This summer on a good sunny day Jason, David and I went on a boat ride to Nuksuk, which is located inside of Owl Slough.

After asking Jason's Grandpa if we could borrow his boat, Jason and I got ready to go. Then after going up below Andrew's to pick up David, we were on our way. When we reached the mouth of Nuksuk we decided to rod for awhile. After rodding we went further in the slough and rodded here and there. I became bored rodding because I never caught any fish, so I told the guys that we should ride around to see if we could find a bear. I wanted so much to see a bear or a moose but all we saw were ducks.

After it started to get a little late I told the guys that we should head for home. They both agreed. On our way out of the slough one of the guys saw a beaver in a little side slough, so we went to check it out. After hunting for the beaver for awhile we gave up and decided to go home. Then all of a sudden our engine couldn't start. Our engine prop had come off and fallen into the water. After cussing for awhile we started wondering what to do. Then Jason and David decided they would dive into the water to see if they could find it. But after ten minutes they gave up because the water was too cold. David then got a pole and started poking it into the water. Jason and I helped him, but we had no luck finding the prop. Finally, Jason and David decided they would pull the boat to the mouth of Nuksuk. Jason went outside the boat and pulled while David used a pole and pushed from inside the boat. I sat inside and wondered what time we would get to the mouth of Nuksuk.

Just as we were a quarter mile from the mouth I saw something on our side of the beach. At first I thought it was a bear because I only saw its head. It was dark and I couldn't really tell for sure. But I told the guys that we had company. They both looked at me nervously and asked where?

I pointed to the bank. They got excited and told me to stay in the boat while they checked. But I wasn't going to stay in the boat alone and I asked David to stay with me because I was very scared. So Jason went himself and when he got back he told us it was a moose, a cow moose. He then asked David to go with him to check it out again. The moose had gone back into the trees and they tried to follow it.

I stayed back inside the boat alone and I was very scared because it was the first time I had ever seen a moose that close. And in the dark it had looked so big. After a while though they came back and said it had taken off.

We continued paddling and when we got to the mouth of the slough we paddled across to the bank and made a fire. As we were talking around the fire we heard the moose making noises. It was early morning and I was getting a little grouchy because I was sleepy and worrying about my daughter, Mary. Then we decided to pull the boat again, and after pulling for a couple hours we stopped and decided to wait till someone came to pick us up. After building another fire Jason and David fell asleep. I must have been overtired because I kept hearing boats. Every time I heard a boat I would wake the guys up and say there was a boat. They'd say there was no boat and then go back to sleep. It was around 10 A. M. when I woke them up again and told them that we should pull the boat again. But they were too tired to keep going, they said.

Before they fell asleep again we all heard a branch break. When Jason and David looked to see what it was I ran and jumped into the boat. It only took me a couple seconds! They went go check it out and Jason saw it. It was a bull moose. Twenty minutes later they fell asleep again.

I couldn't sleep so I sat in the boat. Finally, about 11 A.M. I heard a boat, this time for real, and I ran up the bank and woke up Jason and David and told them there was a boat coming. They both got up and we all saw the boat. It was Andy and Nick Andrew Jr. They brought us all back home in their boat. Finally, my nightmare ride was at an end!

Theresa George