Jean Aspen - Arctic Son: Fulfilling the Dream

Fulfilling the Dream

Jean Aspen

Copyright 1995, 2014 by Jean Aspen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.

Arctic Son was originally published in 1995 by Dell Publishing in New York.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Aspen, Jean.

Arctic son : fulfilling the dream / Jean Aspen.

pages cm

Originally published: Birmingham, Alabama : Menasha Ridge Press, 1995.

ISBN 978-0-88240-920-7 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-941821-00-8 (e-book)

ISBN 978-1-941821-22-0 (hardbound)

1. Aspen, Jean. 2. Aspen, JeanFamily. 3. PioneersAlaskaBrooks RangeBiography. 4. Brooks Range (Alaska)Biography. 5. Brooks Range (Alaska) Description and travel. 6. AlaskaDescription and travel. 7. Frontier and pioneer lifeAlaskaBrooks Range. 8. Wilderness areasAlaskaBrooks Range. 9. Wilderness survivalAlaskaBrooks Range. I. Title.

F912.B75A77 2014

979.8'70092dc23

[B]

2013050352

Cover Design by Jean Aspen and Vicki Knapton

Interior Design by Vicki Knapton

Illustrations by Jean Aspen

Published by Alaska Northwest Books

An imprint of

P.O. Box 56118

Portland, Oregon 97238-6118

503-254-5591

www.graphicartsbooks.com

For Luke
And his childrens children,
And for every child
Who dreams of Freedom, Beauty, and Adventure;
And for Tom Irons and Laurie Schacht
Who made my dreams come true.

Our wilderness family, October 1992.

We chose our cabin site on a 1990 canoe trip. Luke was four.

The first time I set off for the Arctic I had just turned twenty-two. It was a perfect age for testing myself against hardships and the unknown. I felt the need to do it on my terms and sought little help. Two decades later, proving myself was no longer the issue. At forty-two I was comfortable with my physical limitations. As a mother, I wished to ensure the safety of our journey. As a seeker I was learning to accept lifes gifts.

I was therefore deeply moved by the number of friends and even strangers who stepped forward with offers of assistance when Tom and I announced we were returning to the Brooks Range to build a cabin and live alone for a year and a half with our young son, Luke. Were it not for this help, our undertaking would have been far more difficult.

Apart from the love these gifts represented, there was sometimes a wistful quality. I felt rather like an astronaut, setting forth where few will go but many will follow in their hearts. In receiving, I discovered a nobility of human spirit, a desire to contribute and be a part of something beyond our daily lives, and so came to see our venture not in terms of us alone, but as something greater. This odyssey then belongs not only to me and mine, but to all who stood and waved good-bye and to any our story may touch and inspire.

I apologize to anyone I fail to mention by name. The oversight is not intentional. I am grateful to each of you for your contribution, your love, and for teaching me that it is also good to receive.

In the order they come to mind and not in importance, I wish to thank and acknowledge the following individuals:

Mark and Denise Wartes were our safety lines. They collected our mail, organized supply flights, kept our truck, and gave us a loving home base in Fairbanks.

My sister, Ann Helmericks and her husband, John Louder, built our stovepipe oven and gave us numerous items. My Aunt Janet and Uncle Bert Cutler provided the stove and helped purchase videotapes. Toms brother and wife, Fred and Sally Irons, helped us buy video equipment.

My father and stepmother, Bud and Martha Helmericks, and my brothers Jim, Mark, and Jeff Helmericks and their families, were kind to us.

Toms family: Alice and Larry Irvin, Frances Putman, Mary-Eva Irons, Nancy and Charlie Weatherman, and Richard and Barbara Irons supported us with love, despite their concerns.

Vic and Judy Michael rekindled the dream.

Stan and Ruth Brown supported in countless ways with joy and enthusiasm. Lukes sleeping bag was a present from them. Barb and Bill Dantzler championed us with clothing, food, and much else. Neighbors Joyce Mattson and Debbie Gonzolez often took on an extra child to leave me free to prepare.

Jeffrey and Nicole Ureles and Jennifer Barnacastle took care of our Arizona home with assistance from Joe Burns and Keven Mulkins. Peg Hausler, Robert Fleming, and Bea Carter handled our affairs.

Alaskan bush pilots who greatly deserve our thanks: Stephen Ruff and Ken Howard of Brooks Range Aviation, Steve Porter of Transporter Air, Don Ross of Canning Aviation, the Alaskan Civil Air Patrol, and the Fairbanks-based US Air Force Medevac Team.

Drs. Georgie and Jack Boyer were our medical advisors and Dr. J. Rokey set us up with an emergency dental kit, as he had twenty years before. Dr. Christopher Demas, Mr. Rogers, PA, and Dr. Stephen Moore deserve our thanks as well. Our pharmacists, Rich Howard and Mary Sparling, also guided us.

We couldnt have made the video without technical help and encouragement from Chris Knight of The New Film Company. Kate Bandos of KSB Promotions was indispensable in handling my books.

When Arizona schools turned us down, several individuals contributed materials and ideas for Lukes first grade. Among these were Sue Clemans, Peggy Clemans, Jennifer Vemish, Jane Chittenden, Ruby James, Beth Zona, Susan Kraft, David Anderson, Marie Tsaguris, and Amelia Warner and her children.

Robert Morgan located a canoe for us and gave Luke a pair of skis. Ralph Griest donated his knives as did Eugene Brown. Eugene Brown and Betty Brown drove three hundred miles to clean our carpets as a parting gift. Friends and neighbors offered to help us pack.

My spiritual teacher, Frederick Patchen, has altered forever the quality of our lives.

The Indian people of Venetie, Beaver, and Stevens Village treated us like family.

The cooking staff at the University of Arizona Student Union saved empty food containers. Susanne Loeper of Back to Basics in Payson, Arizona, special ordered dried foods.

Special thanks goes to my editors, Budd Zehmer and Kathy Howard, for keeping my creative style within acceptable bounds, and to Barb Wieser, Mike Jones, Stephen Reynolds, and Doug Pheiffer for believing in me. Jacob Hoye, Scooter MacMillan, Angela Zbornnik, and Vicki Knapton also contributed.

And finally we are thankful to everyone who loved and supported us, including: Duane and Jenny Durham, Mark and Jane Fraze, Don and Ginny Fisher of Papillon Glass, Denny Genzman of Snoopys Flight School, Hugh and Claire Wingfield, Ralf and Celia Webber, Michelle Polis, John Callentine, Valina Cutler, Albert Cutler III, Chris Vemish, George and Fredi Young, Jake Cadzow, Jay and Sandy Dominic, Philip Fergione, Charlotte Cardon, Gayle and Richard Carter, Bob and Jean Rupkey, John Lacoma, Sally Steven-Towne, Bob Stauffacher, Terrel Miedaner, Lillian Fisher, Michael Zanders, Troy Mattson, and Darlene Schacht.