Deya Alaska
9/26/97

Long Lake 25 Miles from Deya
Dear Geo: Have a chance to write you. We have just bought a good boat for $200.00 and will do some freighting on this Lake & then go on down as far as we can possibly on through have the best boat I have yet seen. Have been packing very hard. started to packing 50# on the barrel & now am packing as much as 120 am getting strong as a mule all in good health. I cannot get enough to eat looks like Lee is a dandy cook. We have been packing from Crater Lake to Long Lake 3 miles distance yesterday we made two trips a piece & finished. my packs were 110 & 120 What do you think of that? 12 miles all together it will seem to you that I am a liar but it is the fact the snow is 3 or 4 inches deep & snowing every day. Have not heard a word from you. got one letter from Dr Crockett. I have not had a chance to go to Deya for some time to get mail will make a trip there before we start. Deya is still our nearest Post Office Have wished every day to hear from you but have been too busy to go back after mail. Hope you have got a plan to stay or some one to stay with you. take good care of your self Joe check my girl & Fanny, guess you will take care of Mack. Sell any of them if you see fit to do so. There are many funny thing that happen A man died here in 20 feet of our tent and was buried on the hill we loaned them an axe & a few other things that night we found in our tent a package containing 2 dozen tablets one hymn book one testament one bible a lot of indelible pencils & a lot of envelopes valued at least 15.00 dollars so we will not want for writing material We are in the best of spirits as we are comparatively over the hard trail and have not exposed ourselves but very little. Some packs are wet for weeks at a time but we are taking good care of ourselves & doing fine but all very anxious to hear from home. You can tell the other folks as I am the only one writing. I will write a full account when we get to Linderman Lake We are going to ferry our outfit over the lake 2 miles distance 3500# for $40.00 dollars the parties are waiting on us now Lee has gone down. the men that we bought boat of made $3000.00 in one month of course the packing is getting scarcer but think we can make enough to pay for our boat in a few days & then on we go Hope to hear from you soon
from your bad boy
Everett