Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15 ABOUT FOUR MONTHS LATER MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 1964 120 MILES NORTH OF VALDEZ, NEAR THE COPPER RIVER Jackson gripped his fishing pole, gave it a jiggle. Drops of sweat trickled down his back. It was very hot today—50 degrees! He shouldn't have worn

his flannel shirt. But it was still a perfect summer day in the bush. Birds chattered from the trees. An eagle soared overhead. Jackson breathed in the familiar summer smells—pine, wildflowers, river water. He looked proudly at the bucket of fish he'd caught for dinner. And then he spotted something moving just across the river. A very large animal. A grizzly! Jackson's whole body tensed… but then he relaxed. It was summer, he reminded himself. That bear had plenty of food. The river was wide and deep here, the water rushing fast. Grizzlies were good swimmers. But there was no reason for that bear to make a dangerous journey to cross. Still, Jackson backed away slowly. He kept his eyes on the bear as he crouched down behind a bush. He sucked in his breath as a flash of pain shot through his ankle. It had mostly healed,

thanks to two surgeries in the hospital in Anchorage. But it still ached sometimes. Jackson watched the bear through the bushes. It was small but looked healthy. Its light-brown fur was thick and glossy. Jackson's mouth dropped open when he noticed that part of the grizzly's ear was missing. A chill ran up his spine. Could it be? The bear turned, and Jackson saw a patch of bare flesh on its back. The skin looked scarred, like it had been burned. His eyes widened and his heart sped up. It's you, Jackson thought. The winter bear. Jackson watched in awe as the bear drank from the river. It lifted its big head and looked around. It was enjoying this bright day just like Jackson was. And then it turned and trotted off into the woods.

Jackson barely noticed the tears rolling down his cheeks. That bear had been through so much. But here it was, strong and healthy. Just like Jackson. He'd made it through the most powerful earthquake in United States history. The quake had wrecked parts of downtown Anchorage and towns and villages across Alaska. Monster tsunamis smashed into Kodiak, Seward, and Whittier. The worst was in the small village of Chenega. A wall of water more than 70 feet high practically wiped the village off the earth.

Luckily, the waves that hit Valdez after the quake were just a few feet high. They flooded the downtown, but by then the worst was over. And Jackson and the other kids were safe in Miss Lawrence's car. She'd spotted them as they hurried up Alaska Avenue. She'd driven them out of town, zigzagging around fissures and fallen

telephone poles, stopping to pick up other dazed and bloody people. They wound up at a campsite about six miles from town. Dozens of other people from Valdez had fled to that spot, too. People were terrified that other waves would strike. Or aftershocks—strong jolts that could destroy the buildings already weakened by the first quake. Jackson's chest got tight as he thought about that long night. He walked back to the river and splashed his face with the cold river water. But more memories came flooding back. The earsplitting roar of the quake that rang in his ears for days. The desperate voices of people calling out for their children, their parents, their friends. The angry glow of the fires that erupted in Valdez when giant oil tanks exploded. Worst of all was the terror of thinking he might never see Mom or Dad or Uncle Solly again.