One Family's life in the Alaska wilderness

[Dungannon]

18 years, 100 miles from the nearest town.
One family's life in the wilderness - BBC News

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[Jamie6.5]

Awfully brief article. I would think there's more story to tell than that covers.

18 years,... I'm sure it took a lot of dedication at first. But once they got used to it, they probably hate the idea of moving back now.
Good find Dungannon.

 

[Alaska338]

Their story is not unique to Alaska. But as time goes by, the life is dwindling. And more want the exposure to the outside world. Why if they prefer bush life. But they do have some authenticity to their story, I hope! Once the RR goes out west and is connected to the US through Canada, the bush will never be the same.

I laugh at them showering, its quite easy to smell bush life when they reach town.

 

[Dungannon]

Dick Proenneke is a guy I admire. Was in Naknek the summer of 2004, the year after he died. They showed the video Alone in the Wilderness at the Salmon festival, and an NPS employee said the only maintenance they had done on his cabin was to replace the door sill.

Clearing a cabin site just south of Tok Junction in 1968, we dug up a buffalo skeleton while setting stones for the foundation. The skeleton was in an ash layer 3-4" thick. Thinking it was a big deal, we dropped by the Univ Alaska Fairbanks campus a few weeks later imagining someone would be intrigued. They just laughed and said the buffalo was a woodland animal but couldn't compete with elk and reindeer, so it moved onto the plains. The skull ended up over the cabin's stone fireplace.