When we say that rural Alaska is no joke...

[6.7traveler]

Originally Posted by Gunluvver2

Do you realize how FAR it is from place to place in Alaska? It might have been a hundred miles (or more) and he would have to deal with wild animals, treacherous topography, extreme cold, and a lack of food or water. He did the smart thing. At least a concerned relative/friend knew where he was and did the right thing.
Off gid living is not for everyone. It can kill you PDQ if you aren't aware.

From the account I read, he was 20 miles from skwetna and a measly 5 miles from a neighboring cabin. Both easily doable distances in winter, in fact it’s probably easier in the winter time as the swampy areas are frozen up. I know people who have walked out 100+ miles in the winter when they’ve had issues. Even though its not balmy by any means, Skwetna area isn’t known for the extreme interior cold either. He also wouldn’t have encountered many, if any, wild animals this time a year unless he was lucky.

If walking out twenty miles was too formidable of a task for him, he was in over his head.

Supposedly, he arrived in September. He should have been finishing up a summers worth of work and preparation in September, not just starting out.

He should have also had another shelter or tent with a heat source stocked with extra supplies and ready to go away from his cabin just in case his cabin did burn down. Bet he won’t make that mistake again.

I am glad the guy is OK. But the news is portraying him as an ultimate Alaskan survivalist, when in reality he made several very amateur mistakes and got lucky.

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by Gunluvver2

Do you realize how FAR it is from place to place in Alaska? It might have been a hundred miles (or more) and he would have to deal with wild animals, treacherous topography, extreme cold, and a lack of food or water. He did the smart thing. At least a concerned relative/friend knew where he was and did the right thing.
Off gid living is not for everyone. It can kill you PDQ if you aren't aware.

You're watching too much reality TV. He was near Skwentna, which has quite a few cabins and a few lodges scattered throughout the woods in that area. Particularly along the Yentna River. Wild animals would be the last thing I'd be worried about except maybe to kill one for food. He wasn't mountain climbing so the topography would not been that big of a deal either. Water you can find without too much trouble. Food, that would be the one thing hard to come by in January. However, you can do a 5 mile hike with no food and not die, even at -25F.

I do agree with you in that staying put wasn't a bad decision for him given the situation. However, as 6.7traveler said, he made some rookie mistakes and shouldn't have been in the position he found himself in.

[Metlakatla]

So did you guys see this fun thread?

https://www.city-data.com/forum/curr...s-toddler.html

[Gunluvver2]

[quote=Northrick;57092192]You're watching too much reality TV. He was near Skwentna, which has quite a few cabins and a few lodges scattered throughout the woods in that area. Particularly along the Yentna River. Wild animals would be the last thing I'd be worried about except maybe to kill one for food. He wasn't mountain climbing so the topography would not been that big of a deal either. Water you can find without too much trouble. Food, that would be the one thing hard to come by in January. However, you can do a 5 mile hike with no food and not die, even at -25F.

I do agree with you in that staying put wasn't a bad decision for him given the situation. However, as 6.7traveler said, he made some rookie mistakes and shouldn't have been in the position he found himself in.[/QUOTE
I should have read the post more carefully. I don't recall ever being in Swentna. My only experience in Alaska was in Big Rigs. However I did have a lot of experience North of the Border.

During the winter months I always carried survival gear just in case. One thing to remember when driving in extreme cold weather is wear warm clothing while driving. If you should have an accident in sub-zero temperatures you might freeze to death before help arrives. In sub-zero temperatures it only takes a few minutes to freeze and lose consciousness if you aren't properly dressed.

The guy in the article made several rookie mistakes for sure.

[wasel]

I'm fascinated by this situation. Educate me please -- wouldn't he have a vehicle? Otherwise how did he get all his canned goods into the cabin in the first place? I'm assuming there was no garage so the vehicle wouldn't have burned but his keys might have.



How does someone in this kind of area power their phone, etc?



When someone wants to live off grid like this, are they actually buying the land or is it a free for all "if you can make it here have at it" kind of thing?


Sorry for the dumb questions but I can't sort this out in my head.

[Northrick]

Answers to your questions in red.

Originally Posted by wasel

I'm fascinated by this situation. Educate me please -- wouldn't he have a vehicle? Otherwise how did he get all his canned goods into the cabin in the first place? I'm assuming there was no garage so the vehicle wouldn't have burned but his keys might have.

He wouldn't have a car or truck as there are no roads out there other then a couple miles right around Skwenta. For winter, most people would have a snowmachine for getting to and from their cabin. In the summer its some combination of boat/ATV/airplane.

For that area, most people will haul heavy stuff such as building supplies, fuel, food, etc. by snowmachine in late winter, typically from the road system at Willow. You can hire someone to haul your stuff for you too. The articles I've read gave no indication on how he or his food supply got there. He may have chartered an air taxi that dropped him off.


How does someone in this kind of area power their phone, etc?

Generator. Maybe some solar too, but in December and January there is very little sun and solar is almost worthless.


When someone wants to live off grid like this, are they actually buying the land or is it a free for all "if you can make it here have at it" kind of thing?

No free lunches. You have to buy or rent your land otherwise you are squatting/trespassing.


Sorry for the dumb questions but I can't sort this out in my head.

[riceme]

@wasel: I don't think those are dumb questions. You don't know what you don't know, and I think it's a good thing to ask questions about the things that you don't know.

[Frostnip]

Here's a more detailed account of the interview DPS did with him after he was picked up:
https://dps.alaska.gov/getmedia/4d47...F2IfJINltlzKZA

It answers a few of the questions people have asked in this thread - the place that burnt down was a quonset hut type of structure, he was using an air service for transportation/resupply, and the reason he didn't walk out sooner was that the snow was deep and he expected his parents to notice when he was more than a few days overdue for his check-in, so he thought it made more sense to wait at his makeshift shelter for a while.