Best products from r/alaska

You may find this book useful. Or you can do some research here, here, or here.

Here are some hikes that fit what you're looking for. I'm going to assume "mild" elevation means under 1500 feet of gain.

• Bodenburg Butte (Palmer) – 3 miles total, 900 feet of elevation. Popular short, easy hike, offers nice views of the valley and mountains. Can be done as a traverse or there-and-back. Either way is fine.
  
• Thunderbird Falls (Eagle River) – 2 miles RT, 200 feet of elevation. Pretty easy hike. No mountain vistas, but a quaint waterfall at the end
  
• Eagle River Nature Center (Eagle River) – Large network of trails with low elevation gain. Anything from half-mile loops to multi-day hikes. Mostly through spruce and birch forest, with some great mountain views thrown in. If you’re here, at least do the Rodak Trail.
  
• Baldy (Eagle River) – 3 miles RT, maybe 1000 feet of elevation. Popular hike, but not as well-traveled as Flattop, although it’s easier with similar views.
  
• Flattop (Anchorage) – 3 miles RT, 1200 feet of elevation. Most popular hike in Anchorage. The last section is one step shy of rock climbing. I find the rock scramble a little frightening, but lots of non-hikers do it.
  
• Rendezvous Peak (Anchorage) – 3.5 miles RT, 1500 feet of elevation. Popular hike, but you’re probably better picking Flattop or Wolverine if you’re looking for something in the area.
  
• Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (Anchorage) –No elevation. Easy, paved multi-use trail. It’s a nice place for a stroll. Nice views, easy to get to. Just walk as far as you want and backtrack, assuming you won’t do the 11-mile planet walk.
  
• Winner Creek (Girdwood) – About 5.5 miles to the hand tram and back from Alyeska Resort. 250 feet of elevation. Fairly easy. No mountain vistas, but a nice stream, and a fun hand-tram. Can be done as a traverse (if you get a ride at the other end near Crow Creek), or backtrack after doing the hand tram. If 5.5 miles is too far, start at Crow Creek Mine, and just walk to the hand-tram and back.
  
• Byron Glacier (Girdwood) – About 3 miles round-trip. Very little elevation change. Fairly easy. Good views of a mountain valley and Byron Glacier.
  
• Portage Pass (Whittier) – 2 miles RT to saddle, 4 RT to lake. 600 feet of elevation to saddle, plus another 700 feet if you go down to the lake. If you’re into Whittier and enjoy hiking, at least hike up to the top of the saddle on Portage Pass for views of Prince William Sound and Portage Glacier. Hike all the way to the lake if it looks enjoyable and you have time.
  

You have a bit of a lazy question so you're getting lazy answers but at the same time I totally understand where you are coming from. You need to narrow down your desire for solitude. I grew up in a cabin in the woods so have a bit of experience with this stuff. You may not know the exact answers to this right now but here's a few things to ponder:

how alone do you want to be?

do you want to have year round access to a store or is 2 to 3 seasons enough?

do you want to 'live off the land'?

do you want bush or ocean?

do you want to buy an existing place to live or do you want to build a home/cabin from scratch?

is the cost of travel from your home to society a concern?

do you want to earn a living or be completely self sufficient?

is having electricity a concern for you or your partner (if you have one)?

would living on a remote road system be enough to satisfy your wanderlust? (this will make life a million times easier)

Would living on an island be fun or would you prefer mainland?

How often do you want to interact with people?

These questions will get you started, I applaud your goals as I am starting to think about this again myself despite my brutal upbringing. There's probably 1000 books about living in the Alaskan bush that you can enjoy and learn from. Also, if interested check out the fantastic documentary called Arctic Son about a family who moves to the wilderness to live off the land. I feel it's a fair and unbiased look at it as the family themselves shot the footage. I happened to catch it on a AMHS ride and was blown away. The family is.... um, unique, and I think that that may be what t takes to spend a winter in the wilderness. You should also read this homesteader's book to get an idea. And look at all the books recommended by that book! Read read read about this! It's tough living!

Here's my advice: don't "live off the land." Instead find a town in Alaska you like and move somewhere near it. It's a huge place and you can live on the road system without ever being bothered but with still having access to a post office, library and grocery store. If you want comforts but true solitude perhaps consider moving to a town in SE like Sitka, Meyer's Chuck, Ketchikan or Wrangell where you can live in a cabin off the road system but only a short (30 minutes - ish) boat ride from the harbor. That way you never have to talk to a soul unless you want to and when you visit town for supplies. In SE you can easily weather out the storms because the winters are pretty mild there. At the moment there's lots available in George Inlet off the grid for only 30 or 40k!

