ready to live like heimo korth (Anchorage, Bethel: dangerous, gangs, cabin)
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The reason so few people are living like that is because most people find that they actually do want to talk to people..
I'm no carpenter by any means, but still, I wouldn't think it'd be "easy and fast" to build a decent sized cabin.
Not too sure about that "everyone wants to talk to people" sentiment. I'm pretty sure I could live the rest of my life without seeing another human being. I'd like a dog or two though.
I can certainly understand the drive some have to escape and seek isolation and independence from a society gone mad. I had that same desire when I first arrived in Alaska 16 years ago. I spent three years planning, saving, and researching before I moved to Alaska. I thought I had covered all my bases. I even took the EMT-W course with the Red Cross, because I knew even a small accident could become fatal without the proper medical attention.
Since I arrived before the City-Data.com existed, I found a friend in Talkeetna that would answer my many questions via phone. I wasn't intending to live in the bush long, just 365 days, and only to see if I could.
When I first arrived in Talkeetna early May the river was too low to travel. My destination was approximately 25 miles up the Talkeetna River. I set up camp and had to wait 18 days before the river was finally deep enough.
I hired Mahay's River Boat Service, left the bulk of my equipment and food behind, and went up river to locate a spot near the river to build a small cabin and garden. I gave myself 3 days to find a location, and then another 5 days to build a cache on the chosen site. Mahay's was scheduled to pick me up 8 days later, and then haul the rest of my gear and food to the site.
In late May there was still snow on the ground in some places. The fiddle-fern pods hadn't started growing yet and resembled those egg-things from the movie "Alien". There was no level ground anywhere. I had to cross six sloughs, and two large patches of Devil's Club before I finally got off the river.
It was on the third day in the bush that I came to the realization that it would take me half the summer to just haul all the equipment and food I brought off the river, and I had serious doubts I could ever manage to get the 500+ pound custom-built wood-burning stove to the chosen site.
Since I had no desire to die, I had worked out a very detailed schedule of what had to be completed when. In this schedule were certain milestones that had to be met, and if I couldn't meet them on time, the entire exercise would end and I would have to fall back on "Plan B".
Needless to say, I had to fall back on "Plan B" which was to move to Anchorage, find a place to live and get a job. I look back on the foiled adventure now and think how naive and uninformed I was, despite the three years of planning in the lower-48, and don't regret the decision to pull out.
I don't know if I would've survived 365 days in the bush or not, but I am certain that it would've been a very cold and hungry winter if I had tried. I probably could've finished the cabin in time. There were lots of big spruce in the area I had chosen. However, I doubt the garden would've produced enough, and I'm certain I would not have the time to build a cabin AND cut up 9 to 12 cords of wood to heat the cabin.
With all that said, I don't begrudge anyone from giving it the good-old college try, just as long as they keep in mind that it is not anything they have ever experienced before and they would be smart to have a contingency plan.
I'm no carpenter by any means, but still, I wouldn't think it'd be "easy and fast" to build a decent sized cabin.
Not too sure about that "everyone wants to talk to people" sentiment. I'm pretty sure I could live the rest of my life without seeing another human being. I'd like a dog or two though.
A decent sized cabin is about 8X10 and with an axe you should be able to build one in about 2 or 3 days. It won't qualify for any awards but it will keep you warm in the winter.
I used to think I could live without talking to anyone myself...until I actually did it. Go ahead and try it for a month or two. You might be cut out for it.
LOL! Actually, I didn't take most of my gear with me when I went into the bush for the first time. Just enough to last me 10 days, and enough equipment (and fuel) to build a modest cache. I had to have someplace to put my food right away. I never got around to building that cache, and I brought everything back with me. I still have, and use, that same chainsaw. Stihl really makes good quality chainsaws, I'll give them that.
Thinking back on the experience, I do recall leaving something behind. I carried a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun with an 18.5" rifled barrel, and an extended-tube magazine that held seven rounds of alternating 00-buck and .65 cal. slugs. This shotgun was also equipped with a sling, and on this sling you could insert another dozen or so shells. Well, as it turns out, that wasn't such a good idea to load up the sling with ammo. As I'm walking through the brush along the river shells kept popping out as branches brushed by. After about six hours of hiking (which was all I could take under those conditions) I ended up loosing seven rounds from the sling.
