dinner is being delivered. I speed up again. Now I see some two hundred meters
down the river and no soldiers! I look back with the same result! Shit, am I
that slow?
Walking is quite easier now, the ground is a mixture of small, round rocks and
sand. I am thinking hard about what am I going to do in case I don’t catch up
with anybody. The idea of sleeping alone in the woods doesn’t quite appeal to
me, even though I carry a sleeping bag. I have seen a number of grizzly tracks
up higher and I don’t feel much like a hero now, expecially with hunger
settling in. Haven’t eaten a thing since morning.