View Full Version : Alaska Survivial Trip: 2 1/2 months, living exclusively "off the land"
That's the plan, anyway. It will be a coastal trip, with much of the travel by kayak. I leave on Monday.
I have posted my plans, gear list and a link to my journal. Please check it out! (http://bucktrack.com/Alaska_Survival_Trip.html)
http://www.bucktrack.com/Alaska/Brown_Bear/Brown_Bear_River.jpg
Ricky&Jack
06-27-2014, 18:58
Well i feel stupid. I typed up a big message about "have you seen the "alone across alaska" DVD, and was posting to link to Bucktrack.com and was about to recommend you visit the site first.
Now I feel stupid.
I love your website. I was especially fascinated about the Alaska trip you took.
Those who can, Do.
Those who can't, read about those who can on the internet.
Have great trip. Be safe!
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
bamboo bob
06-27-2014, 20:46
Wow. Good luck to you. I hope it works out well.
Ricky&Jack
06-27-2014, 21:37
Will you be completely in the wild? Or will you be using technology to still get online and give people updates?
Odd Man Out
06-27-2014, 22:49
Will you be completely in the wild? Or will you be using technology to still get online and give people updates?
I saw this on his blog page:
"Although this is the Alaska wilderness I will be on the coast 99% of the time. There should be places where I can get data coverage and if so I will be posting occasional updates on my journal. I will be solar charging electronics on sunny days. In case of of no coverage or electronics failure I’d be able to wave down a boat sooner or later in case of emergency."
Thanks Wayne and Bob!
Ricky, I'll be in the wild but for better or worse it's possible to be in contact just about anywhere on the surface of the globe with sat. phones if nothing else. On the coast there, where communications can travel over stretches of water, I should be able to find spots where I can get data coverage, so I hope to occasionally update my journal (http://bucktrack.com/Alaska_Survival_Journal.html).
Odd Man Out beat me to it. :)
Awesome! Have a great journey.
Best wishes for a beautiful journey!
Thanks a lot Mags and Marta!
Make sure to treat your water. :)
rocketsocks
06-28-2014, 18:19
I had some family members who used to live in Hyder AK across from Stewart BC they said if I ever came out that I wouldn't want to leave, and while I never made it out there...I know they were right.
Colter stay safe, and keep your powder dry.
Ricky&Jack
06-28-2014, 18:23
Any plans to document it with another dvd?
Make sure to treat your water. :)
Dogwood beat me to it. Have a great adventure.
double d
06-28-2014, 19:42
You might want to review some of Andrew Skurka's experiences in Alaska. Good luck and enjoy the trip!
Best of luck, I'm looking forward to following your journal.
Thanks folks. I won't be doing a DVD on this trip, but I'll likely write about it.
Here's a direct link to my journal (http://bucktrack.com/Alaska_Survival_Journal.html) which I hope to update when I get a chance and find places with coverage.
The way you are doing it puts more immediate pressure on you for food. Basically, you are putting yourself into an emergency survival food situation - are you not? You said you're not bringing ANY initial food? I find this odd since you are already hauling in all the rest of that gear. It's like you are saying I'm going to tough this out food wise but yet you have all this other gear. Why not bring some food to start?
electronVolt
06-29-2014, 15:10
A drysuit would greatly increase your comfort / safety while paddling. Have you had to acquire special permits or licenses?
Ricky&Jack
06-29-2014, 15:13
He lives in alaska, and has done these before. He even has a dvd of of previous cross-arctic adventure.
He's not a n00b. I'm sure he's one of the most experienced trekkers on this site.
A drysuit would greatly increase your comfort / safety while paddling. Have you had to acquire special permits or licenses?
Good thoughts. I've had to acquire hunting and fishing licenses, and state and federal duck stamps. It wasn't easy getting all the regs and licenses and stamps this early in the season!
The way you are doing it puts more immediate pressure on you for food. Basically, you are putting yourself into an emergency survival food situation - are you not? You said you're not bringing ANY initial food? I find this odd since you are already hauling in all the rest of that gear. It's like you are saying I'm going to tough this out food wise but yet you have all this other gear. Why not bring some food to start?
