Please Help Jim and Buck's Journey Home

I met Jim Smith, 87, in Quartzsite, AZ this winter. He had finally, after 65 years, left his trapper's cabins in the outback of Alaska to visit the lower 48. On about April 4th, he called me, knowing I had returned to Washington, and he needed help. His built-out camper van had blown its engine, and he and his dog, Buck, were stranded in Southeast Oregon. I picked him up with a U-Haul trailer and brought him as far as western Washington, but it took all I had, and now we need to find him a new engine or vehicle to get him back home. He has a craft in Alaska, carving diamond willow, but cannot do it here. I wish I could tell you his whole story, but there is so much. A few pictures tell the story, but very little of it.

Jim was a true Alaska trapper and hunter and taught trapping for the Forest Service when wolves became a threat. He built several log cabins and helped many people with their homes. He has figured out that he is not cut out for living in the lower 48.

Please help me raise enough to get him back home, with his dog, Buck, and all his earthly belongings that are in his van, which is now parked in my old greenhouse.