One day in March of 1991 we went to Kalskag for the annual winter carnival and city league basketball tournament. We also went over to visit my wife's relatives and watch some dog races. Besides me, there were my wife and our two children, Dennis and Katrina. At Kaiskag we met up with our son, Joseph, who was 15 at the time. He had hitched a ride to Kalskag with one of his friends.

A couple of days later we got up early and prepared for the long ride home. Then Oxie's grandpa came by and commented, "This weather is hunting someone." I thought, "Oh, he's just trying to keep us here for an extra day or two." The sky was overcast but there was only a slight wind, so I piled my wife and kids into the sled, tied it down, then started my old Jag and warmed it up.

After we came out onto the tundra it started to snow. It was the type of wet snow that sticks to your face. I thought about turning back but I had to get back to Marshall to go to work the next day, so I didn't.

Between Kalskag and High Portage, about 15 miles, there's nothing but lakes and flat tundra. Somewhere along the way I lost the trail, but I kept going. One time I stopped and looked at my compass, then headed north, which I later found out was 90 degrees away from the direction we were supposed to go.

We headed back following our trail, but about a mile later I lost it in the storm. I took my compass out again and started heading south. About an hour later my snowmachine stopped. I tried to start it, changed the spark plugs, but the darn thing still wouldn't start. When the wind calmed down I took the carburetors apart and cleaned them, put them back together and tried to start the machine again. But it still wouldn't start, so I told my wife we'd have to find a place to camp. About a hundred yards away there was a small island of trees, and we unhitched our sled and dragged it toward them. A few minutes later the storm stopped and it started to clear up. When we looked around we saw the small mountains behind Kalskag.

Joseph decided to walk back to Kalskag to get help. After trying to convince him not to go, he finally left, and we stayed behind and made camp. I built a fire and prepared spruce bows for bedding. I used a tarp for our tent and, since we had sleeping bags, prepared a place to sleep. After eating, I got some wood together and kept the fire going all night. The next morning it was very cold and clear, so we decided it would be best if we walked toward Kalskag. We started walking, and I had to force Katrina to walk once in awhile to keep her warm. I warned my wife and Dennis not to eat snow even though they were thirsty. About two hours later we were picked up by searchers from Kalskag. Joseph was then taken to Bethel to be treated for severe exposure. I had a big patch of frostbite on my face that looked like a map of Alaska. But the main thing is, we survived!

By: Nick Isaac

Interviewed by: Carmen Pitka