One Year in Alaska

One Year in Alaska is a unique and peerless guide for traditional living in the Alaskan woods and will provide a wealth of valuable information for all who have dreamed of that life. It is a useful survival and tip guide for the vacationing outdoor hobbyist and the serious adventurer alike. It is substantive enough to save your life if stranded alone in the wild (although that is not its main purpose) and lighthearted enough to be a tour guide to the Alaskan out-of-doors. The information and instruction provided here is timeless and not dependent upon modern day technology although it does make use of certain practical conveniences that have come into existence since the Gold Rush days such as the chainsaw, Deet bug repellant, nylon tarps and visqueen, outboard motors, etc.... But nearly all the gear, food and techniques are indistinguishable from the forms used a hundred, and in some cases, even a thousand, years ago; not "For old Fashions Sake" rather because they proved to be un-improvable.To my mind nothing captures and conveys the spirit of the frontier in the bush more perfectly than an old school flat bottom riverboat, loaded to the thwarts, pushed by a small motor. No wheel or console just you and a tiller against the wind. Add some rain and a 600 mile two week journey ahead of you and you are as close to the old world as you will ever be. The spirit of Old Alaska can't be found in a particular place simply by being there, rather it is a state of mind and a particular set of values and beliefs. It is a way of seeing things, not a way of dressing or intentionally depriving yourself of pleasure and conveniences. It's about minimizing your attachment and dependence upon the outside world and maximizing your self-sufficiency while being as comfortable as you can make yourself with simple things. It's not about self-denial - far from it - it's more about a form of self-indulgence and pursuing a certain kind of happiness: to live a life that nurtures a part of the soul that longs for independence and personal liberty.