Well, from there we got away, our spirits never failin', and mushed slush across Norton Sound. Nome was in sight! We could see the steeples of the churches, the skyscrapers of the skyline growing closer with every step. Soon, soon, our journey of mercy would be over!

With my shouts of joy ringing in their ears, the ice crunching beneath our runners, the dogs turned left toward the only tree in the Pribilofs.