Subject: My Day 19 – Wet Dog Race and Going Fishing
I’ve heard it said a dozen different ways before since the age of fifteen; and throughout my life from people of all walks in life – even some of the homeless I’ve talked to while working in downtown Los Angeles. The original quote about classifying peoples of the world based on the way that they live their lives goes something like this: There are those people that 1) make things happen; the second group are those that - have things happen to them; and finally the third are the ones that sit there and wonder what happened?
NOW – WHICH ONE ARE YOU? And can you change the way you are if you want to or do you always remain the same?
Then for those that want it said from someone self made comes a similar quote: The late Walt Disney said that there are three kinds of people in the world: 1) The “well-poisoners”, who discourage you and stomp your creativity and tell you what can’t do. 2) The “lawn-movers,” people who are well-intentioned but self-absorbed; they tend to their own by mowing their own lawns and never leaving their yard to help others;
3) Finally, the “life-enhancers”, people who reach out to enrich the lives of others, to lift them up and inspire them.
I am now in Anchorage and recall the first real life adventure that brought me to Alaska three years ago known as the Wet Dog Race. (This race is a 2,000 mile personal watercraft race) I wrote a few words then on the subject and even encouraged others to try to join us once I became committed in the cause. Picture this:
Have you ever wondered how any popular race ever gets started? And how it manages to grow into an annual event. Well, it usually starts off with two friends who challenge each other. Then more people get involved and thus the tradition is born, which continues on and on into an annual event; so successful, in fact, that the town or officials will want to support it, like they do now.
Most of my friends are not into watching professional sports but, do participate in and also follow events like the Alaskan 1,000 mile sled dog race by the name of “The Iditarod” or the 2,000 mile snowmobile race by the name of “The Iron Dog”.
Back home we only have one popular west coast PWC (personal watercraft) Race known as the 300 mile Mark Hahn Endurance Race in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Feb 26, 2011, I participated in this race with my friend Jim Walker – we placed 10th overall.
My friend John Lang is still working on turning his dream into reality. The first race is set to go off hopefully next year (May 2012). When this happens he will likely end up with the most ultra race of them all, the one that will make it into the World Book Records, the 2,000 mile PWC race known as “The Alaskan Wet Dog Race”. And that my friends are how race history is born.
Now which one of the three do you suppose that he is? For me – he already turned his adventure into reality and the rest of us followed and participated. My friend Petr who I am now visiting) Ron, Gina and yours truly already went out on our adventure that John created.
Before the trip was over we rode our personal watercrafts over 1,000 miles in Alaskan waters from the start in the Port of Anchorage all the way down to Kodiak Island.
This trip started on May 19, 2009 and was called by John Lang “Paving the Way”. I wrote the first story and if you want to read it it is still out there in the cyber world – Google Trawlercat and PWC
Who would’ve thought that many years ago, for a slim chance of finding gold, men from all walks of life would give up their respectable careers, for the adventure of a life time.
The original native Alaskans themselves did much the same thing, they were only equipped with an inflated seal skin kayak (baidarka) to go hunt large whales, armed only with the magic protection from their ancestor-whalers and their harpoons.
My friend John Lang is one of those men that would’ve set off to find gold or hunt a whale if he was born sooner however, like the rest of us he lives in the 21st century so, he is using the tools at hand.
The Arctic Jeep Expedition that I am now on was created by Mike, AKA: Steel Pony. The expedition is now at its halfway mark. Fortunately, for me I hopped off because I wanted to stop and smell the roses. For the next three days I will be on my friend Petr’s expedition. It goes something like this: Take a twin engine jet drive Yamaha 50 mph (basically a ski boat) equip it with five shrimp pots that will be dropped down into Whittier Straits, Alaska; fish for ? and then retrace, regroup and then make our way back down to Anchor Point, Alaska in his Ferrari. From there we’ll go out with a professional guide.
The rest of the Arctic Jeep expedition is now starting their day 17 going on into Denail/McKinley, AK to Tok Alaska via Denali Hwy. Camp at the famous Sourdough Campground in Tok, AK; Day 18 Tok to Chicken, AK, a side trip to Eagle, AK with final destination Dawson City, YT, Canada Gold Rush Campground; Day 19 Dawson to the Dempster Hwy past the Arctic Circle to River Rock Campground 304 miles; Day 20 River Rock Campground YT to Inuvik NWT the northern most point of any road in Canada. Back to Ft McPherson for the night 293 miles Camp or Hotel (hotels approx $200 per night); Day 21 Leave Ft McPherson for Hwy 2 and the end of the Dempster. 344 miles Camp in the vicinity of of Hwy 5 & 2;
Day 22 Dempster to Haines Jct Yukon Territory - Camp at Nugget City Campground, Watson Lake - 566 miles; Day 23 Haines Junction Yukon Territory to Telkwa, British Columbia 529 miles Camp at Ft Telkwa Campground; Day 24 Ft Telkwa British Columbia to Lac La Hache British Columbia 411 miles Camp at Big Country Campground; Day 25 Lac La Hache, British Columbia to Ft Langley, British Columbia 275 easy miles Camp at Ft Langley Campground; Day 26 Ft Langley, BC to Mt Hood National Forest via Vancouver & Mt St Helens 329 miles; Day 27 Mt Hood to Crater Lake National Monument via Redmond, Bend & Newberry Volcanic National Monument. 293 Miles; Day 28 Crater Lake to Red Bluff, CA via Lava Beds National Monument, Mt Shasta, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Volcanic Scenic Byway 380 miles.
Do you think that these three guys (John, Mike and Petr) are cut from the same stock? And what draws guys like me to come join them on their expeditions similar to the men seeking gold in the Alaskan fields – men who left careers, family and comfort for the chance to seek life, live a little and cherish that form of adventure for the rest of their living days.
See you on the Water!
Trawlercat
No comments:
Post a Comment