A week and a half ago my little, younger brother Steve flew to Alaska to go Salmon fishing out of Dillingham on Bristol Bay. It takes me back to when I went to Alaska myself. Now Alaska and I have a love/hate relationship, I love her, she doesn’t reciprocate, let me explain..

It all started my junior year of high school at Upper Columbia Academy; I was on an acro-gymnastics team. For our big trip that year we went to Alaska. Our first stop was in Anchorage, after church we had the rest of the day free and it was decided that we would drive down to Portage Glacier, about an hour and a half south of Anchorage. We loaded up the busses and vans and headed to the glacier.

It was drizzling as we arrived at the glacier, but we all got out, took a picture and ran around for a little bit. While we loaded up to leave a couple girls mentioned that they needed to use the restroom, we headed to the visitor center just below the glacier. As we drove over a bridge to get to the visitors center I noticed that the water that the water below was really blue, I decided while everyone else went to the bathroom, I was going to run down to the water and take some pictures.

I couldn’t have been gone for longer than ten minutes, but I decided it was time to go back to the visitors’ center. I was still mesmerized by the deep blue hue of the water, but as I arrived I was shaken out of my giddy state, as the parking lot was empty. My coach was, still is a jokester, so I figured that he was trying to pull a fast one on me. So I made my way around to the back of the visitors center, expecting to see everyone laughing, but that’s when my heart fell, cause no was there.

I quickly assessed my situation, they couldn’t have be gone too long, I had seen a payphone by the bathroom and I had a calling card, so I would just call my coach and boom problem solved, they turn around pick me up, no biggie. Wrong! I couldn’t get a hold of anyone, and just like that option A was blown out of the water.

(The drizzle increased to a rain)

I raked my brain for more options. I had option Z planned out, dial 911, but that was to only be used as a last resort. Option B I called home, talked with my brother Steve, told him what was going on and made him promise that under no circumstances would he tell mom about any of this. He tried to get in touch with anyone he could think of, but to no avail.

With option B going fruitless, my next option was to call the place we were staying at. First I had to figure out the number of the place as there was no phonebook, Steve didn’t have Internet to look it up and 411 wasn’t working. I called my friend Devin who used to live in Alaska. He didn’t have the number, but said he would try to find it and call me back.

(The wind picked up)

Time was quickly passing by as all this transpired; I had been there nearly an hour and a half. Finally Devin called back, he couldn’t get a hold of anyone or find the number I needed. I tried to think of anyone else that could help me or anything else to do, but I couldn’t, I was now down to my final option. I picked up the phone and dialed 911.  I was transferred multiple times before I finally talked with a lady at a park ranger station. I told her who I was, where the group was staying and that I need to get back to Anchorage. She told me to hang tight as she called around and found out if there were any rangers in my area and would call me back as soon as she could.

(It started raining sideways)

After what seemed to be an hour, she called back, she told me that there was a ranger in the area that would come get me, but first he had to take some gas to some snowmobilers who were stuck up in the mountains. Hopeful I hung up and waited.

Meanwhile the rest of the group was about to get two armed guests.

(My coach, John Soule told this part to me) A knock on the door interrupted the games being played, my coach answered to find two police officers, who asked for him. “Are you missing anyone Mr. Soule?” they asked, “not that I’m aware of” Soule answered. “Well accruing to Josh Wallace, you don’t, he says he is still at the glacier, we have a ranger on his way to pick him up.”  According to multiple sources Soule turned pale.

It was then that most of the group realized that the knock on the door was the police.  (A little bit of back-story, riding on the bus to and from the glacier, a couple of guys, Eric Breakie and Steve Morgan were getting rowdy. Soule told them that the camera in the front of the bus was streaming live to the police and that if they didn’t settle down the police would come get them.) Flash back to reality, Soule told the officers that he would get in a van and start driving to meet the ranger who was going to pick me up. Being the jokester that he is however, Soule couldn’t let the officers leave just yet. “Before you leave, could you do me a favor?” he asked. The cops nodded yes. “Can you have a talk with a couple of guys?” he said as he pointed to Eric and Steve, “they could use a good scare.”

“Hey you two” the officers said pointing at Eric and Steve, “Come over here please, we need to talk to you.” Eric and Steve each turned to a shade of ghost as they walked towards the officers. They were taken out of view for a few minutes, when they returned they are had smiles on their faces. After talking a bit more with the officers Soule, Carley Brown and Steve got into the van and headed toward the glacier.

(Meanwhile back at the glacier)

It was starting to get cold; it had been awhile since I had spoken to the lady at the ranger station. Finally I could hear a vehicle approaching, a few seconds later a Chevy Tahoe pulling a couple snowmobiles came around the corner. The ranger drove up to the visitors center, rolled down his window and asked, “Are you Josh Wallace?” I said yes, while thinking “who else would I be?” I hopped in and was glad to feel warm air. “Your coach is headed down to meet us somewhere” he said as I buckled my seatbelt. He asked what happened, so I told him the story, as I talked I looked over and noticed that he was driving pretty fast. We soon started catching up to a car in front of us, but as we got closer the car pulled over and let us by, it was then that it hit me that he had his lights on, I though that was pretty cool.

While he drove I asked him about the snowmobilers he had to take gas to, “Idiots” he said, “neither of them took any gas.” He then started telling stories of other times he had to help people stranded in the mountains, I was starting to ask a question when he cut me off. “Holy shit” he said, “that van is going really fast, they are lucky I’m taking you somewhere.” As the van past I recognized that it was Soule. “That’s my coach, “ I said. “Here, call him” the ranger said as he handed me his cell phone, “and tell him to slow down”. I took the phone and dialed, this time Soule answered. “You should probably slow down speedo” I said. He has where I was, I told him that I was in the SUV with the lights on that he had just passed. The ranger said there was a gas station just up the road that would be a good place to meet, I told Soule to turn around and meet us at the gas station. As we pulled into the ranger asked if I wanted him to wait until they go there, I told him that wasn’t necessary and thanked him for everything also I asked him to pass along my thanks to everyone else, He said ok. I got out of the SUV again repeating my thanks and went into the store to get some water. When I walked out of the gas station I could see Carley running around the parking lot looking for me, followed by Steve. I yelled at them, I was relived to see someone that I knew. We got in the van and headed back to see everyone else. I left that gas station thinking “well that has to be the craziest and bazaar story I’ll ever have in Alaska”… I was wrong!

Part two coming soon..