Dogwood, I'm doing it this way because this is the adventure and goals that I've selected for myself. And no, I'm not bringing ANY food other than salt and pepper. And no, I'm not putting myself into an emergency food situation because there is plenty of food out there if a person knows what they're doing. I have literally done survival trips since I was 10 years old. I don't have to hope that the caribou migration appears or the grayling are biting. There are foods I can find regardless.
If I were doing this in the Brooks Range in February it would be survival situation and I wouldn't do it.
Like any adventure, there are things that could potentially go wrong. Starving to death on this trip is not something that's going to happen. For sure.
That's something I thought you would say Colter. I wanted you to share it here though. Have a safe and enjoyable time. Send us some pics if you can. I know R&J
WILLIAM HAYES
06-29-2014, 21:10
good luck on your adventure sounds like a really cool thing to do i will be checking your journal from time to time
TrippLite
06-30-2014, 00:48
Wow...
what a life experiencing adventure lies ahead of you. I do envy you Colter.. I read your journal you've started with great interest and found myself intrigued by your remarks that you would not harvest a bear unless in self defense. I can appreciate a person that has respect for the bear and regards for its allowance to coexist with humans.. I've harvested 3 bears in my life and one of them was while I was living in Fairbanks and working at Ft.Wainwright as a civilian. Don't hate me bear lovers, although I may have harvested bears in the past my outlook towards bears has drastically changed, I've since gained lots of knowledge of bears and have nothing but love and respect for all bear species...now I am Pro Bear! Well, just not Chicago bear ....
Hmm, I recall mosquitos in Alaska as large as our mosquito hawks in the lower 48. How cool, our internet service provider was named Mosquito.net. I was fortunate to mail home and bring back to the mainland via the airlines freshly caught halibut and salmon packed on dry ice. Yummy
Too many great memories to reflect on without hijacking this thread, from the shock of arriving in Alaska in early March wearing shorts and t-shirt, viewing the world record kodiak grizzly bear displayed in the anchorage airport to savoring what I consider the best tasting meat in the world, that of dall sheep to my mini adventures.
Yep, I envy you for being fortunate to reside in Fairbanks, AK...
Enjoy your upcoming wildlife adventure..... btw, I watched the trailer of your dvd ALONE ACROSS ALASKA (http://bucktrack.com/Alaska_Brooks_Range_Traverse.html) and definitely plan on purchasing one for myself and another dvd as a gift, it looks to be a spectacular viewing...
Northern Lights
06-30-2014, 01:20
Wowsa! You sure are living the life, I'll definitely be following your journal. Best of luck!
I've added numerous photos to my journal. Check it out if you like (http://bucktrack.com/Alaska_Survival_Journal.html).
It was a true adventure, but it's good to be home!
rocketsocks
09-17-2014, 18:10
Glad you didn't get eatnin by bears...look forward to the pics, welcome back!
What a great adventure. For now I just looked at the pretty pictures, I'll have to go back and read the full journal some time.
Awesome!!! Thx for sharing.
Oh, goodie, another colter Writeup to read. Really enjoyed your desert trek a couple of years ago. This one should be good.
illabelle
09-17-2014, 20:37
Several years ago one of my brothers (the "Survivalist" of the family) planned a multi-month trip to the wilds of Alaska. Some sort of personal leadership development kind of thing is what I understood to be the motivation. He didn't tell many people, but he wanted me to know in case something happened and he didn't make it back. He bought a canoe, a satellite phone, maps, and whatever else he thought he needed, loaded it all into a crate and shipped it to someplace north. Then he began his journey.
He never did tell me much about it, but he abandoned his adventure and most of his gear just a couple weeks into it after coming in contact with something (a fungus perhaps?) that made his privates "swell up like a watermelon." The End.
I haven't had time to read your journal yet, but I hope you had a much better experience!
I've added numerous photos to my journal. Check it out if you like (http://bucktrack.com/Alaska_Survival_Journal.html).
It was a true adventure, but it's good to be home!
Welcome back. I look forward to reading about it, and seeing the pictures. Thanks for posting them.
