We all come into this world alone and go out the same way. Between the coming and going is life. This is a story about life and how a year long adventure defines the future of a reluctant young man named Dutch Clarke.<br><br>Manipulated by the terms of his dead grandfather's will, Dutch undertakes his ordeal in the rugged wilderness of British Columbia in 1941. This is a classic story of one man's personal struggle to come of age against all odds.<br><br>Dutch begins his trek accompanied by his horse Blaze, two mules and a half wild dog, Gus. As they pack into the remote Nascall Valley, he digs deep, learning courage, self-reliance and how to survive. On this unforgiving trail, Dutch faces many obstacles, some life-threatening, some inspiring, all a challenge to his character and spirit.<br><br>This poignant story is written in a powerful narrative style that draws the reader ever deeper, propelling them from one adventure to the next. It's a story of redemption, love, birth and death, a heart-felt story that relates the events that shape its characters' lives in an edge-of-your-seat survival saga.
Оглавление
Brian Ratty. Dutch Clarke - The Early Years
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Chapter One. The Trailhead
Sea Legs - 1937
Missions
Green Sentinels
The Pacific Lady
Horsemanship
Drifting
First Crossing
Chapter Two. On the Trail
From The Grave
Thunder Mountain
Ghosts
Chapter Three. River Crossings
Tenderfoot
Dean Channel
Salmon Wars
Chapter Four. The End of the Trail
Green Thumbs
Missed Opportunity
Gus
Destination
Chapter Five. The Nascall Valley
Things to Do
Bonded
July Fourth
Chapter Six. Fool’s Errand
The Cabin
Month of Pain
Death’s Shack
Mule Valley
Chapter Seven. Ridge Of Gold and Death
April 12, 1929
April 14, 1929
April 20, 1929
The Journal
May 15, 1929
May 26, 1929
June 5, 1929
White Goose
Tragic End
July 16, 1929
August 22, 1929
September 14, 1929
September 21, 1929
October 15, 1929
December 25, 1929
February 14, 1930
Chapter Eight. From the Sky
Unwanted Visitor
A World Gone Mad
Rescue
Christmas
Chapter Nine. Survival
New Year
The Truth
Renewal
Whiteout
Chapter Ten. Black Veil
The Way Out
Summit of Sorrow
The Last Trail
Decisions
Epilogue
Unfinished Business
Final Business
The End
Appendix A– Trailhead Supplies
Appendix B—Map: Long View
Appendix C—Map: Short View
Отрывок из книги
On May 31, 1942, my life began in a world that was full of turmoil and struggling for its very survival. World War II and related events would have a great impact on my life. There is no greater group of people who walked the face of this earth than the World War II generation. They saved the world from corruption and tyranny at a cost in human lives that counted into the millions.
During the war my family lived and worked in the small coastal town of Seaside, Oregon. Here, my father went to work with his father at nearby naval air stations in both Warrenton and Tongue Point. They both worked as civilian contractors for the United States Department of the Navy.
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Taking some of this money, he and Roy bought one of the petroleum refineries that had once supplied them. Naming this second new venture Gold Coast Petroleum, they built a dynasty. By changing the way the oil was refined, they were soon producing not only gas, but also motor oil, diesel fuel, paint thinner, and kerosene.
Using Uncle Roy's expertise in business and accounting, Dutch acquired a dozen other refineries over the next thirty years. Because the company was without debt, when the Great Depression came in the 1930s and the market for petroleum products started to dry up, he hired guards to oversee and protect closed refineries. He then reopened the plants as the markets improved.
