North to the Alaska "Haul Road" Day Two

The camper worked out well other than the battery draining for an unknown reason thus causing the low battery beep to start chiming around 4am. And since we were without a trailer towing our supplies, much of our gear was now stored in the camper bath. So with the fact that the bathroom was right next to Doug's bed and it was not easily accessible or roomy, I decided to make use of the big wild wide outdoors for the elimination of personal excess from the night and day before.
Originally, I whined enough before we left on the hunt about the use of the toilet facilities. It was brought to my attention that "the guys" never before on these hunts used the camper toilet because it wasted good use of storage area to take more things. This of course was a surprise to me. I was sure that if you have a workable toilet, it surely is a good thing to use and not expose yourself to the elements of the wilderness. Googling the "haul road" even allowed me to see that there weren't a lot of trees to hide behind. It is a tundra and there are wild things out there. Well, Chris agreed after talking to the camper owner, that the restroom would be usable and functionally. Plans changed.
Shovel in one hand and tissue roll in other, I made my way into the foggy morning to experience the ultimate in "haul road" lessons. Find coverage, dig a hole, and hope that a creature in nature doesn't disturb you. Okay, okay, so I'm not really a princess.....

For several hours we sat and watched Caribou several hundred yards away across the river from our camp site. We managed to even see many up on the hills beyond slowly making their way down to the river. Large and small grazing without concern. Their front white manes showed up so well against the Fall colors of the tundra and the grays of the mountains. Tips of red flashed occasionally letting all know the rut season was near. Waiting was long. You could feel energy uprising as the tall creatures made their way across the "Sag" or the Sagavanirktok. Without reason, as soon as they crossed, they headed for the highway in a total different direction than what we anticipated. By no fault of ours. The wind was towards us, we sat so quietly, and no other hunter seemed to be stalking them. They just knew. The river was crossed and it was time for them to cross the most dangerous areas. The Haul road. Truckers, hunters, and wide open spaces......

Day Three

I slept really well in that camper! The mattress was great. I begged Chris to use flannel sheet and blankets instead of sleeping bags. So I stayed warmmmmmm. He thinks I have a built in furnace but I think it is him. Snuggling is so much better in blankets than in Sleeping bags.

This day we saw a few more Ptarmigans, Foxes, and a lot of Musk Ox. It was very cool seeing all the wild life.