AK 239: The Enemy Is Already Here

Tuesday:

23:12 hours.

The water was black

The wind was howling at forty knots

(Gusts at over 100!)

I hadn’t been drinking for hours

We’re dead in the water. Engine out

Coast Guard called but still

nowhere in sight

I think we might die

But I won’t let Mike know that

God please help me stop this vile habit

I will do anything

Anything

I would die tonight if I never,

Never could ever touch another

Drop of that vile thing called liquor

I’m thinking, this is definitely the rantings of an alcoholic who likely saw something!

Jack is heading back to the bridge and, I don’t know why, but I put his diary in my pocket and walk off the bridge.

* * *

My Diary

Mike and I join Jack and Jennifer on the bridge.

“Where we headed?” I ask looking at Jennifer.

Jennifer pulls out her cell phone,

“Our witness dropped the suspect alone at Kendrick Bay. Here are the co-ordinates.”

Jack pulls out of his pocket an old Garmin hiking device and proceeds to put the co-ordinates into something that looks like it was purchased at Radio Shack in the late ’90s.

So I ask Jennifer, “This is now what we’re tracking criminals with?”

“Hey, it’s my trusty satellite device. It will pinpoint right where you want to go,” says Jack.

I then say, “Isn’t that for hiking?”

“Ya but isn’t that what you might be doin’?” says Jack.

I say, “I have a better program on my phone.”

“But there’s no cell service in that area,” says Jack. Then after a long pause, “Just as soon as it finds the satellites we’ll be in business.”

Jennifer reacts to me as if we may be a bit ill prepared.

I return the feeling but cover my thought by saying,

“This is why I volunteered: A nice Christmas Eve hike in the Alaskan wilderness.”

Jack, clueless to all of this, reacts excited,

“Okay, I know right where we’re going. Your man was let off on the east side of Prince of Wales Island.”

Mike chimes in, “Looks like the south side of Kendrick Bay?”

“Ya, looks like it. That whole side of the island is uninhabited.” says Jack.

I volunteer, “Sounds like the perfect place for a guy who wants to stay dead.”

Jennifer, “So three hours, right?”

Jack, “About.”

At this point I’m very concerned saying, “Shouldn’t we go back now and get some proper equipment?”

Jack says, “Like what?”

I say, “Oh I don’t know, like maybe a good map!

Jennifer, ignoring the sarcasm, “I’ve flown over this area. There’s a barge on the south end that’s occupied by only one person. Older man. The sat images look like our suspect but I can’t positively identify.

Jack says, “Parts of Kendrick Bay is over 900 feet deep! Out in Clarence Strait the water can be as much as 1,600 feet deep. Glaciers carved out deep water around many of these islands. The Navy used to test sonar submarine equipment around here ’cause the water’s so deep.”

I’m clueless as to all of the red flags that should’ve been going off in all our heads.

Jennifer now whips out a detailed map,

“Okay, so this is where we’re going. A Russian mining company holds claims to all these parts of Bokan Mountain and has built a dock here. We can walk right onto the beach from that dock.”

I now have slightly more respect, “So we’re just lost fishermen?”

Jennifer looks to Jack, “Did you bring them?”

Jack looks at Mike who’s not paying attention.

Mike, “What? Oh ya.”

Mike opens a drawer and pulls out some neon red overalls and some cheap things that look more like all you can eat bibs from Red Lobster!

I volunteer, “I’m not wearing target rich, school crossing jackets.”

I then think, I’ve seen this disaster before:

On the slopes of Mt. Hood.

Jennifer enthusiastically throws a jacket to me saying,

“Today, we’re fishermen.”

“You mean, fisher people!” I disgustingly add.

Jack then tries to help, “Or fishers.”

Jennifer now disgusted too,

“Whatever!”

Jack then breaks the tension, “If you need to use your phones, you have about ten minutes before you won’t have a signal.”

So I walk to the back of the boat and pull out my phone.

Ketchikan can now only be seen from the back of the boat in the distance. Ahead: Nothing but water and islands of rocks and trees.

It’s peaceful and beautiful. On the other-hand I thought,

“Maybe I should’ve updated my will.”

* * *

About two hours later I am looking at another, beautiful, Alaskan picture perfect shot. I snap a couple of shots on my phone of waterfalls gently gliding off of tall rocks and into the Narrows. The sun began to peek from between the clouds in a, rare, December appearance.

All four of us idiots now look like fisher “men” as we all have on neon gear, including the biggest target on the ship:

ME!

Jennifer has been talking up a storm on the bridge with Jack.