I Slept With the Bears
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During the same Alaska Peninsula assignment, I was flying with that same partner and we were going to drop off a package to one of our guys who had been out on stakeout for a long period of time by himself. I was riding in the back seat of the Super Cub. Roy was flying. Since we knew Mike's stakeout position, we were able to fly directly to him. Airborne guides or hunters would not have noticed his hidden camp.
We had a big treat for him. We had brought a letter from his wife back home and the biggest, juiciest steak we could find. We knew he'd appreciate the steak after eating freeze-dried food for a week or two.
We couldn't land at his camp because of the terrain so we would have to make an air drop. That was no problem---we had done it lots of times. We set up our approach for low and slow. As we neared his camp, Mike was out in front of his tent waving to us. We felt really good knowing that we were about to make his day for him.
Roy flew a flight line that would put Mike and his tent just off our left wing. I was holding the precious cargo in a specially wrapped package out the left window ready to be dropped. At the perfect instant, Roy said, "Now!" I released the package and watched as it went down toward the grateful friend below. Down...down...down and right into the river! Mike started chasing it downstream. We made a couple of circles, helpless to be of any assistance to him. When we left to return to our cabin, Mike was still running downstream, pausing only long enough to shake an occasional fist at us.
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About the Book
David H. Carpenter writes with passion and enthusiasm. His love of Alaska, the land, the people and the creatures is evident in his book "I Slept With the Bears". This book has something for nearly everyone. It is exciting, informative and humorous. Follow him as he takes you around the countryside on his various exploits such as being stranded on an island in the North Pacific for two days and being run over by a DC-3. Although incredible at times, all stories are true.
This book is written in an informal style. Carpenter invites you, the reader, to imagine you are sitting with him around a cozy campfire somewhere in the Alaska bush while he relates these stories to you. It won't take much imagination as his very personal and friendly style of writing make you feel as though you are with him and experiencing these adventures yourself. So sit back, relax, pour yourself a cup of hot coffee and enjoy this incredible book. One word of caution though... it just might cause you to quit your job, sell your house and move to the "Great Land"!
About the Author
Dave Carpenter moved with his wife and two sons from Michigan to Alaska in 1969 where they spent the next twenty-five years. Twenty of those years were spent working for the Alaska Department of Public Safety as a state trooper and game warden. They were twenty years of excitement, adventure and danger. Dave received his Police Administration degree from the University of Alaska. He retired from the Department of Public Safety in 1994 and is a lifetime member of the Fraternal Order of the Alaska State Troopers.
Dave and Linda now reside in Peck, Idaho, where Dave is a volunteer member of the Clearwater County Sheriff's posse. They continue their annual trips to Alaska to visit friends and family.