P.S. I used that custom-built wood-burning stove for 12 years before it finally burned through one of the welds. I had it made with 3/16" steel plate. So at least that stove/heater would've lasted the full 365 days without any problems.
I want to try something thats even crazier than moving to Alaska, I want to try live down states somewhere for a year or so. I've lived here all my life and that would be something different. My brother moved to Montana last year and he's having a ball. Wouldn't know where to look though.
Most of my bulk food went to Bean's Cafe in Anchorage after I found a place and got a job. No point in keep a year's supply of rice, beans, flour, coffee, salt, and sugar when the grocery store is just down the street.
I want to try something thats even crazier than moving to Alaska, I want to try live down states somewhere for a year or so. I've lived here all my life and that would be something different. My brother moved to Montana last year and he's having a ball. Wouldn't know where to look though.
My husband and I have been researching Alaska for the past 1 1/2 years. We understand the top 3 needs for survival are food, heat, and shelter. We ahve also watched several documentaries, and read over 20 books on Alaska, wilderness survival and most recently the story of Heimo Korth. We are tired of working meaningless jobs just to make enough money to pay our bills and go to the movie once in a while. We are ready to work our butts off every day , knowing that if we don't, we die. So the question here is how do we go about this? I mean we are ready to each have a pack and be bedded down with warm clothes, boots, gloves, etc and be dropped in the middle of nowhere, but is that legal? Do we HAVE to purchase 5 acres from the "over-the-counter- sales on the dnr site or can we really just pick a spot near a body of water and start building a shanty? Please give us some insight to this last but most important detail of our moving to Alaska.
Dear Freedom Seeker ; Sounds like you just want to get off the 'earn and spend ' merrygoround . Feel trapped , and want piece of mind.
I did what youre dreaming about a couple of times -- and came back nto society for funny$$ to buy the tools and goodies I needed.
Dont listen to this bitchin about how your a financial drain on the system ,when the neo-criminals in Washington are wasting a billion$ a day killin millions in foreign lands.
Get a big wall tent and go into the alaska bush--- take a 'big berky' water filter, locate near a river. and enjoy the freedom . Do it in the spring and spend the summer, canoe the rivers and feel free /. Id go up the in the interior , put in on some river and float down a bit and setup home-- alaska is so big,
If the cops come to run you off your (public) land just tell them your camping . F'em. Theyll lie and tell you theres a time limit and all this other BS, tell them your just here for the week , and there gone-- these city slicker welfare recipients hate being out in the bush for more than a few hours a week. Theyre just wilderness free loaders themselves, but there doin it on the publics dime.
Then in the fall move to Sterling and get a job and rent a room for the winter and save up the bucks. And then you'll learn for the next year.
If your in a highly populated area now-- it will do wonders for your peace of mind just to get to a quieter region.
One thing Ill say about Grizzly man is; he had the time of his life--- and shot great footage. He had more character than all the politicians in congress put together, except Ron Paul. Dont forget to Vote for Ron Paul---USA's last chance for freedom.com
You can always try roughing it out in New Orleans.
Sure, you're used to bears and moose, but we have drug dealers and crackheads on nearly every corner- and they all seem to have guns.
(Okay, they realy don't know how to use them outside of three feet range, but they have them nonetheless...)
I believe that we are the true last frontier of civilization.
Or not.
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The fiddle-fern pods hadn't started growing yet and resembled those egg-things from the movie "Alien". 
There was no level ground anywhere. I had to cross six sloughs, and two large patches of Devil's Club before I finally got off the river.
Actually, I didn't take most of my gear with me when I went into the bush for the first time. Just enough to last me 10 days, and enough equipment (and fuel) to build a modest cache. I had to have someplace to put my food right away. I never got around to building that cache, and I brought everything back with me. I still have, and use, that same chainsaw. 
