A schoolgirl's message in a bottle travelled more than 1,700 miles over 21 years before being found by a man walking his dog on a beach.
Merle Brandell, 34, a bear hunting guide and manager of a water plant, found the plastic bottle on the shore of Nelson Lagoon, a tiny Alaskan fishing village some 1,735 miles from where it started it journey in Seattle.
Its sender, fourth grade schoolgirl Emily Hwaung who is now a 30-year-old accountant called Emily Shih, said she was "flabbergasted" by the news but added: "I don't remember the project. It was so long ago. Elementary school is kind of foggy."
