HAY RIVER
My dear friend Tammy Caudron and I went out to pick morel mushrooms on the morning of June 10.

Joanne Barnaby, left, when she was reunited with her friend Tammy Cauldron. Barnaby recounts how she was stalked by a wolf for 12 hours - photo courtesy of Joanne Barnaby

After stopping to check other places we finally scored about 10 kms south of Nyarling River and east of the highway. We realized in retrospect that we both picked until about 4:30, by the time my pail was full, I was at the far northwest end of the burn area - about 1-1/4 kms from where I left my truck, Tammy was at the opposite end.

As I was about to head back to the truck (for which I left unlocked but I had the keys) a tall black lone wolf came out of the bush slowly approaching me and my dog Joey.

Joey, my incredibly protective dog, charged and tried to scare him away (this is a guy who has charged bears so fiercely that they would run scared). While the wolf backed down a bit he continued to pursue us and worked on pushing us further and further away from the highway ... it dawned on me that he knew what he was doing as he also worked on separating Joey and I.

I kept yelling at Joey to come to me as I knew that if he got him, I would be next. If I had my gun, this would have been a short story and I spent the next 11-1/2 hours while pursued by the wolf kicking myself for being so stupid. How could I not bring my gun?! I have never done something so stupid and I knew better!

Every time I tried to turn back towards the highway the wolf would block us and would pace back and forth to push us further away. Around 8 or 9 p.m. I heard three rifle shots which gave me hope that help might be on the way.

I was on a hill and knew however, that I was very far from the highway and the shot sounds were being carried towards me by the wind. I knew the chances of them coming in my direction were slim as why would I go there? I walked through deadfall areas higher than my waist, through willows so thick that I had to untangle them and through every kind of terrain in the area. I think the 'easy' walking was about 20 per cent of the time (or maybe it just seemed that way).

Finally around 4 a.m., I heard a Momma bear calling her cub with the cub responded from a different direction. At this point I was so dehydrated that my calves and thighs were seizing up and I would have to sit on the ground to rub out these big balls out of my legs.

The wolf seemed to sense that I was getting weaker and the zillions of mosquitoes were starting to drive me crazy. I knew I had to take a chance with the bears so I headed towards the cub knowing that was where Momma was going.

I was getting closer when all of a sudden I heard this loud crashing and growling then yelping from the bush behind me. It worked! Momma attacked the wolf! I took off as fast I could towards the highway but found a devastatingly large area of impossible to cross deadfall, after falling and hurting my back, I knew I had to go back away from the highway... I could not just cut across and take a shortcut to the highway which I estimate was about three to four kilometres away from that point!

I had to head further west still and then south to find a passable area to cross. I finally however came across a small lake so I went down and filled my little beer can several times, I had brought one with me and had kept the can after I had finished it many hours earlier.

I finally stopped and rested for about an hour and half spending the whole time swatting mosquitoes but giving my legs a much needed rest. While I sat there, I talked out loud to all the people I love in my life, expressing fully my love and articulating how each of you are special to me. This actually gave me energy and determination to see everyone again and so I started walking again.

I came across another small lake later but the best water by far was from muskeg, it tasted incredible! I had been rubbing poplar powder on my body whenever I could as a mosquito repellent. It's effects were limited but gave me a little relief from time to time. Finally at 8 a.m. I walked out on the highway north of where my truck was and saw vehicles up over a couple of rises.

Const. Pardy finally spotted me coming and drove to me, he and a fellow from Parks Canada both got out and gave me a big hug. I still had my beer can and told him that this little can saved my life along with a Momma and baby bear! They were surprised to see me coming from the north as they assumed I was south of my truck as that was the direction Tammy last saw me going.

I made a lot of mistakes, the biggest was not carrying my gun, I would have shot the wolf immediately and that would have been the end of it.

Poor planning and communication was another. Tammy and I had been out with my brother David Burger the week before and we had so much fun - we were looking forward to repeating that experience and I got careless.

Poor Tammy was so worried, she started flagging down traffic and a bunch of people from Fort Resolution stopped and went looking for me, firing their guns.

I am so grateful to all of these people, they returned the next morning to start searching again and discovered my truck was gone and knowing I had the keys, they knew I must have got out OK.

I have tried contacting all of you by phone to thank you for your efforts, for those of you I haven't reached yet, please know you are in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you too to the RCMP members from both Hay River and Fort Smith who were busy organizing a search party!

I know some of you went walking to find me the night before and I am so grateful for your efforts. It was strange to find out that they thought I was lost when in fact I was experiencing something quite different.

To my good friend Tammy, I am sorry for scaring the crap out of you but I would go in the bush with you again, any time, but I would have my gun.

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