Specially dedicated to my loving son, of whom I'm so very proud:

'Sean Mikal Shepherd'

"Rescue Near the Totatlanika is a true hunting story filled with harrowing
experiences and life saving heroics. Lives jeopardized, friendships strengthened - it's
a story about a hunting trip gone wrong that will keep your attention to the very end!"
     

   Our Friends the Cleveland's

   Well, they're just those sorts of friends, the kind that may be out-of-sight, but are never
   out-of-mind. I hope they're all doing well, especially the boys.

   And of course they must be, because I know their parents and it simply could be no
   other way. They were taught well, how to face each and every day, right from wrong,
   and left from right.

   They're all okay because it's meant to be that way - even if it's Montana where the
   Cleveland's have decided to stay!

   Big Sky country, that's what they call it there, but I know on a bright summer's night
   when we are all looking up at the Big Dipper, it's Alaska, with her mountains high, and
   the caribou, moose, bears, salmon, and so much more, that comes to their minds,
   and if we're lucky enough they'll be thinking of us too, and the times that we had up at
   the cabin or on New Year's Eve's past.

   But one thing is for sure, they'll never forget that night we headed out for their first
   Alaskan hunt on the Totatlanika - river's wild and bears lurking.

   Escaping the Rock Avalanche Near Denali

   During our return trip home, Volkswagen sized boulders pummeled the Parks highway
   just north of the entrance to Denali National Park. It was a miracle that no one was
   killed. One enormous boulder, the size of an outhouse to be sure, just missed the
   Cleveland's motor home by mere inches. Doug maintained his cool and maneuvered
   the big rig as though it was a daily experience. I can't say for sure, but I suspect Mary
   had a few extra pieces of tough-to-clean laundry that night.

   The incident reminded me of my mother Cleo's words years ago when she brought
   my three siblings, Deloris, Dennis, and Dianna, and me west to join my dad, Woody.
   We were moving from South Bend, Indiana to San Bernardino, California.

   "One never really knows what lies ahead!" She made that statement just after having
   seen a warning sign while in Indian Country somewhere near Flagstaff, Arizona that
   read, "Watch For Falling Rock!"

   I never saw a pinto horse, much less Falling Rock, but what I witnessed that day near
Denali, I'm here to tell you - always 'heed what you read', at least when it comes to
road signs!

   Well, we all made it home safely, and none the worse for wear. And one thing is for
   sure, there'll be more caribou up near the Totatlanika the next year, and maybe, just
   maybe, if we're lucky enough, we'll be the one's telling stories around a roaring
   campfire at night.

   Another thing is for certain, Alaska is a land of extremes, and while preparation for
   every outcome is a near impossibility, prepare you must - that's the only guarantee
   you'll have that you'll live again another day to say, "that dog will hunt!"

   ****

"Read this hunting thriller from start to finish...the horrors and successes; the
failed hunt, and the friendships bonded."

****

                                                              
     "Special Friends"                                                                               "Rescue on the Totat"
 
 
 

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