Flashbacks

There is no place more beautiful than flying into the Alaska Range in a small plane in the Fall early in September. My pilot Floyd was a very experienced pilot and just landed with me on a rough airstrip that really needed some work and mowing. I was at Ron Rockstad‘s cabin about 100 miles from North Pole, Alaska. No one had been here since last fall and I could see lots of things to do to get the camp ready. We unloaded and Floyd took off quickly to go pick up Pete Pulitzer and his son Zac. The trappers cabin was over 100 years old and had been a moose base camp for years. Some of the best hunting in Alaska was here. Fred Bear, who was a famous bow hunter, loved to hunt moose, caribou and bear here. Finally, I was back in the sacred hunting grounds.  It was so quiet and peaceful. As I walked into the spruce trees I said a short prayer thanking God for the opportunity to be here and to  ask him to watch over us on our hunt.    

I got busy organizing gear and cutting overgrowth around the cabin. Before I knew it I could hear the 180 plane coming in. I watched the 180 touch down then suddenly the right tire hit something causing the right landing gear to snap off and then the plane bounced. The next time the plane hit the ground the landing gear dug into the strip causing the plane to do an endo going upside down and skidding down the airstrip. My heart sank and I raced down the runway worried about the plane catching fire. When I got there Floyd managed to get out and I help my buddies Pete and Zac out. Zac was bleeding, but not bad, and Pete was hurting with unknown compression fractures. I raced back to camp and got the first aid kit, satellite phone, sleeping bags, etc.  This was the first time we ever had a satellite phone in camp and now thankful to have it. I had never used one before and I gave it to Floyd and he called for help.  Three hours later a big army rescue chopper came in and quickly loaded and took everyone away.

Blurry photo, but this is the rescue chopper that came for Pete. 

I took all the cargo from the plane to the cabin and organized it. It was very quiet again and I was stunned and shocked.  I was so anxious to see my best buddies and now everybody was gone after the crash. That night I got up to take a leak and it was beautiful with the northern lights in the sky like dancing rainbows. I looked down the airstrip from the cabin and could see the upside down plane which depressed me. I went back to sleep and then woke up and my mind was racing. I was having serious flashbacks like crazy, like never before of hunting,  fishing, and diving trips and the National Parks Service raids and battles all at the same time.  I have decided that I need to write down some of these flashbacks and make a book out of them. I have been fortunate to have had so many special experiences during my lifetime and definitely need to share them with others.

 Happy (and safe) hunting!

Jaret Owens - 805-551-6815