Allan Aujero's Diary

Sept. 11; 9 p.m.

Today was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. It started with a plane ride from our mentors, Paul and Donna Claus. The fun and games ended there.

We were given a topographical map and general directions to the cabin. It was supposed to be 2.33 miles. Unfortunately for us, none of us are great at orienteering. My guess is we hiked eight miles. That far through an area with NO trails. We must have bushwhacked through six miles. We had a major river crossing across the Chitina River. That was pretty hairy. Our "walk" ended with a 3/4-mile hike through the swamp. Every step you take, you sink knee deep into freezing water. As you take each step, the process repeats. I was about ready to quit. Just as that leg ended, we had to hike another 1/4-mile uphill. What a sight! Our cabin! I had two or three handfuls of trail mix, and I am passing out. Good night …

Sept. 12; 8 p.m.

Today was a great day! We got busy right away preparing our cabin and gathering fire wood. We also located a stream about three-quarters of a mile west of our cabin so we loaded up on water. I drank it right there, and it was some mighty fine-tasting water. It was our first hike, so it was great to explore our surroundings.

I feel Tim, Jasmine and I are really working well together, especially  since none of us has ever done anything like this before. It's a a stressful situation, living together in close quarters. Our cabin is really coming together.

Sept. 14; 10 a.m.

Another good day. We explored the stream once again. It seemed like we had an easier time finding it yesterday. Getting lost despite your compass is a very humbling experience. Nonetheless, we took it in stride and marked the trail from our cabin to the stream with caution tape in preparation for winter. If snow falls, we will not be able to see our trail. We also began the construction of the structure around our latrine. London log style. We’ll fill in the cracks with moss for insulation. After splitting wood, Tim, Jasmine and I built a bonfire, where we ate baked potatoes for dinner. The mosquitoes were out in full force. Good times.

Sept. 15

Another enjoyable day. If you like being outdoors, enjoy working with wood and learning new skills, then you would have enjoyed today. Jasmine, Tim and I tried to cut down a 40-foot spruce today (it was dead) as part of our preparation for winter firewood. Unfortunately, the cross-cut saw broke at the handle.

Tim and Jasmine went fishing, and Jasmine caught something resembling a small salmon out of the lake. She fried it up and we all had a taste. Surprisingly, it was pretty good. While they were fishing, I made my first attempt at making bread. Much to my surprise, it was a tremendous success. It came out really well, and we enjoyed it with some peanut butter and jelly. Another day full of surprises, lessons and shared appreciation.

Sept. 16

All my journal entries from now on will be at night. At this point, it just makes sense, especially since I’m only guessing what time it is. Today was a productive day. Jasmine cut down a tree, Tim increased his production of firewood (as well as cut down a tree), and Tim and I continued construction on the latrine (dug out holes for the posts, collected rocks, for the foundation of posts/70 pounds uphill 300 yards), and began insulation of the cabin.

At the end of the day, we were given Actiwatches to monitor our activity. Too bad we didn’t get them earlier. Jasmine also went further with our bread recipe by adding onions to the top of one loaf and cranberries (high brush cranberries she and Tim picked today) and brown sugar on another. For dinner, we had an instant Mexican dish (camping food) along with Jasmine’s onion bread. Since we’ve mostly eaten potatoes for three days, it was like a gourmet meal.

Sept. 18

Yesterday was fun. Our mentors, Paul and Donna Claus, came by and gave us pointers in Alaskan survival. They also gave us a tutorial on hunting and handling a rifle. We shot a .22 and a .338. The .338 was something else! What a bang and a kick! All in all, it was a great experience and a great reprieve from wood cutting.

One of the handles on our cross-cut saw broke, and Tim and I remade one in short order. About 2.5 hours using fairly primitive tools. Now that we got our cross-cut saw back, our wood production will increase. That confidence allowed us to go on a hike to pick berries. We needed a spiritual lift and we got one. The stress of wilderness living and being away from home is beginning to show. On the upside, we are increasing our self-sufficiency through a variety of skills. Jasmine is now in the rotation for splitting wood. She’s really worked her technique and has become quite the wood splitter!

Sept. 22

The last few days have been fairly intense. Just as we had figured out how to use a cross-cut saw, and increased our fire wood production, challenges presented themselves. Each of the handles broke at separate times. This is one of the most important pieces of equipment we have. When the first handle broke, we simply re-created a new one using a piece of diamond willow. It was no easy task drilling a hole, however, since we are without a power drill/tool. When the second handle broke, that actual hardware connecting it to the blade broke. Tim, however, devised a clever way to not only create a new handle but to affix it to the blade. These episodes really helped to increase our confidence in overcoming challenges. Good news is we were back in business; bad news was that we were back to lugging logs uphill. Good times! Jasmine has been great. Not only is she keeping our spirits up with her culinary skills, but she is now is the rotation for cutting and splitting wood.

Sept. 23

We decided to take the day off today. Actually, we worked about half a day and decided we’ve been working hard and should relax. We did our own thing for the most part. Jasmine and I tried to hunt spruce grass but had no luck. Tim also tried hunting and ran into some squirrels but, alas, also came up empty-handed. Not sure how many calories I am consuming versus energy I am expending, but I am beginning to "swim" in my pants. When I left Anchorage two weeks ago, these pants were relatively snug.

I also took the time to begin applying moss to the latrine. We dug a hole 2 by 1 and 4 feet deep. We built a structure out of dead trees interlocking three walls. To deal with the cracks, we are filling them in with moss. It’s good enough for an outdoor bathroom using natural resources and not having the aid of power tools.