I wish you all the luck in the world and I hope you find the peace and serenity that will sooth your soul. We all need our version of that!!

There's two major players in the booster space, SureCall and WeBoost. There are other, less expensive knock off brands, but they are not worth your time for "real" improvement. Personally, I think SureCall makes a better product and I can attest their support is absolutely awesome. WeBoost is more of an "automatic" approach, whereas SureCall offers gain adjustments to individual bands that allow you to turn up or down certain frequencies...making it a more flexible product in challenging environments. Warning, both are ridiculously expensive.

There is a lot of technical know-how that goes into using a booster, it's not just mounting an antenna and away you go. There is a certain amount of distance required between the internal and external antennas (over 60 feet) to maximize the signal boosting potential. And, you need to mount the antennas in an optimal place, both inside and outside of your home.

That said, there may be a better way. If you use something like this which is a cellular modem/router, into which you can plug in your GCI SIM card. This device can then be plugged into a common wireless router, providing you wifi that routes all traffic back to this cellular modem. If possible, you can mount this device in the "best" place in your home, then effectively provide strong wifi signal to the rest of your house. I personally use this device and I know for a fact it works on the GCI network. The only thing you need to know is GCI's APN ID, which is "web.gci".

I use a combination of a SureCall booster and the above device, but I also live out in the sticks and have crappy signal strength from GCI. It works awesome, I can easily pull in 25mbit/5mbit most of the time and I have very few troubles with the setup.

I agree with you that equality is a fallacy that doesn't really exist. Some people are simply born with better tools in their toolbox. Some people are nicer, smarter, better looking, and some people are are dumb, ugly, assholes. That's just the way of the world. However, the notion that race determines any sort of objective intelligence characteristic has been roundly rejected by the anthropological, biological, and sociological communities (read: all of credible science). Yes, race can determine your height, color of your skin, your hair type, but it does not determine your intelligence. Any studies that claim that race does this have been show to be using a biased test. Giving a kid from the Sahara a #2 pencil and asking him to complete an IQ test in English, isn't really a fair measuring stick. One also has to remember that race and culture are two related but different things. You are born WITH your race INTO your culture. There can definitely be cultures that place different levels of value on certain types of intelligence, decorum, physical beauty, etc and therefore cause their cultural members to strive for/away from those certain characteristics. But the thought that onc group is inherently better or smarter based on their race is the textbook definition of racism and asking for a separation of people based along these lines is extremely racist. Most of the differences that are apparent today have a lot more to do with opportunity, access to resources, geography, and well.. simple luck. I recommend Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel. In there he very eloquently explains a lot of the factors that lead to Europeans finding their way to the top of the heap.

That being said, if you want to have one country that is whites only that's totally fine for you to want it. But you gotta realize that's a pretty racist thing to want. I don't accept the notion that a homogeneous society is inherently better than a mixed race one. I have heard you claim that no one has provided tangible evidence of the benefits of a mixed race society. That is very difficult because the main benefits are acceptance and open mindedness and those are not very tangible benefits in the sense you are looking for. But I would ask you to explain to me the credible and tangible benefits to a homogeneous society. And we have to remember that correlation does not equal causation. Show me something credible that proves the link.

This will be your friend. I'll leave a more detailed response to others because I haven't been up here too long myself yet, but the Milepost is a wealth of info and a great guide to have for the kind of trip you're hoping for. Good luck with planning, Alaska is an amazing place!

It's been a while ('90's) but I've been to Bethel a fair bit. It's probably Alaska's biggest "bush" village - not a city, not a town like you'd think in lower 48 - much smaller and less developed. Overall kind of dirty and scummy. Think very rural. Then think even more rural and you still won't be close if you haven't been to bush Alaska before. Hub for western Alaska - native hospital (I assume where you're interning). They've got a road and some cars/trucks and I think even a cab or 2. There'll also be snow-gos (aka snowmachines aka snowmobiles) and 4-wheelers on the road. People are generally friendly and like as not will offer a ride if you're walking. You'll be shopping at the Alaska Commercial store where you'll get shocked at prices for brown lettuce and old vegetables and fruit. Nice that you'll get room and board included as else it's big $$$.

