Bane County Omnibus 1 by J R Rice

Author:J R Rice [Rice, J R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silver Canyon Press
Published: 2019-12-01T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

Lake Argent 1978

THE SILVER CANYON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE was unique. Few places on earth could match the lush, green forests and geographical beauty of this mountainous river-island. At just over one-million-acres, The Refuge consisted of over sixteen-hundred-square-miles of rugged, unmapped terrain, and much of its treacherous landscape was virtually impassable—no roads existed within its borders.

At the heart of this pristine, untouched wilderness was a sparkling blue gem—Lake Argent—a large, subalpine lake that encompassed over fifty-square-miles of clear mountain water. Nestled into a hanging-valley at an elevation of about three thousand feet, Lake Argent was a true wonder of nature, and the diversity of the area’s rare flora and fauna was unequaled anywhere in the world. Its shores and surrounding forests were a Mecca for scientists and researchers of every discipline.

The protection and preservation of the Silver Canyon National Wildlife Refuge fell under the purview of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and scientific research was a large part of that charge. Because of this fact, the wildlife service maintained a small cabin at Lake Argent, which was used by their field biologists during research projects.

Travel to and from the remote cabin was difficult, and there were only two modes of transportation: by air or on foot. Hiking to the distant lake required two full days through extremely grueling terrain, and trying to carry the needed scientific equipment in a backpack was next to impossible. For this reason, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service chartered an aircraft outfitted with pontoons for water-landings to transport their field biologists.

Brian and Lori McNeel—a husband and wife team—had joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as field biologists right out of college, and for the past five years, they had worked almost exclusively inside the wildlife refuge. A native of Bane County, Brian McNeel already knew the terrain like the back of his hand, and his wife, Lori, had been a quick study.

In addition to their day-to-day work in The Refuge, near their home in Silver Canyon, they also spent numerous weeks each year at Lake Argent doing research—and on this crisp September afternoon, that was exactly where they were heading.

The distinctive sound of a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver aircraft flying overhead was unmistakable. Its powerful nine-cylinder Pratt & Whitney radial engine emitted an evocative roar that caused even the most seasoned bush-pilots to remove their hats and gaze into the heavens with reverence.

Captain William Culpepper—or “Wild Bill” as everyone called him—powered the small floatplane across Lake Argent only a dozen or so yards above its surface. Culpepper learned to fly during the Vietnam War, which had ended only three short years earlier. He had piloted a Cessna O-2 Skymaster on forward-air-control- and PSYOPS-missions. He had been “in the shit” as he and his buddies called it. Flying fast and low was Wild Bill’s specialty.

“Do we have to go so fast?” Lori McNeel asked from the backseat. Even though she spoke loudly, her voice sounded weak and tinny over the headsets they were wearing.

Wild Bill smiled to himself.

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