"Are you ok?"

Any question asked with enough frequency eventually becomes rhetorical. This particular question however, had become not only rhetorical, but a symbol of our entire trip.

"Are you ok?" Peter asks again.

I try to form an answer in my mind before I speak so I don't insight panic.
"Peter" I want to say,
"We are above the arctic circle. We are on a 400-mile canoe trip. Need I remind you, neither of us have ever canoed before? Things have been OK until now, but for fuck’s sake, I just hurt my ankle on a frozen puddle in the corner of the tent! There's snow falling inside the tent, and last night, the Gore-Tex on my down sleeping bag froze so solid I couldn't move, remember that? We've done the 45-mile upriver paddle. We even made it through the Brooks Range with 275 pounds of gear. But who could have known winter could hit in one single night? I've never heard of that! We have more than 300 miles to go and nothing but freezing temps, frozen rivers and snow ahead. I'll be honest with you Pete, I'm just not sure were going to make it. While I'm spilling my guts, those missing Brazil nuts and cheese? A marmot didn't eat it man, I did. Also, it's time you know that the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) was brought more as a symbol of safety rather than an actual device for safety. The batteries I brought don't even fit. And no, we don't have enough food to get us out. I'm sorry man, if one of has to eat the other, you can have me."

But instead, I wriggle deeper into my sleeping bag, pull my hat over my eyes and dumbly answer:

"Yea man, I'm ok."