Three Villages in Alaska

While the Outdoors in Alaska are only open to exploration during favorable weather conditions, the villages are accessable year-round, and offer a glimpse into a way of life closer to 1800 than 2000.

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Wiseman alone is worth the trip to Alaska. The village was founded in the Klondike Goldrush times of 1888, 99 by prospectors and has always had mostly whites and some Indians and Eskimos living there. Bob Marshall, a leader in the wilderness movement in America, lived in Wiseman for a year in the 30's. He wrote a book, "Arctic Village" about life in Wiseman. The character of the village remains largely unchanged and most visitors will be surprised at the extent to which it fits the ideal image of a frontier settlement. The population (around 22) relies largely on the land for food, and scattered about the area are tower-like structures used as bear-proof meat (caribou, moose) storage. Some families suspend the butchered game from nearby trees, and if the timing of the kill is right, winter closes in quickly and freezes the season's supply. During colder months wolves and smaller mammals are caught in traps, more for their pelts (which are sold) than for food. Surving here (where temperatures can reach minus 60 degrees F.) is a real test of self-reliance. Jack, father of two and head of the largest family in the village, flys his own single-engine plane, pilots his salmon fishing boat in summer, traps, builds his cabins, and hunts his game. Not long after my visit there, the dog team (pictured below) was out on a run and got tangled up with a winter grizzly (older bears are occasionaly unable to get enough food to survive hibernation and are forced to forage). The driver escaped, and all but one of the dogs was killed. Jack Wyckoff found the dog badly wounded. That night, with a needle and thread he sewed the dog up, and the next day hunted the Grizzly down and killed it. There is an extra cabin or two in the Village which can be rented for extended periods of time. Any postal mail sent to Wiseman or Coldfoot and addressed to the Wyckoff family should reach it's destination.

Allakaket, population roughly 200, is an isolated Indian village along the famed Koyukuk river (read Shadows on the Koyukuk, an Alaskan Native's Life by Sidney Huntington). The surrounding area is relatively flat, and is extremely cold in winter, often remaining below minus 40 degrees F for weeks on end. There are no roads in or out, and, except on the river (boats in summer, snow machines in the frozen winter), most visitors and goods must be flown in. The planes land on average four times per day, and always greeted by a group of regulars curious about what and who the cargo may be. For the most part dwellings are log cabins, outside of which dog teams can sometimes be seen tied (each dog to a dog-house, on a short chain to conserve energy for the runs). The only accommodation available to visitors is in the public school (K-12), and must be arranged in advance. Evenings spent talking with the teachers, many of whom are very unusual characters in themselves, can shed light on otherwise unseen aspects of village life, and if you are lucky, a nearby village's High School basketball team will have been flown in for a championship game.

Anaktuvuk Pass is a small Eskimo village a couple hundred miles into the Arctic Circle. It is set in the Brooks Mountain Range and is surrounded by the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The park itself is classified as a wilderness area and has nothing as convenient as a hiking trail. The conditions in the park, even in summer, are difficult for a number of reasons, but the experience will be memorable guaranteed. There are no trees growing in the area, making it easier to spot, especially with good binoculars, wild animals. The park ranger at the time (Mike) reported seeing an average of 30 Grizzly bears each summer, occasionaly at heart-stopping (close) range, but more often from a comfortable distance. Once, after a long, exhausting hike, he set up camp only to find a mother bear and two cubs a quarter mile away, eating a moose. Exhaustion overcame fear, and Mike reasoned that the bears, though aware of his presence, were occupied with the fresh kill and wouldn't disturb him. Spend enough time here and you too may be able to sleep sound with a mother Grizzly and two cubs sitting outside your tent.

Anaktuvuk Pass is a fly-in only village, and has no accommodation open to the general public. An unusual addition is the well curated Eskimo museum, built and maintained by a teacher who moved to the area in the early 1970's, and has over the years became fluent in the native language. To warm your bones, check and see if the village laundromat's saunas are working.