Lost in Alaskan Wilderness
Contributed by G.B. Jones
Mat-Su Valley/ Anchorage - It was one of the most severe winter storms the Alaska Range had seen. The year was 2007 and me and my “sixteen best friends” were racing in the annual sled dog race.
Upon leaving the Rainy Pass checkpoint and mushing through the dark and extreme cold, the winds dramatically increased to a hurricane-force velocity. All trail markers were swept away and I and the other team members were trapped within “the bowl” atop the Alaska Range.
It was the most severe storm I have ever been through, and I have been through many. Temporarily blinded in one eye from a flying projectile, and with the severe winds thrashing about, there was no escape, and our only option was to shelter in place.
After the winds subsided, I climbed out of my partially buried wind-swept sled bag and found the entire team “missing!” Each dog was buried in the snowdrift, and a prominent breathing hole appeared above each one’s snout.
We persevered through the menacing winds but inadvertently took a much longer trail through the treacherous area known as “Hell’s Gate.” This section of the long trail is appropriately named!
The chaotic winds continued, and upon crossing the Alaska Range, we went for many miles through bone-chilling open water on the South Fork River. We were no longer in a race. We were in survival mode. Upon reaching the Rohn checkpoint I was devastated to discover that our dog Aafes was gone! It was one of the worst days of my life. I had trained harder for the 2007 Iditarod than any of my previous Iditarods. But now, only a couple of hundred miles into the race, my only option was to scratch from the race.
With Aafes missing somewhere in the vast Alaska Range and with the severe storms and the active wolf pack lurking about, some had said that the only thing left of Aafes would be her torn-up blue neoprene jacket. They were wrong! Eleven agonizing days later, two pilots who had been searching for Aafes found her at Rohn!
This little dog had captivated the hearts of many people throughout the world, but nobody rejoiced more than me. Upon the urging of friends throughout the years, this incredible story of Aafes has finally been told by me in a 72-page book entitled “Lost in the Alaskan Wilderness.”
The book was published by Alaskan Gardens Publishing Company in 2021 and is distributed by Todd Communications in Anchorage. This book tells the story of Aafes rescue and also tells of her other adventures including her return to Rohn in 2009 on the Alaskan Expedition to get the mountain bike that was used in searching for her.
“Lost in the Alaskan Wilderness” also tells the story of Aafes’ two trips on the Stampede Trail to “the magic bus” and some very unusual things which occurred on these trips. This book concludes with the 2011 Iditarod where our dog Aafes finally crosses the finish line beneath the burled arch in Nome!
This paperback book retails for $14.95 and is available through Amazon, Todd Communications in Anchorage, and the Alaskan Gardens website at www.AlaskanGardens.com.