Dan Hixon flew low and slow over the meadow once again looking carefully for any hidden obstructions but didn’t see any. He flew over again from the other direction, this time turning on his landing lights to see if there was anything to be seen in the gathering gloom. He and Sarah looked carefully and saw nothing that should be a problem.
“Okay, everyone. Be sure your seat belts are snug.”
Those behind the second row couldn’t hear him, so the word was passed back. Dan brought the plane in to land and flared just before touching down on the powdery surface. Snow billowed in their wake as he chopped power, and they felt the plane slowing quickly.
The rock wasn’t very big, and the snow covered it completely. Six inches to one side or the other and they would have missed it. The right ski struck the top of the rock, and it was enough to cause the plane to lurch and turn abruptly to the right. The plane settled and didn’t tip as it slid to a stop just before the trees. Quickly, Dan killed the engine and shut off the fuel, just in case.
“Everybody okay?” he shouted to those in the back.
Everyone looked at the others, shaken by the experience, but no one was hurt.
“Okay. Everyone stay where you are for the moment. James, Charles, want to hand me my coat, and grab yours? We have to be certain the plane is all right.”
The men clambered from the plane, quickly closing the doors to retain the heat. It didn’t take long to see the damage. The tip of the ski was bent up and back, with a crack splitting it from the front halfway back. After a rapid but careful inspection, Dan determined there was no damage to the strut or anything else. The only loss was the ski.
“Now I remember why I quit bush flying,” Dan mumbled. “It doesn’t take much to get you in trouble out here. It’s a good thing we had slowed so much.”
“Nobody’s hurt. Things could be a lot worse. What do we do now?” asked Charles.
“I’m going to get on the radio and see if I can raise anyone at Caribou or someone flying nearby,” Dan said. “You know, this is my fault. I should have waited for Jed to get out here and walk the area to be sure there wasn’t anything here, but I was afraid of losing the light. It’s going to get dark before long.”
James put his hand on Dan’s shoulder. “Look, Dan, I would have done the same thing, except I probably would have just flown over once and put it down. I could have said to wait a bit, but I didn’t. Jed probably wouldn’t have seen the rock anyway. Don’t blame yourself. We aren’t in bad shape. There is plenty of room in the lodge, and we’ll get hold of someone. I’ll have them call Dave at Fisheries, and he’ll have another ski dropped to us.”
“Okay, folks, we hit a hidden rock and bent a ski,” James said as he re-entered the plane. “Gather your gear together. We’re going to spend the night at the lodge, but it isn’t too far away, and we’ll be fine there. It will be cold, but we can make it a couple of miles. Unfortunately, we can’t taxi to the end of the meadow, but we’ll be fine. Jim, would you gather all the food we brought along? I don’t know how much food Jed has on hand. We may need to supplement what he has.”
Charles said, “Knowing him, I’m sure he has plenty laid aside for the winter. That lad is resourceful and not afraid to work. I don’t know of anyone I’d rather have my Elizabeth stranded with if I had to choose. We’ll probably eat better than at home.”
Mary, who had been silent nearly the entire trip, hugged Charles. “Thanks, Charles. That was sweet.”
“Sweet, nothing! I’ve always hoped Jed and Elizabeth would notice each other, but they never seemed to.”
After repeated tries, Dan Hixon was unable to reach anyone at Caribou Approach. “We’re down too low to get them, boss. Most bush pilots monitor the emergency channel. I’ll try it next.”
After several attempts on the emergency channel, Dan was able to raise another pilot, although faintly. It took repeated transmissions before he was able to communicate, and the other pilot told him to stand by; he was flying their direction and would call back in a few minutes.
Charles helped the ladies step down from the plane and steadied them in the snow until they got their bearings. Sitting in somewhat cramped conditions and then trying to stand on the slippery surface was difficult at first. The ice under the snow made it treacherous. Sue gave Charles a one-armed hug and whispered in his ear, “Honey, you are getting your daughter back. I’m so excited!”
Charles hugged her back. “Me, too! I want to thank you. I don’t know if I would have made it had you not been there for me. You will love her, and I know she will love you.”