Wednesday August 3rd, 2022
The Atlin Whisper “Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world.” Margaret Mead
ON THE ROAD IV The Ballad of Ellie May Clampett Alaska Hwy.Enroute-Ft Nelson. Back on the highway, I mulled over what must have been going through the drivers mind as he spun off the road, turned over and headed for the trees. I didn’t know it, but several years later a pal of mine would be involved in a similar incident where he might have lost his life if it hadn’t been for a little help from a friend. In this case, it wasn’t a guardian angel that came to the rescue, but a real flesh and blood saviour. Alaska Hwy,2011. Manfred Janssen is a staple in the Yukon music scene. Along with his partner Jim Vautour, they formed ‘Two Rivers’ – a duo that produced a couple of hits that became Yukon anthems. He was driving into town one day in the middle of winter, when he hit a patch of black ice, went over the bank, turned over, and wrapped his truck around a telephone pole. He ended up hanging in his seatbelt, upside down - trapped inside a vehicle that could not be seen from the road. It was cold and he was becoming hypothermic. It doesn’t take long at these temperatures to die from exposure. He had no idea what his injuries might be, but he was running out of breath and knew he had to get out of there. He tried wiggling out of the seat belt, but without success. Forty minutes later, he was still stuck, and time was running out. His dog, Ellie May Clampett, who was on his lap at the time, had simply disappeared, and Freddy thought to himself, ‘Great, on top of all this, I’ve killed my dog.’ Little did he know that Ellie May was, that very minute, running circles around the truck and raising hell. Finally, a neighbour, slowing to investigate the ruckus, recognized the dog, and braked to a stop. He looked over the bank, saw the wrecked vehicle with Freddy hanging upside down in his seatbelt, and called for an ambulance. It came just in time. Manfred was pretty close to checking out. In the end, he sustained a nasty gash to the head and a frozen hand, but otherwise, he was ok. And he was alive. Saved by the grace of dog. For her remaining days on the planet, you can be sure Ellie May Clampett lived the life of a princess.