The coat you link to would likely do you fine for when it gets cold. Being long it might be a little hassle if you go riding on 4 wheelers or snow machines. A lot depends on what you do. No one in Alaska will care if you're "fashionable". Not even in Anchorage - people wear jeans/carharts to absolutely anything. Certainly not in Bethel. But nicer is fine too - don't worry, if you're not a local native, they'll know you're from outside regardless. I'm sure you've googled weather history. You'll get a big range. By November it can get wicked cold, but more likely not below zero. Of course you'll have other stuff to layer with if need be. Warm, waterproof boots. No need for crampons! I think maybe cypressash miss-wrote and meant something like this. or some similar variation. I wouldn't bother with it though.

Good luck and enjoy an experience.

https://www.amazon.com/Conflicting-Landscapes-American-Schooling-Natives/dp/1578333962

I taught in anchorage but my teacher education was rural focused. I can't remember if this was required or just recommended but I think you'd find it useful. I've had family, friends, and coworkers that spent years in Bethel and similar villages. They had their ups and downs. There's a lot of baggage in the villages and I think it's important to understand that so you don't cause more harm than good. Fr Oleksa teaches one or both of the classes needed to fulfill requirements for Alaska certification and his resources would be helpful too.

I don't use Instagram, and unfortunately I'm pretty sure the photo groups might not either. I'm not on Facebook too often anymore either though (mostly just checking in with various businesses these days). I'll see if there's some other way to contact them.

I just found this helpful site that will give a bit more info on what types of things to wear:
https://www.alaska.org/advice/what-to-wear-in-alaska-in-winter

For boots I found this pair of Kamiks that aren't too expensive:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M0463OY/ref=twister_B0078J8BF2

Baffin is big up here, and Sorel used to be but I'd stay away from that brand since they were bought out by a company that's manufacturing them overseas now. Baffins are quite a bit more expensive, and since you aren't staying up here very long I don't think you need to be spending quite that much on footwear.

Don't forget good socks too. I found a few on Amazon that might work:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003CMYT8W?creativeASIN=B003CMYT8W&linkCode=w61&imprToken=ujfd3380l8yo9Mv7kBEe0g&slotNum=15&ascsubtag=[]st[p]cjcauc89h00s4uhyegd7k3gd6[i]gGa3FL[d]T[z]m[t]w[r]google.com&tag=thestrategistsite-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XG1BC2?creativeASIN=B000XG1BC2&linkCode=w61&imprToken=ujfd3380l8yo9Mv7kBEe0g&slotNum=17&ascsubtag=[]st[p]cjcauc89h00s4uhyegd7k3gd6[i]oVsTkD[d]T[z]m[t]w[r]google.com&tag=thestrategistsite-20

As for jackets, that's really up to your preference. Marmot, Patagonia, and Carhartts are popular up here. You can never go wrong with Carhartts in Alaska lol. Get the one big, heavy, outer jacket, and bundle up with under layers like fleece and wool.

If you have any sporting goods stores down there I'd recommend giving them a visit to see if they have any good stuff too. They might be able to give you some information on what to look for too. If all else fails, you can wait to purchase things when you get up here, but it will be more expensive; on the other hand, you'll be able to talk to knowledgeable people about what to buy.

You say you don't intend on any "serious" hikes, but I assume you will be walking around outdoors. When you are outside, there will be mosquitoes, and it won't matter whether you are right outside your hotel or in the Denali Park back country. The number and viciousness of the mosquitoes can vary greatly. Maybe you'll see one flying around now & then, or maybe you'll be besieged by hundreds of them. Certainly, you want to be ready for the latter.

Like /u/BBBalls, I would recommend long sleeves and long pants. Also, wear a hat. And socks. The more of you that is covered up, the less of you will have to be sprayed. Get a head net, and make sure you know how to put it on, and that it works with your hat and shirt. But keep it in your pocket until you need it.

Also, be sure to have spray with DEET. I wouldn't even bother with the 40% sprays. You can get 100% DEET spray in a spray bottle that will fit in your pocket. (Brand doesn't matter; what matter's is that it is 100% DEET.) Again, use this only as necessary; there is no need to spray yourself with poison when the bugs aren't bothering you. When you do use it, be sure to spray around the cuffs of your pants. Also, you want it on your face, but don't spray it in your face; spray it on your fingers, and then rub it on your face, keeping away from your eyes. When you're outside, don't leave the spray bottle in your hotel room; take it with you. Lastly, the spray bottle can get covered with DEET and messy; you might want to keep it in a zip-lock.

