News, Come to Alaska, but please don't go 'Wild' (art)

[nebulous1]

Wasn't that the guy who thought he could befriend bears? Wasn't he the one who tooted his own horn, and then the bears killed him?
Sort of like nature showing who is boss...

I don't think it is cold at all to postulate that anyone who goes out into the wild deserves what they get...remember those hikers who had to be rescued from the mountains last year? All the notoriety and such? They knew what they were getting into, that's why they carry cell phones so they can call for help when they are too arrogant about nature.

[blessteve]

Human nature never cease's to amaze me. We are so spoiled in America with our 99 cent cheese burger, MTV, Ipod, kids don't even think about worked till the rip age of 23.
"I deserve to have some fun" they say. And people like that want to live off the LAND?

If living of the land was so easy millions every week world wide would not be starving to death.

I hope they wise up before it is to late. A bag of rice and a shotgun WTF???????????

I must run in a different circle cause I never had a friend that wanted to move to Alaska
and be a fisher man/hunter/bushmen. People think I'm wacked for wanting to move to
the cold dark state so far away. But my freinds are spoiled city folks.

My wife and I can hardly wait to move to Alaska. The plan is in action.
Sorry but we will not be living off the land.We will reside in the biggest city.
You can take the boy out of the city but not the city out of the boy.

[Xa'at]

Originally Posted by blessteve

Human nature never cease's to amaze me. We are so spoiled in America with our 99 cent cheese burger, MTV, Ipod, kids don't even think about worked till the rip age of 23.

Well hold on, that's a bit of a blanket statement... I started working when I was 15! I also don't eat cheeseburgers (especially 99 cent ones! Just turkey burgers), don't watch MTV... all right I do have an iPod. But only good music, no Britney Spears or other assorted crap.
Maybe I'm just weird? Wait, hold that thought... I KNOW I'm weird.
On the other hand, I've also never had a friend who wanted to move to Alaska and go "wild". Have had some friends in alaska who went "wild" (in a different sense of the word) but never the "wild" where you wander off into the woods with a bag of rice and an unloaded gun.

[Rance]

I lived (survived) on white rice and mushy flounder for two full weeks in the Togiak area of Bristol Bay once. I'd rather eat the business end of a skunk than do that again. Yuk! It was blowing so hard I could not even get a skiff to the beach for week. I watched ptarmigan flying around all day long and could not get to them from the boat.

[blessteve]

Xaat,
Blanket statements and generalizations I am guilty of making once in awhile.
I know there are a bunch of hard working young folks out there.
How could you not eat a 99 cent cheese burger?

Rance,

Mushy fish is nasty.
I had to eat MRE's for long periods of time.
The first week they are pretty good then all down hill from there.
At one point I start supplementing with lizards I would catch.
I would cut the lizard up and swallow the chucks like a pill.
No cooking or chewing.

[warptman]

We had a nutcase from here in Bethel. One winter he came up with an idea that he'd walk to Anchorage just like "our ancestors did." On his first attempt he got 50 miles and burned out and got a snowmachine ride back home. You think he'd give up after the first one. But it got better. On his second attempt he got a plane ride to the mountain range (cutting off around 100 miles or so) and fell into some overflow and got soaked. He set off his epirb and the guard had to fly in a snowstorm to pick him up. I don't ever recall any stories of any of my ancestors walking all the way to anchorage. Smart guy.

[tablemtn]

I once tried to 'challenge' myself on a hiking trip on Kodiak Island by eating and grazing as long as I could 'off the land' before resorting to the food I brought with me. This was summer, so it seemed like something that might be possible. It was, but I ended up eating an awful lot of berries, grubs, worms, and whatever other insects I could find, including the occasional slug.

I think a lot of people stranded in the wilderness get in trouble because they aren't willing (or don't think) to start eating insects right away. Insects are by far the most plentiful source of edible protein in most wilderness environments, and most of them can safely be eaten raw. Something to remember.

[rotorhead]

I don't see as there's any problem with any number of "pilgrims" to the old school bus. Just follow a couple of basic safety rules:

1. Always travel in groups of two or more.

2. Bring essentials such as a sharp knife and some matches.

3. If you get stranded over the winter, don't expect rescue. Use the available resources to feed yourselves.

Did I mention that you should travel in groups? Might want to make that a group of plump, juicy, vegetarians.



Seriously though, I'm totally in agreement with the folks that say "blow the bus to smithereens". It's like having an open mineshaft around, just an "attractive nusiance" waiting for trouble. The idiots and dreamer who get themselves into these kinds of scrapes never have two nickles to rub together either, so it's always on the public expense when they need to be rescued.

I'd expect that now the stuff is showing up on E-bay the problem wil solve itself, as souvenier seekers and vandals will make off with every piece that can be carried and destroy the rest. In a couple years there won't be anything there to find.

[aldersonarts]

I thought maybe you might enjoy this Timothy Treadwell video. WARNING: He is using some extreme profanity during his on-camera-blow-up.

YouTube - Timothy Treadwell "Grizzly Man" Mental illness

I really liked the part at the end where he thanks the animals for keeping him safe. Maybe a big brown bear was planning on keeping him safe until he ripened up to just the right tenderness. I don't even remember if it was a bear that killed him. I think it was. If it was a black bear then he or she would have started munching on him right away. I like them brown bears in that they like processed food. Meat that is processed by time.

[Xa'at]

Man, that guy was nuts. He had some serious anger issues...
The problem is, he was a little bit right. The government could do more to protect these animals.