In August of 1994, Bill and Nick Fitka, my mom, Carlie, Morgan and I traveled down to St. Mary's by boat. The weather was cloudy and the river was fairly calm on the way down. It was also sort of cold and we had to dress warmly. While we were there my mom and Nick planned to go shopping for things we can't normally get here in Marshall.

When we reached St. Mary's we went straight to John and Ruth Elia's where we warmed up a bit and had a bite to eat. After we ate we went to check both the AC store and Yukon Trader's. When we got all we needed, John Elia Jr. brought our boxes down to the boat which was parked by the barge landing.

Just as we were leaving St. Mary's the weather began to change and it got windy and rough on the river. The waves got bigger and the air felt a little warmer. It got even worse out on the Yukon River. There the waves were really huge. My mom put life jackets on Carlie and Morgan, and I also put mine on. I was very worried and scared for my mom, though, because she didn't have a life preserver.

Another boat passed us but it too was going very slowly. Even though we were only going about 10 mph, I told my mom to tell Bill to slow down because I was really scared. Every time we hit a wave the water splashed so high over the edges of the boat we couldn't see through it.

When we reached the point by Pilot Station the river got calmer and the waves were a lot smaller, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The rest of the way home it was much better, and even though it was cloudy and it rained a little, I was happy to make it home without any more problems.