If you're mostly covered up, and you have a head net in one pocket, and 100% DEET spray in the other, then you should have an enjoyable vacation, regardless of what the bugs are up to.

EDIT. It can also help to think about how mosquitoes act. They are drawn by exhalations, and they fly relatively slowly. It is harder for a mosquito to get to you when you are moving. The most common mistake I see people make is to be walking, get a mosquito on them, and then stop to swat it. Then lots of others come. If you are walking, and you want to swat at a mosquito, sure, swat it, but DON'T STOP WALKING to do the swatting. Indeed, it can be helpful to walk faster, or jog for a bit. You can outrun a mosquito.

Also, mosquitoes prefer dim light. If you are under a tree and you get a mosquito on you, walk out into the sun.

Lived in Nome and Anchorage. Have a great Marmot Yukon parka that has kept me warm in -30 (and -50 with windchill). It's also got a really good shell that keeps the whole thing dry. In Anchorage I never really needed more than a thick wool peacoat unless I was heading out of city limits.

Also: layers, yes; gloves, yes, always have a good set of gloves; hat, ALWAYS, just in case; and boots, HELL FUCKING YES, get yourself some good warm waterproof boots. All of that and more can make such a huge (and often life-or-death) difference ins staying warm and dry.

Have fun! Definitely don't turn around before you get to Atigun pass (if you aren't going all the way), it's only a few hours past Coldfoot. There is something awe inspiring about the land once you get past the trees, you can literally park your car and walk hundreds or thousands of miles in any direction before you see a person. On our way up we saw a moose, prints from about six different bears, more caribou than we could count, bald eagles, and met a wolf in the middle of the road who chased us for half a mile. The drive up to Deadhorse and back is the reason I'm planning a move out to Alaska in May. If you do end up going all the way, be aware that if you want to swim in the Arctic ocean (you do) you need to sign up 24 hours in advance and provide information for a background check (you have to go through the oil fields). You can also go on a wildlife tour, rumor has it you can occasionally see a polar bear.


A few other things: you can get gas at the Yukon camp, in Coldfoot, and in Deadhorse. Definitely bring at least 5 gallons with you and have at least one spare tire for each vehicle and a patch kit. Most people will tell you to bring two full spare tires. If you don't feel like buying one for a rental car we were able to talk American Tire & Auto into renting us a tire for a grand total of $15. Bring plenty of food and ammo, and buy some swag at the Yukon Camp and Coldfoot. Breakfast in Coldfoot is amazing as well.



Also, this can't be said enough, get the milepost!

Forget worrying about boots, bear spray and all of that other basic goods. Anchorage is a town of 300k, we have a ton of stores with all that kind of goods.

You need to worry about bugs, I think someone mentioned mosquito netting. That is great, but the only thing I found that actually makes a huge difference for mosquitoes is Permethrin clothing treatment. REI carries it as a brand called Sawyer. You can buy it on Amazon. I've spent time in the interior during bug season and the mosquitoes were so bad it honestly ruined everything about the trip. So I went back prepared, you treat your clothing with this stuff, but I also treated my hammock, tent, camping chair etc. It lasts months and through washings, I'd be walking with the people I went with, and they would be covered in bugs while they wouldn't even land on anything I had treated with that stuff. Then I used a mosquito netting hat, and only had to treat my hands and face/neck with conventional bug spray when I chose not to use the hat. The reason I say you should worry about it now is that you need to have a nice dry area to do it. A garage or something works best, treat all your clothes and let thoroughly dry, read the instructions its kind of gnarly stuff until it bonds with your clothing.

I refuse to go out in bug season without my gear treated with it anymore.

For your mornings, there's a few options for shorter hikes in the front range. Flattop mountain from Glen Alps Trailhead might be tolerable in the morning (crazy crowded on a nice summer evening). Near Point is another good, relatively quick hike.

For your several days free, I'd recommend shelling out a few bucks for 55 Ways (Amazon link), it will save me typing and the inevitable omission of good suggestions.

I will say, if you're on a moto, you pretty much gotta head out toward Glennallen, past the Matanuska Glacier and Lion's Head.

