Wrangells to Cordova

All day today NGS photog Michael Christopher Brown and I ran around town getting ready for our Skurka-chasing trip from Solo Creek on the White River to Cordova via Skolai, Chitistone, McCarthy, Nizina, Kennecot, Chitina, and Copper.

Yesterday the writer for this Yellow Book story had been by to drop some of Andy's stuff off at my house.

"Yea he was a day behind schedule," said Dan Koeppel, "now he's a day a head."

I knew what that meant. It meant expect a garbled phone call soon.

Food shopping at Fred Meyers my phone rang. I looked at the screen to see the long, weird number.

"Hello? Hello?" I repeated. Long Pause.

"Roman?" Across space Skurka sounded drunk.

"It's Andy. I'm at Pioneer Outfitters, Terry Overly's place in Chisana. I'll be be at Solo Creek tomorrow night."

"OK. I'll call the pilot."

"The weather looks good. I think you'll have no problem getting in."

"Great. See you there."

As expected a day ahead. And he waits for no man.

No sooner than I'd hung up there, in the breakfast aisle, where I was buying Pop Tarts as a treat for a famous long-walker, I dialed Michael -- "Yep, he called. We have to fly in tomorrow." -- and then I called the pilot.

"Hi Gary? Yea, it's Roman Dial. Yea, you think you can fly us into Solo tomorrow night instead of the 19th?"