MUSHER LIVES TO TELL.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Staff Writer NEWHALL - Rescued after six days in Alaska's vast wilderness, Rod Boyce wanted two things - to hug his wife and to eat a bacon cheeseburger. In a phone interview Tuesday, the 1979 Hart High School Hart High School may refer to:
``I knew the trail was out there, Boyce said. ``I just couldn't see it. I could hear the snow machines. They would have gotten to me eventually.'' It was a bad week in the mountains outside Fairbanks, where avalanches were reported and high winds gusted more than 50 mph, blowing about the helicopters as they searched for the 38-year-old musher mush 1 n. 1. A thick porridge or pudding of cornmeal boiled in water or milk. 2. Something thick, soft, and pulpy. 3. Informal Mawkish sentimentality, affection, or amorousness. tr.v. . During the longest six days of his life, Boyce said he shouted in vain for the searchers he could hear in the distance and waved his red jacket Red Jacket, c.1758–1830, chief of the Seneca, b. probably Seneca co., N.Y. His Native American name was Otetiani, changed to Sagoyewatha when he became a chief. in hopes of being spotted. He ate sparingly from his meager mea·ger also mea·gre adj. 1. Deficient in quantity, fullness, or extent; scanty. 2. Deficient in richness, fertility, or vigor; feeble: the meager soil of an eroded plain. 3. food supply - a bag of Reese's Pieces Reese's Pieces are a peanut butter-flavored candy manufactured by The Hershey Company. They are circular in shape, and covered in candy shells that are colored yellow, orange, or brown. candy, a sausage stick and the dehydrated de·hy·drate v. de·hy·drat·ed, de·hy·drat·ing, de·hy·drates v.tr. 1. To remove water from; make anhydrous. 2. To preserve by removing water from (vegetables, for example). lamb dog food he shared with his team of 10 dogs. He said he melted snow on the miniature camp stove he carried on his sled. ``I always kept myself busy, I had 10 dogs to take care of,'' said Boyce, who moved to Alaska in 1991 after graduating from Humbolt StateUniversity. ``I probably learned a lot more than if I had finished the race.'' All the while, Boyce, a reporter for a Fairbanks newspaper and former editor of the College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. newspaper in Valencia, was himself making news. He was feared dead as the overnight temperatures dipped to a frigid 20 degrees. But when rescuers found him, he refused medical attention, instead racing to his wife as she waited at the Soldotna Airport. The bacon cheeseburger and a good night's sleep in a motel room followed. ``He's very lucky,'' said Tim DeSpain, spokesman for the Alaska State Troopers. ``It is amazing.'' Boyce, a rookie dog sled racer, was among 18 people who participated in the Tutumena 200 Sled Dog sled dog Any working dog used to pull a sled carrying people and supplies across snow and ice. The breeds most commonly used are the Alaskan malamute, Laika, Samoyed, and Siberian husky. All are powerful dogs with a thick coat and high endurance. See also Eskimo dog. Race, a two-day, 300-kilometer race. He took a wrong turn Jan. 30 as it began to snow and ended up off the race trail. He struggled on for hours in the dark, hoping to rejoin the other racers, but to no avail. Finally he set up camp and waited for rescuers to find him. At that point he was 10 miles off the race course. He spent the next six days snuggled snug·gle v. snug·gled, snug·gling, snug·gles v.intr. 1. To lie or press close together; cuddle. 2. near a ridge in the Kenai Peninsula's Caribou Caribou, town, United States Caribou (kâr`ĭb  ), town (1990 pop. 9,415), Aroostook co., NE Maine, on the Aroostook River; inc. 1859. Hills, about 125 miles south of Anchorage. He used his miniature stove to melt snow, heat food for his dogs and dry out his gloves and socks. ``I burned them a little, but they were dry,'' said Boyce, who was dressed in ``refrigewear,'' heavily insulated clothing. At times he was frightened, especially at night, but the dogs were good company, he said. ``It wasn't very far to my next food bag, but I never got there,'' said Boyce, adding that he was only 18 miles from the second checkpoint. ``You can survive for a long time on water alone.'' Several times Boyce heard snowmobiles and saw helicopters and, although he yelled, swung his red jacket around and used a headlight to send an SOS SOS, code letters of the international distress signal. The signal is expressed in International Morse code as … — — — … (three dots, three dashes, three dots). signal, his efforts were fruitless. He even used sticks he found in shrubs to spell out ``HELP,'' but got no results. As many as 55 snow machiners, nearly every Alaskan state trooper and the Civil Air Patrol  The U.S. Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). It was created on 1 December, 1941 by Administrative Order 9, with Maj. Gen. John F. participated in his search, many others volunteered to assist the searchers. DeSpain said Boyce survived because he was dressed for the cold weather, had some survival gear and the weather was unseasonably warm. ``You really have to know what to do to survive,'' DeSpain said. ``Sometimes people disappear and they aren't found till the summer. They don't always have a good outcome.'' As the weather cleared Friday, Boyce left his sled, hiked four miles to a peak and spotted a snow machine trail, where he was spotted by a retired Coast Guardsman. Though this was just his third race, Boyce said it will not be his last. ``It's the unofficial state sport,'' said Boyce. ``It's very, very popular up here.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color -- ran in SAC edition only) Rod Boyce, a Hart High graduate, was lost during a sled dog race and was missing for six days in Alaska. Jon Little/Anchorage Daily News (2 -- color -- ran in Valley edition only) Boyce |
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