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Section 1
### Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Short story. Will remain completely free. Set in Alaska, so temperatures will be in Fahrenheit. Takes place mostly Sept - Dec. So, for example. 38 F = 1 C. 18 F = -8 C. I don't share the temps often but just know "it's cold".
Barrett “Grizz” Young, a veteran, settles in central Alaska. He ventures off to his cabin, avoiding all interaction and people. He’s getting ready to settle down for the winter when he stumbles across a lone camper…. And that changes everything.
Complete Chapters 14 Rating 4.6 ( 12 reviews ) Age Rating mature {"language":"en","storyId":1604511,"genres":[{"name":"Romance","path":"/genres/romance"}],"authorName":"Lynaelee James ","authorPath":"/lynaelee7","status":"complete","lastUpdatedAt":1766849799,"chaptersCount":14,"rating":4.583333333333333,"reviewsCount":12,"ageRating":"mature"} 1. Farewells “That’s the last round for the fall. Time to close down this station. I can’t believe I’m asking this, because your brain is wired backwards. Seriously, though. Fairbanks could use someone like you in the winter. Are you sure I can’t convince you to come back to town?” My partner, Henry, begs.
“Have you ever been able to?” I scoff.
“No. But I’m always going to ask. I hate leaving you up here. Yes, you have a cabin that you’ve poured your blood, sweat, and grit into, because we all know you don’t shed any tears. Hell! I even know you’re capable of taking care of yourself, but it doesn’t sit well with me. It’s prime bear season. If they don’t get you, the trigger-happy hunters might,” Henry admits, shaking his head.
“I’ll be fine,” I reply, winding one of the safety ropes.
We are forest rangers, and we take care of all the emergencies in the mountains. At the end of the season, this station is too remote and will be out of commission until the spring thaw. Henry will head back to town to be with his wife and family, and I know he will check in with me monthly through our radios. He and his wife are the only people I know by their first names. Everyone else is a contact through the military, and I only know them by their last name.
My cabin is inaccessible unless the ground is frozen solid. Even then, it can only be reached on foot. I could go up during the summer months, but previous years have shown that the area becomes thick with sludge-like mud. The one year I tried, I kept getting stuck up to my waist, and it became more of a struggle to get out than just to wait for the ice and snow.
Not even on a snowmobile, unless there is one up there already. Which there’s not. I don’t have a way to keep it fueled. There’s one here at the station, but that’s government property. Another way to access my cabin is if a plane were to land on the flat above my cabin, but it’s small and most pilots say there’s not enough room. Not to mention the fact they can’t see my landing strip.
The only person who is crazy enough to do that is the pilot I met while serving overseas. We called him Johnson, and while he was passionate about saving lives, he was more passionate about his home state, Alaska. He convinced me to give his home state a chance, and frankly, I’m glad I did. This place has become my sanctuary. Johnson respects my desire to be left alone and doesn’t press. Thankfully, we only have to talk once a month through March while he drops supplies and hooks onto the garbage I cannot burn.
I enjoy the hike home, but the vast area does not mean I get the whole winter alone. Occasionally, a brave hunter will be dropped off, or a thrill seeker tries to make it through the Alaskan wild. Most of them hardly last a day, let alone the recommended four most pilots require. Right now, as Henry pointed out, we’re in the middle of bear season, with black bear season ending next week. However, some species allowed the hunting season to go well into December. I’m hoping my bright safety vest will deter those who have wandered up to this area from mistaking me as game.
My cabin is a trek, but it is more centralized to where others end up than this station. Ever since a social media influencer dropped the coordinates for an air-drop sky excursion, more and more dumb followers will try to make their way down this mountain. There’s always one or two that end up off the path and get lost. Without timely help, those idiots would die. As part of the local Search and Rescue team, Henry and I are both against losing a life if we can prevent it. Being closer, I typically find them first, treat them with first aid, and get them down the mountain safely. Then I make my way back to my cabin, hoping my radio won’t crackle again.
“Grizz, come on, man. Sarah has extended the invitation to dinner. You should join us. Just one night. Halloween is a fun time, but any other day is just as good. It’s a month away, but you can think about it. I bet the lights will be easily visible across McKinley Park at that time. You could tell my kids about it, and they could paint you a portrait. You know how much they adore you. Please, we would love to have you for just one meal,” Henry offers.