Northern Lights
09-20-2014, 01:24
Amazing trip, thanks for sharing in such great detail!
wornoutboots
09-20-2014, 13:30
Sounds Awesome!!! Have an amazing adventure!!!
evan_rolltide
12-11-2014, 17:21
Really enjoyed reading your journal. You are an inspiration to a dude like me stuck in an office all day. My mind and heart are elsewhere!
Hi All,
I've written a book about the experience: Alone in the Fortress of the Bears: 70 Days Surviving Wilderness Alaska; Foraging, Fishing, Hunting.
Click the link in the first post if you want to see the book cover.
Is there anyone on Whiteblaze who wants to read a copy and give some feedback here? If so I'll send someone a free Kindle or PDF copy. PM me.
Thanks!
Buck
I have found my reading volunteer. Thanks Marta!
I loved the book! Very straightforward account of living off the land--and sea--which is something so many people think and talk about but, fortunately, not many people attempt, because, frankly few people have the skills, or the expedition mentality to put an adventure like this together. This was no Into-the-Wild tragedy, in spite of what a number of WhiteBlazers predicted when he was setting off in 2014. Buck planned it carefully, thinking through where, when, and even arranging all the legalities of seasons and permits. Were there unforeseen challenges? Sure. Did it stretch his skills? Sure.
I think you'll enjoy it. He writes well and descriptively of the islands, the seas, the animals, the berries, the rain. The book made me hanker after a freshly-caught Alaskan crab or two. :)
I've put together a new highlight video about my trip (https://youtu.be/SlZoZxIe6CQ). Thanks folks!
38088
saltysack
01-31-2017, 23:30
Incredible.....I'd say your living life to the fullest!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
imscotty
02-01-2017, 00:03
Just stunning Colter. What an experience that must have been,
Outstanding trip and great report/video. Alaska is on my bucket list for sure. What weight was your fly rod? I have heard of 6wt's getting snapped off at the cork.
Thank you saltysack and imscotty. I really appreciate that.
Hosh, I think I had my 6wt actually, along with spinning gear. I found in those small clear streams I had better luck with flies.
I snapped a 6wt off once on a different trip, fighting a sockeye in very fast current. As I was packing up to leave a guy passed me who'd also snapped his rod off! On this trip I was fishing streams with moderate current and where I could follow the fish. Makes a big difference!
The Orca sightings would be my #1 pick for "Most Awesome" lucky you :-) Thanks for sharing. Having a pressure cooker out there in the wilderness was interesting. Jar boxes was a good to know feature. What is your best guess why jars cracked when removing them(other than tightening the rings)? Any other seasonings above and beyond salt and pepper?
Catching flounder would be an awesome experience....glad you caught a couple,,,lucky you :-)
A 5wt is standard issue for a first rod in Colorado. Our trout are generally small with some exceptions in the 20-25" range.
After canning, did you eat the fish cold or reheat in a pan or on a grill? I love seafood and fish, but after 70 days I would think it would be about as appetizing as the crab plates at Tom Hank's welcome back party in the movie Cast Away.
... I love seafood and fish, but after 70 days I would think it would be about as appetizing as the crab plates at Tom Hank's welcome back party in the movie Cast Away.
+1 :D......
Then, there're the coconuts to deal with. 4 yrs on an island drinking only coconut and rain water...when it rained.
Great idea to capture rainwater off the tent fly. Not sure any filter would last that long and using chemicals would bleach you from the inside out
From my googling expedition, he should charge more for the video.
It must be hard to move a cabin every 14 days.
The Orca sightings would be my #1 pick for "Most Awesome" lucky you :-) Thanks for sharing. Having a pressure cooker out there in the wilderness was interesting. Jar boxes was a good to know feature. What is your best guess why jars cracked when removing them(other than tightening the rings)? Any other seasonings above and beyond salt and pepper?
Catching flounder would be an awesome experience....glad you caught a couple,,,lucky you :-)
I saw whales quite often. I saw a humpback jump completely out of the water about 14 times in a row, but didn't get decent videos of it.
I was handling and reusing the jars a lot. I think the very tiny dings that resulted from all the handling, combined with over-tightening, was what caused the breakage. I didn't bring any seasonings or food other than salt or pepper.