April 15, 2004
Eric Whitney on the trail.
Bethel resident Eric Whitney has been working with the YKHC Diabetes Prevention and Control Program to spread the word about diabetes. Eric's goal is to raise awareness of diabetes in the YK Delta by skiing to Aniak. He began his trip on Wednesday, March 24 from Bethel, stopping in Akiachuk and Akiak along the way to talk about diabetes prevention. Eric's message is that being active, eating healthy foods, and avoiding empty foods like pop and candy is the key to avoiding diabetes. People need to know the seriousness of this disease and learn ways to prevent it.
The first day of the trip was ideal for skiing with temperatures in the mid 20s, little or no wind, and a nice soft layer of snow on the ground. Eric was able to ski to just above Tuluksak where a friend met him to set up camp. Unfortunately, later that night the temperatures dropped and the wind picked up. In the morning, cold winds continued to blow from the north at about 20 mph and the temp was about -10. He skied about five miles upriver and decided to stop because of the cold weather.
Eric says he expects there to be a few more good days for traveling this spring and will try to complete the trip then. He says, "It may be by bicycle, skis, skates, or some other combination, but somehow I will try to finish the trip."