But that means going down the mountain and facing more than one person. Because if I’m in town, everyone would want to talk to me. They all know me, but I can’t tolerate most of them. I was just in town three days ago and overheard that they were hoping to expand the town again. Some bigshot from Vegas was telling everyone what we needed and how it could be accomplished, but I only wish for more solitude. I wish the town didn’t have to grow, or that people thought Alaska was too cold and wild to settle into. However, that seemed to draw more people in.
“No thanks,” I say, putting the supplies away and packing the rest of the perishable food into his truck.
I’ve had enough social interaction for the year. I’m looking forward to my seven-month seclusion. Man! I love winters in Alaska. Henry sighs but nods as he places his bag in the back seat. Two car seats covered in crumbs fill the back bench, and I wrinkle my nose. Nothing against his kids, but they create messes everywhere. And now his backpack has crumbs all over it, and he’ll have to worry about mice getting in the pack. No thanks.
“At least take this radio. I know it’ll have enough juice to get you to your cabin until you can power up the CB. I can hear the beeps - even if we can’t talk. One to get my attention, two for help, and three that you made it safe,” Henry pleads.
The same code as always. I concede and hook the radio to my belt; I was planning on taking it regardless. I had a charger at my place for one of these standard-issued radios and extra batteries in my pack. However, the distance was not great, and needed to be connected to my CB radio port if we wanted to talk. I made a habit of taking it with me everywhere.
“I won’t have the CB working until Sunday at the earliest. And once winter fully hits, I’ll only get about an hour or two of sunlight,” I warn.
Three days to hike to my cabin, check and charge the solar panels, and check on the antenna. And about a month or two before I lost most of my daylight. It didn’t take much to charge that CB radio, and it was my only source of electricity in my cabin. However, it brought comfort to those who worried about my welfare over the long winter with no communication. A small comfort in my mind, too.
Then after that, I had about two months before the Yukon River froze over, taking away my fresh water supply. Since the water keeps flowing under the ice cap means, I had means to acquire more. It would be tedious work, but that’s how I preferred it.
“I know. Are you sure you don’t want a gas generator? It would be more effective than solar panels,” Henry says, trying another way to convince me not to go.
“No,” I reply, shaking my head.
I hardly had anything to say to anyone, but Henry understands that I don’t often elaborate. Not that it would stop Henry from worrying. It was nice to have a native worry so much about me. In a way, it meant that I was welcomed here.
A gas generator would be helpful, but it’s also more expensive. My panels are paid for, and I don’t have to refill them. Plus, I’m not going to smell like diesel every day. Not to mention, there’s no way to transport the fuel up there without losing a significant amount. It’ll slosh out on the journey.
There’s no room in my cabin for such a thing. The fumes would quickly overtake the area, and I’d suffer from headaches all the time or fear my place burning down. Not to mention the noise! And if by chance I could move the generator outside, I would have to build a new building and keep it warm to prevent the fuel from freezing.
“I know. I know,” Henry sighs, shutting his vehicle door and playing with his keys.
All of his stuff was now packed, but he still was hesitating. Guess it was time to placate him.
“I’ll let you know when I make it to my cabin. I’m going to winterize the station before I head out,” I reply.
“Do you want help?” Henry asks.
“Nope. You promised Sarah you’d be home by nightfall. That happens earlier and earlier every day. You have to go while you still have light,” I state.
“A two-hour drive back to town is still better than your walk to your cabin. It wouldn’t be so wrong to accept a ride at least half way there! Sarah would never forgive me if something happened to him after I left. Wait, that means we would have to cut a road in. Jesus! Always so stubborn. I’m not winning this one. Wife or friend. Wife or friend? Which one do I support?” Henry mumbles under his breath, but loud enough I know he intended me to hear his internal dilemma as well.
“Sarah’s waiting,” I remind him, taking the choice away.
“Take care of yourself, Grizz. I’ll see you in April, or, most likely, May. It’s nearly two hundred miles back to Fairbanks from your cabin,” Henry states.
Mentally, I correct it to about a hundred and twenty miles since I just follow the headings and there’s no need tweave through the land like a snowmobile or truck would. A human on foot can go in places machines can’t.
“I can’t do anything from that distance, but please, check in. You’re a great asset to our team, and I’d hate to lose you as a partner and friend. Also, I would really hate to put in a missing person’s report for Barrett ‘Grizz’ Young. That would be a headache with the authorities,” Henry resigns.
“You’ll see me in May,” I agree, and he laughs.
“That’s the best I’ll get. Take care of yourself, Grizz,” Henry orders, and I nod.
