There is a faint ray of hope.
Kavik Camp reports that the clouds have risen to 500 ft. and the temperature is 17.5 F. This means that Kavik is having the worst weather in the region. Everywhere else on Brooks Range the temperature is rising; but at Kavik they are still having heavy frosts.
These are the sort of figures that, according to our pilot, make our departure a borderline case. He's not bothered about the cold, but the clouds ought to be a bit higher. If conditions don't deteriorate, we might try to make it. It all depends on the changing weather conditions around Deadhorse. I've had enough of the cold. Neither I, nor the others, expected weather like this, or that I might be living in a tent in such cold. We'll have to wear lots of clothes, even in our sleeping-bags. But we still hope that as the weather deteriorated so fast, it will improve as quickly.
Petra tries to console us by saying we are all in the same boat. She's quite correct. If only it wasn't us that had bought tickets for that boat! The Alaskan ram hunters have given up, and are going home to
Chapter II.: Hunting in the Alaskan Arctic
Page 14
Wasilla.
Greg is still weather-bound in Bettles. He can't take off.
Hunting Base Camp
Kavik Camp
Alaska