TOWING LOGS

Back in the summer of 1976 Kathy Peteroff her husband Pete and their relatives Nick and Winnie Pitka, went logging up around Paimiut Slough. The day started off good. The water was calm, the sun was shining--a perfect day for a boat ride. They left their camp before noon on their way to Paimuit. When they got there they stopped and had lunch then proceeded into the slough to find and add logs to the rafts that Pete had started a few days earlier. All the work took place in the slough, and it wasn't hard just roping the logs, towing them, and tieing each of them to a raft. It took them most of the day, and they finally got done around seven o'clock in the evening when they started back to their camp with the rafts in tow. As they neared the mouth of the slough Pete noticed that the wind had picked up. He figured that it would be a lot rougher on the river, and it was. The wind was so strong it shaped the waves into sharp edges before they broke. There was nothing for them to do but wait out the storm. Even though since they had only very little food left, it wouldn't be much fun, but it was too windy and Pete decided they would stay overnight inside the slough and leave the next morning.

When they woke up in the morning the sun was shining but the wind was still blowing. So they decided to leave their rafts and make the trip home without them. When they got to the river they noticed that it had calmed down a little. As they rode along the waves gradually calmed down, and except for the beginning of the trip the ride home was enjoyable. The next day the rafts were picked up and towed home in calm weather.

By: Kathy Peteroff

Interview by: Ben Peteroff