Every year was the same song and dance. You would think after a decade of doing this, that Henry would be a little more accepting of my decision.
Reluctantly, he makes his way over to me. We hold each other’s gaze before Henry finally pats my shoulder, giving me his final yet silent farewell, and I watch him drive away before marching back up the steps. I would leave in the morning.
Tonight, I would finalize everything and check the radar one last time. Snow already covers parts of the mountain, but heading out in a storm will never be wise. Then, at first light, I would make my way to my cabin. No work or pressing concerns. All my anxiety and stress will melt away as I work the land and make my cabin livable. I won’t worry about what day it is until Henry reaches out to work at the ranger station in the spring and the thaw threatens to take my cabin away.
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### Chapter 2: Chapter 2
From the ranger station, I head north. Radar gives me twelve hours until the first storm hits, but it won’t be as bad as the one due to hit later this week. However, I don’t want to wait until this storm passes before I head out. Some areas are treacherous to hike in good weather! If the second storm is as bad as predicted, I need to make sure I have my communication station set up.
My cabin is only twenty-eight miles away as the crow flies, but as I walk, it’s a little bit more. Unfortunately, I cannot just fly across caverns or over rivers, but I’ve never measured the distance. If I were to keep a steady pace, I can get there in six hours, but that’s pushing it.
However, every winter, a new challenge awaits that proves to be difficult in ways I didn’t account for previously. And I never know what I’ll be walking into. With this time of year, and the winter storms coming, my goal is to get home within ten hours. Also, taking my time instead of rushing allows me to appreciate the beauty of the land more, but it also allows me to be more wary of the wildlife.
Crying out loud! This just might be the year I come to my cabin washed away by the river or full of bears. That’s always Henry’s biggest concern: I’m going to get to the cabin and be mauled by a bear who decided to make it his den. If only life would be that gracious! I’d be proud of that death. It would be unlikely, since there is never any food left in that cabin, but one must plan for all possibilities.
A couple of years ago, Henry asked me to record any and every thought I had for the full seven months.
I must have given him a weird look, because he muttered, “well, that would mean you would have to speak. Silly me.”
But when I brought him a recorder that spring, he was in disbelief. Two days later, he gave me back the recorder but never said a word. Before I left that following fall, I pulled out the recorder, and Henry lost all color before he told me not to do it again. Apparently, I’m a bit morbid. But when you’re left alone to your thoughts, they either turn mad or macabre. Or you do. I hadn’t really considered that before, but it made sense.
Solitude is hard, but it’s the only life for me. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Not after what I’ve seen and dealt with. Interacting with people is far more difficult. People are full of pretentious aptitudes to appease others, making everyone you come into contact with as fake as their looks. Men who have to buy the most expensive and flashy suits and cars to prove they’re a big shot, when in reality, they’re swimming in a world of debt. It’s what I tried to do... a lifetime ago now. I broke one too many hearts, and mine was shattered beyond belief. I left and never looked back.
Alaska is the last frontier. Untouched land. It’s what drew me out here. Wide open space. No neighbors for miles on end. I sold all my worldly possessions and left the east coast. My mother asked why not move north to Maine if I wanted solitude. But even Maine is overcrowded. I tried. Heaven knows, I tried.
I grew up in a small town outside of Boston, but I always felt out of step. Same with New York, Maine, and Pennsylvania. After coming back from the Middle East, I even tried some of the warmer states. Texas was a mess, but the food was good. Georgia was a blur, but I recall the wet humidity and wasn’t a fan. Ultimately, I kept coming back to the northern states.
Massachusetts was nice, but Alaska is where I found my home. And it always will be. I know I broke my mother’s heart when I moved so far away, but she was already showing signs of dementia, and, unfortunately, I was a trigger. My sister took care of her and glared at me any time I came around. Because I would upset my mother more.
Since my sister never wanted me around, I made sure to disappear from their world forever. I’ve even stopped writing them letters. To this day, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Basic training and all the combat I faced was a cake walk compared to that. However, one letter from my sister was all it took to give up.
“ It would have been better if you had died while serving in the Middle East than to come home and distort her mind more. You made Mom proud the day you joined the army. She talks about it all the time, but your mistake was coming home. ”
It’s not my fault I look like my father, her beloved husband. The small grasp of reality she has on life when she would see me sent her into a fit of hysterics. In her few moments of lucidity, she knows Dad is dead, and I’m the ghost that haunts her, leaving her again.
