and with our
traps, guns sleeping bags and truck we had great loads.

We reached Gnome without any serious accidents or over severe suffering
sold our furs and felt fine over our grand success.

Into the Unknown

The following summer I fell in with a Miner by the Name of Jack Freeman.
he was well known as a penetrator, He told us that up at point Barrow
was all kind of shot gold. this aroused our curiosity again and I
thought of my Squaw down at St Michals. Which I felt if I went to Point
Barrow I would be obliged to wed. So we evaded the northern fever and
planned to trap again somewhere near Candle Creek.

We left Gnome in early autumn and went straight to our old camps. after
our usual luck we started in a circuitous route for Gnome. We came to
the Buckland River and started up intending to strike the mouth of the
Koyukuk but missed our mark striking forty miles above the mouth we had
hard times crossing the snow-capped mountains and climbing over Glaciers
breaking trails for our dogs, fixing broken sleighs and mending worn out
harnesses. tieing up stranded Snow-shoes and facing death in many forms.
Here for the first time in my life I realized I was indeed a very
reckless man. Often the boys would get cold and sleepy and I would have
to make them march at the point of old glory--my Gun--they would swear
and blame every bit of hard luck to me. I held my nerve and had good
controll over my men and after a waery march reached the Mouth of the
Koyukuk and sold our furs at Rampart, Here Black Dave quit us saying he
was going back to Arizonia. Three months later we took a boat and
floated down to the mouth of the Yukon followed on to the Lake and after
about fifteen days we reached Pay Creek. here we placer mined the whole
summer. and agin fell in With Jack Freeman and all planned a trip
beyond the haunts of men. We beat down the river that early autumn
traded our gold-dust for food, went back to the mouth of the Mullen
River, then began our march up mullen river. Always before in my life I
had been stepping in the footsteps of some predecessor; but now I was to
make tracks where man had never been.

Before begining the Arctic Expedition I called all the men up and
explained what it might mean--death hardships were all discussed but
they willingly agreed to go, in fact urged the expedition. then I said
if you loose your life your blood will be upon your own judgement and
not upon my head. If we go we shall br