Corky's Courage An Alaskan Adventure

By Bill Richardson

Corky and her friend Mark, take a sightseeing flight along Southcentral Alaska’s beautiful and rugged Pacific coast line. Suddenly they are in a life and death situation! For them to survive, Corky must meet nature’s challenges until someone can rescue them. Enjoy an easy read without sex, violence, or cussing!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bill Richardson
• Release date: Nov 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9780988531147

Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson, winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and former CBC Radio personality, is the author of numerous books for both adults and children, including plays, poetry, and fiction.

Book preview

Corky’s Courage

An Alaskan Adventure

Bill Richardson

Copyright 2011 Bill Richardson

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Smashwords Edition

All Rights Reserved

Cover image copyright 2011 Bill Richardson

This is a work of fiction. Names and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to any business, or aircraft numbers are entirely coincidental. The geographical locations do exist.

Thanks to all the great folks who helped to move this story along!

My other ebooks at Smashwords.com

Corky and the Alaskan Oldtimer

Corky and the Alaskan Quake

Corky and the Alaskan Gold Digger!

Corky and the Alaskan Bears

Smashwords Edition, ISBN License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Kachemak Bay

Chapter 2 - Attitude

Chapter 3 - The Camp

Chapter 4 - Stormy Weather

Chapter 5 - Staying Focused

Chapter 6 - The Examination

Chapter 7 - Signals

Chapter 8 - The Russians

Chapter 9 - English Breakfast Tea

Another book by the author

About the Author

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Chapter 1 - Kachemak Bay

Another great day for us to fly, my fine feathered friends. The birds in Corky’s yard seemed to agree as they fluttered back and forth among the bushes and trees. Standing on her cabin’s porch and taking a deep breath of the cool crisp morning air, she watched and listened to the many birds and critters by her cabin.

A few birds had yellow and brownish body feathers and others had grey mixed with white patches. Several red-breasted robins fluttered in and out of the trees. Gathering together in small groups on the ground, they would chirp and hop about looking for food. In a few days she knew they would flock up, fly together for a few minutes, and then land. Then with a great burst they would rise into the sky, circle as if to say goodbye and start flying south to warmer country for the winter.

The shier birds were dashing in and out of bushes and trees for cover. Cautiously, they would slowly come out again to squabble over a bug or mosquito. However, one small black-capped chickadee wasn’t shy. It landed on a branch close to Corky and while cocking its head to one side, chattered at her as if to say hello.

A large greenish black and white-patched long tailed magpie glided in its roller coaster fashion from a cottonwood tree to a short stump. Quickly jumping off the stump, the bird made several chucking sounds and then stopped completely. It looked around as if anticipating something. Corky smiled as the bird reminded her of someone in a smart looking tuxedo with no place to go.

A white and brown snowshoe hare slowly ambled along, ignoring the chattering red squirrel that was perched overhead on a spruce branch.

The forest’s sweet damp smell mixed with the ripe odor of high bush cranberries reminded her it was time to pick berries for winter jams and jellies. Giving them to others for Christmas gifts had almost become a tradition with her. Before long the berries will get too soft so I’d better get to picking them soon, she muttered. And make plenty of noise when picking the berries to help scare off any bears.

A brown bear had recently tried to scratch its way through her wooden door into the cabin and had left long gash marks. Corky knew she had to be very alert as the bear might have a cub or two with it. An encounter with a disturbed bear could turn into a very unpleasant event she reminded herself. However by staying alert, that probably wouldn’t happen.

Corky delighted in watching the beautiful yellow birch and orange cottonwood leaves reflect the early sunlight. Their striking fall colors made the area around her cabin look like a calendar picture.

The morning sounds and sights helped Corky to finally relax. She had returned to Homer the evening before from a several day trip flying photographers and biologists into the Brooks Range from the old Wiseman mining community. The biologists wanted to document the snowshoe hares’ color changes from their summer browns to their Arctic winter grays and white colored phases. There were several people and lots of equipment to fly in and out of the camp before the good weather disappeared. Flying the Cessna 206 with floats was enjoyable and was exactly what she liked to do; however the many hours of detailed attention were exhausting.

On the way back from Wiseman, she had stopped in Anchorage to buy groceries and take care of other errands. One stop was at Molly’s Tea House to get a fresh batch of English Breakfast tea. Molly’s not only sold tasty teas in bulk but also provided special tea parties in a very proper English tearoom. Grinning, Corky remembered how she had walked into the prim and proper teahouse wearing her outdoor boots and clothes. She was sure if she wasn’t in Alaska someone would have objected but no one seemed to mind at Molly’s.

One of her greatest pleasures was doing exactly what she was doing now, and that was sitting on the porch, enjoying the autumn morning, with a hot cup of English Breakfast tea.

The last twelve months had been a very busy period. Not only had she finished getting her commercial multi-engine and instrument rating, but she had also attended the Arctic Winter Survival School at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks.

Corky had grown up around airplanes, received her private pilot’s license a week after her sixteenth birthday and her single-engine float rating by her seventeenth. Her parents were field biologists and worked by contract with many different companies and government agencies throughout Alaska. The entire family would go into the field to help with the research work, spending weeks in the field.

With her growing up in the out-of-doors, Corky had many wonderful and sometimes exciting experiences. Both her parents were pilots and had taught her to fly safely and follow the Three Ks: Know yourself. Know your plane. Know your weather.

"I wonder how the folks are doing on their Copper River Valley trip near Iliamna Lake," she thought. That’s beautiful country. Maybe I’ll fly over and see them.

Suddenly the phone rang. Startled, Corky quickly jumped from her chair, almost spilling the hot tea. The birds scattered and the squirrel went silent and didn’t move.

Good morning, this is Corky, she answered with a warm smile in her voice.

Hey, Miss Corky Corcoran, this is Mark. I see you’re back right on schedule. Did you have a good trip? he rapidly asked. It’s such a gorgeous day, how about we fly to the outside beaches? On the way we can check out the bears and salmon runs. And by the way, I missed you.

Corky replied in kind. It was a good trip, Mark. I’ve got lots to tell you about. And yes, a trip to the outside beaches sounds great to me. I’m looking across Kachemak Bay now and I see a few broken clouds on the Kenai Mountains. It might be a bumpy ride on the outside. Which plane are we taking? And by the way I missed you, too, Mr. Mark Donnelly. They both chuckled softly.

"Sorry about that. I’m just glad you’re back. I called Flight Service and checked the last aviation weather report they had. A storm front is about two hundred miles south and shouldn’t hit until late tonight at