She always called me her little wanderer, so it would only be a matter of time before I left them again. Her home smelled more and more like a hospital, and less and less like the house I grew up it. It was no longer welcoming and inviting. It had turned into a disinfected prison cell. Yet the only person who could see that was me.
Dear ole dad drank himself to death when I was a teenager. My sister and I did all we could to keep our mom from falling apart; we still needed her. It got to the point where being around anyone started to drain me. Physically, emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually. I was entering a downward spiral, and I couldn’t find a way out.
If I had continued to stick around people, especially my family, I was going to be in the same boat. Liver poisoning is not how I want to go out. Alaska became my saving grace. I’ll forever be grateful to this land I call home. These are the thoughts that plague me, but I know better than to dwell on them. If I did go down that rabbit hole, I may never fully recover.
Before I know it, the day has passed, and I’m close to my cabin. About a mile if I were to go up the creek. However, my senses are on high alert. It feels like something could be watching me, but I don’t see anything.
In the snow, there are dog prints in front of me. Large prints. They come back and forth several times, which makes it difficult to determine if the prints were last coming or going, or how many big animals were in that pack. Nor can I figure out the stride of one animal to estimate how big it is. The only thing I can conclude is that it must be a pack of wolves.
I can’t tell how fresh these prints are though. If I were to follow the creek home, the wall of the bank is steep, and not easy to navigate. Which means the pack could easily corner me and take me out. Without access to the open land, it’s a risk I can’t take. It may not seem like a big deal, but in a way, I promised Henry no unnecessary risks. I would see him again in May. My word has always meant something to me, and I won’t start breaking it now.
So, I change direction and go down the mountain instead of up. It will add another hour or two onto my journey, but I’m so close. Home is calling me! I’ve been fortunate that this is the only issue I’ve come across today. It makes me wonder if I’ll run into bigger issues at home.
If the wolves are this close to my home, does it mean that another predator is lurking? Wolves are territorial. Hell! Everything up here is territorial! Caribou stick to a pattern. Moose claim an area. Bears go where there’s food but stick close to their dens. Wolves move where the food is, but they always claim the area where they last settle down.
Fear and trepidation run through my body, giving me a burst of adrenaline. Once I’m on top of the bluff overlooking my land, I’ll calm down. I don’t miss the hustle and bustle of city life. I’m so close to home, but there is something in taking things slowly and appreciating everything around me. Inhaling deeply, I close my eyes. The world is pure and clean up here, away from the smog, pollution, or chemicals that cover the lower forty-eight. How could anyone allow the world to poison them?
Everything is covered in a white blanket, representing pureness and rebirth. It reminds me of the blank slate I gave myself. The freedom I have out here! Nothing can come close. There’s no pressure to move, to get from one place to another. There’s no need to work for the next paycheck. It’s just… slow, refreshing life. The way it was meant to be.
The sun starts to set, and I rub my arms. It’s time to get home, because the cold air is finally getting to me. With haste, I finish the journey and look down upon my cabin. There are no prints around it. Good. No bears or wolves in the area. All four walls seem to be upright, and the door is still closed. A caribou crosses the river, and I marvel in the grace of its gait as it climbs out of the water into the frozen bank. However, caribou never travel alone. I loosen the strings on my hat and survey the area, listening for anything out of place.
Could it be the wolves from the creek? They could have split the animal away from its herd. It’s plausible, but they wouldn’t leave a lone caribou. My walkie-talkie blips, and I sigh. Henry is checking in, and I should, too.
I blip three times in response. I’m fine, and I’m home. The wildlife will continue doing what it does. Day in, and day out. Life remains. The caribou will find his herd, or he’ll become food for the wolves.
Toward the end of this month, my hunting tags will be legal for wild game, and I’ll knock down some caribou, elk, moose, or deer for food. I’ll only need one, possibly two animals to get me through the winter. Until then, I’ll cut a hole in the ice on the river and get some salmon. Or set up a snare line for wild hare.
This is my small paradise, untouched by the greedy ravenous hands of man. My cabin no longer needs any work done on it, so I have nothing else to build. So, for essential use only, I’ll chop down some trees that no longer have any life to use for firewood.
I’ll clean up the area and clear the landing above my property to accept a small plane that will deliver supplies, once a month, starting next week. Until then, it’s setting a trapline, chopping wood, making repairs, and hauling water. The tasks for survival are simple but never ending out here. At least it will keep me plenty busy.
With a smile, I approach my cabin. This is the life I wanted. This is the life I deserve. There’s nothing else I could ever desire.
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