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Judy Ferguson's first book, Parallel Destinies sells for $19.95 and can be purchased through Judy Ferguson at 907-895-4101 or outpost@wildak.net. It is also for sale at Diehls', Granite View, Kelly's Country Inn, Tanana Trading Post and other stores. It can be purchased on-line from Outdoors Alaska.

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Purchase the 2002/2003 Milepost here for only $21.95 + SH. Normal retail $24.95. Click the image for more information.

Trapline brings dad, daughter closer

Photos: Above, Reb and daughter Sarah relax in a trapline cabin at Gil's Creek when Sarah was 5 years old. Memories of this time returned to Reb on a more recent trip with his daughter. Below, Sarah and her dad spend a more recent evening at a trapline cabin this winter. Sarah turned 19 during the trapping and mushing trip with her father. Bottom, Sarah Ferguson maneuvers her dogs and sled during a trip with her father. Mountainous terrain and sharp curves challenged the young musher.

Story By JUDY FERGUSON

DELTA--Our daughter, Sarah, must have been born for the cold. It was 50 below when she was born Dec. 5th, a little over 19 years ago. The sunrise glowed pink through the frozen air outside my window at Fairbanks Memorial the day Sarah came into our lives. A week later, Reb mushed me and our new daughter up the frozen Tanana to our home.

When Sarah turned 5, we had a special birthday party on the trapline in our most remote cabin. Throughout her school years, Sarah was usually with Mom and our sons were more often with Reb. As she got older, Reb wanted to do more things with her, but dolls and school work weren't really in his line.

Last fall,after Sarah had graduated high school, he had an idea. "Sarah, if you'll go trapping with me, I'll split the profits with you," he told her.

Before Sarah could protest, she was signed on, packed up and ready to go. With some trepidation, I said, goodbye to her and Reb, knowing what Sarah would face. Despite a lingering cold, she was eager to hitch up her dogs and speed off with her dad over the horizon.

Covered by 6 inches of snow, a base trail wound its way around sharp curves and down steep mountains. Having a hard time steering, Sarah frequently missed a curve and plowed the sled into deep snow off the trail. Then she would tilt the sled on its outside runner and begin shoving the load and begging the dogs to help. As soon as she got back on track, the path made a sharp turn, sending her sled onto the wrong side of a spruce. With her dogs pulling downhill, Sarah worked to lever the sled loose until her wrists began to ache.

Crossing a stretch of muskeg, Sarah began the trudge up a 3,500-foot mountain with her 8-foot sled. The dogs' mouths dropped open with panting tongues as they paused for short breathers. The valley below opened up, ringed by mountains, blue in the distant haze. Above, the trail changed to a 60-degree pitch and narrowed into a deep moose rut. The dogs abruptly stopped. They were at the end of their line. The load was too heavy and they weren't "hardened" yet. It was up to Sarah. She shoved that heavy sled forward and cried, "Let's go!" until they the dogs moved.

Lying on her pole bed in the trapline cabin later that night, she stared at the ceiling, her joints groaning from all she had been through.

Underneath Reb's bed, in his trapping box, he had stashed a colorful sack, just waiting for that special day, Dec. 5th. He thought back to Sarah's fifth birthday at the Gil's Creek cabin 14 years ago.

Little Sarah's feet had dangled over the rough bench where she sat in that most remote cabin, watching her mom make her birthday cake. I had found some cocoa, sugar and biscuit mix in the cache barrel. Even though it tasted like musty long johns, those were the makings of Sarah's fifth birthday celebration. The cake was "baked" on top of the barrel stove under an overturned skillet.

As Reb's memories faded off into sleep and Sarah's aching body rested on the other bunk, the temperature outside quietly dropped to 40 below. The dogs moved stiffly the next morning as they shifted from their cozy, melted nests. Once the dogs were harnessed to the sled, Reb and Sarah trudged deeper into the wilderness, pausing at the top of Gil's mountain. Before plunging downward, Sarah and her dad coiled ropes around their toboggan runners, ensuring better sled control.

As Sarah flew down the mountainside, she watched a plume of snow shooting out from Reb's brake as he zigged and zagged all the way down. Arriving at the bottom, they mushed over a frozen beaver dam, sledded up a little hill and stopped at Gil's Creek cabin.

The next morning, Sarah rested in camp, while Reb checked traps. That evening they ate rum cake and Reb brought out bright, little boxes from his secret stash, surprising Sarah with cappucino candy, tea and chocolate caramels.

At 9:20 p.m., "Trapline Chatter" came on the radio, "Going out to Sarah Ferguson and her dad at Gil's Creek. Coming from Julia and Naomi in Delta, "Have a great birthday, Sarah! I hope you'll be OK without your cold pizza and cocoa on your birthday morning!" Sarah's face brightened as she strained to hear over the static and the hissing lantern 17 messages sent especially to her.

She and her dad mushed toward home a few days later. When the furs were stretched and dried, they went into Delta to see fur buyer, Dean Wilson. Sarah watched Dean grade the furs, judging their size and color. True to his word, Dad shared the rewards.

Sarah is more in tune with her dad and his trapping and mushing lifestyle. And Reb knows he has a resilient and resourceful daughter he can count on. After all, they are partners!

Judy Ferguson is a free-lance writer living in Delta.

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