Arrival at Nauyuk

So.....the arrival at Nauyuk was slightly more exciting than we anticipated. Our helicopter with the sling load was approximately 5 minutes ahead of us and arriving at the site when we heard:

"Fox Kilo Kilo this is Whiskey Igloo Sierra. Can you let Heidi know that she's got some visitors.....there's a float plane here and some peope....and a grizzly.....wow what a great spot.....oh SHIT I'm chasing the bear toward the people."

So, a grizzly scare-off ensued. The bear ended up an uncomfortably short mile from our camp. We landed and took stock.

Heidi: "Well, my grandmother said you're never safe from suprises until you're dead. She was right."

Twelve American fishermen and an ALBATROSS float plane were anchored at the far end of Nauyuk inlet. Maril and I looked at each other.

Maril: "Hmmm. Heidi, what do you suppose the bozo rating of these fishermen is? And how the heck did they find this place?"

Heidi: "Tough to say on both counts. Let's assess how much camouflage they are wearing."

Turns out, some of the 12 had quite a low bozo rating while others...well, we're sure you can imagine. In any case, it meant we didn't have to fish for charr. We subsampled 30 of their fish and fish sampling was over in a snap.

In the meantime, we were setting up camp in our comfy little cabin and Mark was assessing the bear situation. Maril and I assessed other situations.

Heidi: "Let's take stock. There are 12 American fishermen and at least one bear. I'm not going to lie. It's going to be tough for a girl to pee around here."

Maril: "Indeed. What do you think we should be more worried about? The guys with a lot of firepower and a plane or the bear (s)?"

Heidi: "Do you think they have beer?"