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Trade paperback ISBN: 9781426328220
Reinforced library binding ISBN: 9781426328237
Ebook ISBN 9781426328244
v4.1
Version: 2017-10-30
This book is for Liam and Devin, of course. Everything I write, I write for you. —BM
Chapter 1: Scouting the River
Chapter 2: Running the River
Chapter 3: Path to the Pinch
Chapter 1: Signs of Trouble
Chapter 2: Rushing Rapids
Chapter 3: Reading the River
Chapter 1: The Long Haul
Chapter 2: Hippo Attack!
Chapter 3: Land of Plenty
Todd Wells is followed by two of his teammates as they explore the Chitina River.
The team rests in a patch of cottongrass after scouting the first portion of the Headwaters Canyon.
Alaska, U.S.A.
Todd Wells was wide-awake. Around him, his teammates snored and mumbled in their sleep. But not Todd. As expedition leader, he had too much on his mind. He had led other expeditions before, but none like this one. Todd and his five teammates were about to try something that no one had ever done before. And it was risky.
Todd’s group was camped in the heart of the Wrangell (sounds like RANG-guhl) Mountains. Their tents were nestled in one of Alaska’s most breathtaking valleys. But they weren’t here to camp. They were here to run the Chitina (CHIT-nuh) River.
“Running” the river means traveling down it in kayaks (sounds like KY-yaks). All six team members were experienced kayakers. Yet this 130-mile (209-km)-long river is unique.
Lower parts of the Chitina River are a favorite among boaters, who take to the river in kayaks, rafts, canoes, and other small boats. But one section of the river had never been run. That’s because until recently, this section was covered in ice.
The source of the river—called the headwaters—comes from the towering Logan Glacier (sounds like GLAY-shur). This massive block of ice flows into the river from the east. The Chugach (sounds like CHOO-gach) Mountains lie to the south. The Wrangells are to the north. A deep canyon