A 45-mile ride today, over bumpy sea ice, gorgeous overland trail, and more bumpy open river mouth, until we reached Elim, where after skiing in eight years ago I met Robbin, who loaned me her ground-blizzard-proof hat before this trip, and her husband Chris, who made the hat.

Here’s a shot of Chris that endures in the school. Is that a pencil behind his ear? He was a teacher here in the early 2000s, and he and Robbin have since moved to Fairbanks.

This is the Kwik River shelter cabin about 21 miles from Koyuk. These shelter cabins are built in some nasty wind country, in long gaps between villages. I’m happy to report that this one had dry kindling by the stove that may have been placed there by Andy, Lisa, Ed, and Matt, who skied from Koyuk to Nome last week and stayed in the cabin.

Once we got to Elim and got set up for the night in the school library, Kenji drilled another permafrost borehole and dropped in some thermisters. That’s the seventh straight day he’s drilled.

T’was time for a break. We dropped the drilling equipment and rode inland through spruce forest to a HOT SPRINGS about seven miles in. Yes!

A well-earned soak for this guy, who plays tug-of-war with a 40-pound drill and frozen ground every day.

And this guy, who’s there with him for every turn of the drill.