Post Trip Notes....

BERNIE BAST, JULY 3, 2002 -- A PADDLER GIVING THANKS -- So often we do not see our fortunes for their true worth, simply taking them for granted. My experiences with the Yukon Canoe Odyssey brought some stark realizations to mind. Despite a prior family commitment limiting my time and opportunities with the venture, my paddler's Thanksgiving Days came early this year and will continue for many "paddles" to come. I am thankful for the opportunity to paddle with the legendary Verlen Kruger and his gracious wife, Jenny. I am thankful to have met the extraordinary persons joined in this venture. Their warmth and caring about fellow paddlers and their stimulating conversations I will treasure always. I am so thankful to own a Kruger expedition canoe that has companioned me safely through unexpected perilous waters for the third time since 1996. I am so grateful for the Supreme Guidance System that brought all of this about with the developmental steps of improved canoe design, daring long term journeys that have become such inspiring legends in paddling history, and how this entire fortune has brought paddling destiny to the lives of so many.
DAN SMITH, JULY 12, 2002 -- The vastness of the land, the endless mountains. I now know why Robert Service wrote "THE SPELL OF THE YUKON." The first 30 days on the Yukon has given me a lot of great memories, paddling with new & old friends. Here are some of them: No darkness no matter what time you wake up. Watching Chris Adolf catch the first fish of the trip (he was a happy camper). Waking up some mornings with frost on the tent. Waking up at 2:00 a.m. and hearing the birds singing. Doing the sour toe cocktail with Nick Newhouse & Ron Bolt in Dawson City (Nick said there was no way he would ever do it! He was the first one!). THE SPELL OF THE YUKON. I caught ten arctic grayling in the same spot. I've seen three black bears (one I chased out of camp on July 6th). I've spotted seven golden eagles, and four bald ones in the same area five miles down river from Whitehorse. Watching Jenny paddle the catamaran as Verlen slept in the canoe, that moment was priceless! Getting water from a cold mountain stream tastes better than any I've ever had. Checking out all the old ghost towns and cabins that the trappers and miners once lived in has been fun. I even got to deliver a letter from the postmaster to my good friend Verlen by canoe on the Yukon from Dawson city! I also met an old friend of my brother Mike's named John Krump as he was fishing for king salmon along the river. (It's a small world!) I've been panning for gold, with very little luck at this point but I will keep trying. Hearing Chris & Dan tell us about the lynx they saw getting two small Canadian geese was interesting. But I could go on and on because "IT JUST DOESN"T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!!!" (except if my beautiful wife Roxane was here with me)
PHIL AND JOANNE PETERSON --
JULY 14, 2002 -- We returned home from Dawson (after first driving to Anchorage to visit our son) on July 12. We now have eight rolls of great photos of the Carcross to Dawson leg of the YCO! We had a marvelous time, despite a couple of cracked ribs given to me (Phil) by the slippery banks of the Yukon. We felt privileged to be in the grand company of Verlen, Jenny, and our fellow paddlers, whose collective atmosphere was inspiring throughout the trip. When you next speak with the group, tell them that empty spot on the river they've been noticing is where Joanne and I would like to still be!
August 2, 2002 -- (Additional comments to the ten final paddlers. When they finish, Phil & Joanne will be "somewhere out in the Pacific.") CONGRATULATIONS on completing the Yukon Odyssey with Verlen and Jenny! You are recipients of our respect, our envy, and our best wishes! Warm regards to Verlen and Jenny. Joanne misses your little teepee! We will communicate with all on our return. We need someone to send us their list of addresses of the entire initial group so we can "snail-mail" some photos of individuals we'd like to share . . . please! Will talk to you in October.
(Additional comments August 26, 2002)
Phil left today for Hawaii, to cross the Pacific, mumbling, "we should have been in Emmonak!" Congratulations to all! We'll be in touch. Phil & Joanne Peterson