Things are looking hopeful!
The weather has cleared up and the local pilots are taking advantage of the fact. At the airport nearby, the planes are taking off one after the other. This is great news! Keep on flying, you birds! You can still smell the smoke, but now, at last, the clouds are visible, and, sometimes, even the sun. We haven't seen it for a long time. Meanwhile, I've learnt that Greg Jenner is not a guide, but an outfitter. The difference between them is that a guide actually goes with you, while an outfitter is the main organizer in charge of the guides, the head of the organizing company. Greg has managed to leave Fairbanks, and Petra,his wife, and I, hope that he gets through the smoke. There is a danger that he might get
Chapter I.: Arrival
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stuck in Deadhorse for a few days, as there the weather is bad. Petra reassures me that a solution will be found. It's difficult to keep up with all these events coming one on top of the other, but I still seem to be on track.
The hot-air ballooning, planned for 7.00 tonight is not going to happen. The balloon-man has completely disappeared, and there is no news of him at all. I'm really sorry about this, as I've never been ballooning, and would have liked to have tried it. Andy has put him on his black-list, which will give this crook serious problems in the future. One of the few bits of good news to arrive today, is that my gun will go directly to the camp, so I won't have to collect it from Deadhorse, or anywhere else.
My opinion of the hotel is becoming slightly jaded. I wasn't allowed to eat a hamburger in the bar because I didn't have my passport on me (!). I was sent to the restaurant, but they wouldn't give me one either.
My despair was made complete when I went to the sauna, and found that that wasn't working.
I'm leaving tomorrow, and I really hope I'll get to the camp. If I do, this will be my last day in civilization.
The Chena River flows right past my window, and there is an old-fashioned paddle-steamer sailing on it, carrying noisy tourists back and forth. The boat always whistles as it goes past my room.
If it does it once more, I'll throw something at it.
