As a young man I dreamed of moving to Alaska. Finding the middle of nowhere. Building a cabin. Trapping and hunting. Living off the land. Then, life got in the way. An education, a good job, a wife and kids, a home and a farm all happened over the course of fifteen years, and that Alaska dream kind of drifted into the background. A few years back, life kind of settled down … [Read more...] about More Than Wolverine: An Alaska Wilderness Trapline
Alaska
Secondhand Story Tellers
Oral histories. Most every old timer who has lived in an interesting place has one, and they’re more than happy to share their stories, whether at the kitchen table, around the campfire, or anywhere there happens to be an opening. Depending on the story teller, these can be fascinating accounts of things that happened in the past and the way things used to be. And that … [Read more...] about Secondhand Story Tellers
The Last Hunt
Hunting sheep in the high country is adventure enough on its own, but what if a bush pilot dropped you and your partner off on a glacier in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains? How about if that glacier wasn’t your intended destination, but a forced choice due to bad flying weather? No problem, you’d go about your hunt and the pilot knew where to come and get you at the agreed upon … [Read more...] about The Last Hunt
Tales and Trails in the Far North
When John McPhee visited the Alaska’s upper Yukon River in the mid 1970’s, he was met with an eclectic group of individualists who had decided to make the rugged wilderness their home. They ranged from folks like John Borg, who settled in the village and ran most every part of it, to Dick Cook, who lived off the land in a remote cabin and relished self sufficiency. The Ulvi’s … [Read more...] about Tales and Trails in the Far North
99 Days on the Yukon
Few outdoor pursuits are as involved as river trips, and few are equally exhausting and rewarding. The river trip, be it a summer long expedition or a day float just outside of town, embodies the adventure once experienced by the early pioneers. In North America’s youth, river runners were commonly referred to as ‘voyageurs’. The name came from the French Canadians, who … [Read more...] about 99 Days on the Yukon