CH 12: Drift Backstory

The Drift chapter has the distinction of being the first fully-drafted chapter in McGhee in the Gloaming. I’d written a few sketches before that (which became the kernels of Confessions in the Gloaming and the Prologue), but Drift was really the beginning. Once I’d written it, I had the voice for the novel and knew it would go. Ultimately it would become chapter 12, but it maintains a special spot in my personal writing experience.

Me, in front of a small tent shelter near Karl’s cabin.

The initial draft of Drift had nearly zero dialog in it. I think there were two or three brief grunts or “Yeah” comments. The bulk of it was observation and it remains that way.

As for the story itself as related in the novel it corresponds very closely to an experience I had in Alaska in 1986. My college buddy Matt introduced me to Karl and urged him to take me along for his yearly wood-gathering and restocking adventure up river. It remains one of my most treasured memories. One of the personal stakes I had in the novel was recording several episodes such as the river drift so I’d be assured of remembering all the little details for the rest of my life. Though I’ve given that formative experience to McGhee, I share the entirety of it with him as my own as well.

Julie drilling the last of the vertical spar holes in the raft.

All of the events of the story happened almost exactly as recorded in the novel, from building the log raft, to enduring the river windstorm, to collecting the logs, to standing by the hot stovepipe in the drizzle, to the chorus of dogs greeting our return to Ruby in the wee hours of the morning. The only deviation I can recall from actual events is that there was only one swig left in the bottle of Courvoisser on the raft. I couldn’t bear to have McGhee do that to Karl in the novel version, so he shared it. The real Karl graciously urged me to finish it myself. It’s small solace, but I rectified the gaff in On the Margin by showing up with a full bottle for Karl and Matt to enjoy with me.

The raft after the wind storm on the river took half of the wood.

Looking the other way, the other half of the wood spread across a mile or so of Yukon beach. The structure in the distance is a fish wheel sitting in the current.

You might recognize the photo below from the cover of the novel. The difference is that it's black and white, and the cover is actually a painting. A friend suggested doing a painting instead of using the photo because it fit better with the fictional nature of the story. I'd have to agree.

As it turns out, the part of On the Margin involving Karl on the barge was embellished. In fact, that whole thread largely was, though I did see Matt some years back on a trip with my son. I mention that because I learned today Karl passed away some years back from cancer.

So this is blog is dedicated to Karl Hnilicka: here’s to you, Karl. I guess I’ll never get to give you that swig of Courvoisier after all.