is alaska just a dream or can i survive alone with just the camping essentials (apartment, rent)

[driftwood8]

Ok here it goes. I spent all of 2009. Traveling around the united states reaching 33 states on foot. Then i went and got my degree in environmental studies from nau. I have been livin a normal life ever since.work.house.girlfriend.i have decided to give up what i have. And buy a plane ticket to alaska in mid feb. It has been my dream to see your beautiful state and to start a life there free of the corruption of. Busy life. Where should i fly in to and which place would accept. A backpacker. Is there places to camp where i would not be bothered or be intruding on someones property. I will have my gear with me and a few hundred dollars..plz. help me. Journey to the north. Any ides would be more than appreciated

[AADAD]

It is way to cold to pitch a tent and survive in winter. Your idealism is noteworthy but practically speaking you should come visit in winter to see what I mean. If you are devoted to the idea think down the state toward Juneau. Even there it will be to cold but at least you will survive one or two nights...maybe. So in answer to your question, you will need shelter. Search dry cabin here on this site to get some ideas.

[stiffnecked]

The bus, you need to head towards the magic bus.

[jdhpa]

You might want to start by getting a job, apartment, etc. in Alaska first. Once you know the area and the climate you can decide what you want to do next.

[AK76]

Foolish endeavor at best. No you cannot come to Alaska and survive in a tent with a few hundred dollars. The climate will kill you, no if, ands, or buts.

[ysr_racer]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

The bus, you need to head towards the magic bus.

Well played, well played indeed

[augiedogie]

If you really want to try something like that, try living in a tent in someplace a little warmer before you tackle Alaska. Try living outdoors in Wis. or Minn. or Maine for a winter. That will give you the exposure you want and there is plenty of wildlife in those states also. At least in those places, in an emergency, you could get your way to a hardware store or gas station.

[AKStafford]

If you don't mind being hungry and cold; sure, why not?
Of course camp grounds cost money, unless you plan on squatting on someone's land.
And if you coming before summer, plan on being really cold. How about you find a summer job and go from there? Cool Works has an ever changing list of employment opportunities. Alaska Jobs | CoolWorks.com

Alaska is not a fun place to be homeless. Every winter about a half dozen homeless people die from exposure. Don't be one of them.

[heathen]

Christ, why would you want to do that here? Go somewhere with low population where high mountains rise out of desert - the basin-and-range country that extends from eastern California through Utah to Colorado. Have a winter camp in the desert and a summer camp in the mountains. Such a thing would be MISERABLE here.

If your priority is to experience Alaska and the more rustic extreme of our lifestyle, come up, get a summer job and check things out. You can camp in the summer to save money then rent a dry cabin somewhere to experience the winter. At that point, you will have a clue and will likely have a very clear idea of how you want to proceed.

There are still people living in the woods very simply, hunting and growing most of their food, trapping in the winter and prospecting or fighting forest fires in the summer for what little income they need to buy the things they can't grow or hunt. THAT IS NOT A LIFESTYLE YOU CAN SIMPLY STEP INTO. There's years worth of local knowledge that must be gained first.

[AKStafford]

^^^What heathen said...