I have not done it, but know a lot about it, enough to think about a summit attempt next spring. And I've spent a fair amount of time on the Ruth Glacier (the glacier over from base camp).

akgreenman is wrong on a few accounts, the West Buttress route is the way to go for a beginner. There are established camps at 700 ft on the Kahiltna Glacier (base camp) then again an established camp with a medical tent at 14,000 feet, and then high camp at 17,200. (there are intermediate camps between those as well, but those are the main three)

The route is mostly a walk up with fixed ropes on the harder parts. It is not technical climbing, but you need to be very careful. The weather can be horrendous and the altitude is very trying. Because Denali (call it Denali not Mt. McKinley if you're a climber) is a higher latitude, it has less dense air and thus is equivalent to a much higher height at the equator. The most important thing are be careful and to acclimatize well and watch the weather.

You will want to read this book by Colby Coombs. Full disclosure, he is a family friend of mine, but it is very informative of someone who runs a guiding service.

If you are not very experienced at altitude and very cold weather, do a guided trip. They have experience and have been up the mountain many times. The cost of a trip like that would be something a bit over $6000 plus the $210 park entrance and mountaineering fee. Places to look at are Alaska Mountain School which is local out of Talkeetna (where you'll fly in from), Alpine Ascents, and RMI. The ratio on those trips will be 4-6 climbers to 2 guides. Colby Coombs (who I mentioned earlier) runs AMS (kind ironic acroynm eh?) and they are very experienced and reliable. I know a head guide for Alpine Ascents who I would follow up anything and I am friends with two younger guides for RMI and that group also seems very organized. Basically use one of those three.

As for training, just be in damn good shape. Know how to use all the gear that would be on the gear list. Go for hikes with packs, learn how to manage sleds full of gear. This is most likely going to be a slog where you spend the day shuttling lots of gear up to a higher camp then go down to a lower camp to sleep, and repeat several times. People say that you'll climb Denali three times for each summit.

If you are thinking that you want to do a more technical, exposed, or remote route - don't. Since you are here asking questions you probably aren't the most experienced and only a few people per year climb other routes than the West Buttress. Denali is not a mountain to be messed with, weather can turn at any moment. Be careful and have fun.

PM me (or just reply) if you have any more questions. I like talking climbing.

You should read this excellent book! It's a page turner.

It's about homesteading and a family dealing with their mentally ill father.

https://www.amazon.com/Pilgrims-Wilderness-Madness-Alaska-Frontier/dp/0307587835

​

edit: Also, check out Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaksa. There's a lot of homesteaders out there and the living is a bit easier because the winters are less harsh. Plus, incredible fishing! I lived there for a few years and loved it. I'm going back for vacation in a week.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Wales_Island_(Alaska)

https://www.thealaskalife.com/blog/exploring-prince-of-wales-island/

cool little towns on POW:

http://ccalaska.com/

https://thornebay-ak.gov/

https://www.craigak.com/

Also, I love this blog post talking about the day in the life of a seasonal worker. I did something similar for years and LOVED it!

https://susanshain.com/seasonal-worker-ketchikan-ak/

If you have any questions let me know- I enjoy talking about my time in AK!

Local Alaskan here. Mid-May can vary a lot in terms of weather so you need to be prepared for winter-summer hiking. We've had multiple feet of snowfall at sea level in May, so you can imagine how it is at elevation. Here's the most popular local guide for Southcentral Alaska:

http://www.amazon.com/55-Ways-Wilderness-Southcentral-Alaska/dp/0898867916

My favorite spring hike is Crow Pass but it's not really a full week trip, more like 3-4 days tops depending on how slow you take it. Spring is good for that one because you ford a river and the height should be low.

If you have Amazon Prime I suggest watching this: https://www.amazon.com/One-Little-Pill-Claudia-Christian/dp/B01F5U541E

It has personally helped myself and SO. Good luck.

I live in Anchorage and have only been here a year, so it's difficult for me to give advice about the rest of Alaska. I can second what the poster above said about checking out Seward and the Sealife Center, and I highly recommend you pick up a copy of The Milepost for your trip. Look around in /r/Anchorage if you plan to be in the area, there have been lots of similar questions asked there with a lot of good info in the replies! :)

Thanks! I am thinking of getting this http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-Permethrin-Clothing-Repellent/dp/B00MA950E0 to treat the clothes and gear!

This is the must get book I mentioned. It’s WELL worth it.

The MILEPOST 2018: Alaska Travel Planner https://www.amazon.com/dp/1892154374/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_GUTXBbHX016PP

Fly into Anchorage armed with this book: http://www.amazon.com/55-Ways-Wilderness-Southcentral-Alaska/dp/0898867916