Alaskan Living

Secret Cabin In The Wild

There’s a secret cabin tucked into a spruce forest about a dozen miles up a gorgeous river valley near Anchorage. Few people use it, and the ones who do keep it under wraps. The rule is, “You can show it to friends, but only friends who aren’t smart enough to find their way back.”

A prospector built the cabin decades ago, but today it’s cared for by a 76-year-old Anchorage man named Dick and a following of hikers and skiers who cut wood for it, repair the roof and stove, and carry in the occasional cook pot, book, bucket, axe, lantern, or other supplies that we all share in the use of. For 25 years, passers-through have kept accounts of their visits in the cabin’s diary which Dick puts into the computer every few years. It’s an amazing digest of the life of this cabin, adventures in the wilderness, and of just how precious warm, dry shelter can be to backcountry travelers.

I went up to the Raven (that’s what we call the cabin) this weekend for the last time before becoming a father (and took lots of photos). Here’s what I wrote in the diary before leaving:

Moose Hunt In Town? On Second Thought…Sure Beats Costco

Next month, Fish & Game will consider a proposal to allow moose hunting in the Hillside area above Anchorage. This will be a classic Alaskan controversy. On the one hand, Alaskans love having moose in town; it’s a constant reminder we live in a special place. On the other hand, some biologists are telling us that we have too many moose in Anchorage (between 700-1000), and because of it, they’re dying from starvation or car collisions. Why let them die when we could harvest them for meat (or so the reasoning goes)?

The last time we had an urban hunt in Anchorage was 1983. It didn't do much to trim the moose population, but it sure did stir some controversy.

Champagne Maker With $1 Million To Spare? Here’s Your Once-In-A-Century Opportunity

I had only been in Alaska two years when I decided to start Alaska Channel. One of quandaries I faced was how to gain the trust of dozens of hoteliers and advertisers whose support I needed to be successful. To them, I was somewhat of an unknown, a newcomer with a starry-eyed vision to create an Alaska visitor TV channel. Alaska may be 20% the size of the continental U.S., but socially it’s just one big small town. And if you’ve ever lived in a small town, you know how long it can take to gain the locals’ trust.

So I had an idea: I decided I needed to produce a great promotional video, and I needed a well-known personality to serve as my on-camera host. The name of Colonel Norman Vaughan immediately came to mind. I had never met the Colonel, but I had read about him, and I knew Alaskans revered him. I didn’t really have a solid introduction, so I decided to just call him and pitch my idea. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll serve as your host. If you want to film me running my dogteams, come up to my cabin at Trapper Creek this weekend, and we’ll go out and do it.”

Wow! I was excited. And I was also incredibly grateful. The video came out great, and it apparently worked—Alaska Channel’s going strong 12 years later. Norman did me a huge favor, and now it’s time for some lucky American corporation to return him the favor. Let me explain.

Doesn't Get Sadder Than This

Living on the edge of wilderness, Alaskans hear regularly about people having close calls or dying in avalanches, boating accidents, plane crashes, or other wilderness mishaps. In fact, drowning is the leading cause of death among native males age 20-40. 

The story early this week was about six family members who got lost in a blinding snowstorm in Western Alaska. They were snowmachining home from a traditional native potlatch in a village 65 miles away when they disappeared for days. They managed to survive by burrowing into the snow and thawing their frostbitten hands on their snowmachine muffler.

But later this week, I heard the second saddest story I’ve heard in ten years. About ten winters ago, two grandparents were driving with a grandchild across the remote 60-mile Denali Highway (closed in winter, but beautiful in summer) when their car got stuck in deep snowdrifts. As I recall, they were able to stay warm in the car for several days, but then tried to walk out. Their tracks revealed they initially walked in the right direction for miles, then doubted themselves, reversed course, started walking in circles, and eventually laid down in the snow to die. Had they walked only a few hundred yards further, they would have crested a hill and seen the only lodge in 30 miles.

Can you imagine what those grandparents were thinking? Of course, they were scared for their own lives. But I can only imagine the helplessness and guilt they must have felt for having failed their grandchild so by driving a closed road in winter.

The Duct Tape Ball…and “The Duct Tape Artist”

This weekend, our friend Nance invited us to The Duct Tape Ball. What’s duct tape, you ask? An indispensable tool of life in Alaska.

I learned about it on my first trip to Alaska when the plane that landed us on a remote glacier near Mt. McKinley had a slight mishap, was patched up with duct tape among other things, then flown out. (Let’s hope FAA inspectors don’t read blogs!) Duct tape is super sticky, usually silver, easy to tear, but strong as a vice once applied. I use it to patch clothes and fix broken raft paddles. But Alaskans put it to all kinds of ingenious uses.

Bad, bad criminals have used it to tie up victims, hunters to bind wounds from bear maulings, babysitters to shut up loud kids, and bush hippies to wrap and insulate leaking log cabins. Alaskans worship the stuff, even make movies to it. If you drive from Anchorage to Denali, you’ll pass through tiny Wasilla, dubiously honored the “Duct Tape Capital of the World.” Their Wal-Mart sells more than any in the world (hundreds of miles of it annually).

The Duct Tape Ball was no ordinary black tie event. You had to wear some item of duct tape clothing. Nance’s entire dress was made of it, and there were other inspired duct tape creations. But nothing compared to the duct tape sculptures created by Todd Scott, a self-described “Duct Tape Artist.” The Duck Brand duct tape company commissioned him to make 15-foot high duct tape palm trees, massive canopies, and even an nearly-life-sized duct tape elephant. He once made an American flag the size of an NBA basketball court—from 13 miles of tape.

Alaskans love duct tape. It’s probably not a reason to visit in and of itself, but if you want to come up for the Ball next year, it’s usually the first Friday in February, and I have one beautiful yellow duct tape lapel flower Todd made that I can give out.

Breastfeeding In Alaska

One of the benefits of having kids later than most friends is you get showered with baby clothing, strollers, toys and books--of which we have a 2-foot tower next to the bed. One of the curses is when your wife actually reads them all.

But it doesn't stop there...

Over the past month, I've been marched around unremittingly to every baby class known to man: Baby Basics, Childbirth (an intensive 4-night series), a full 3-hr seminar on Baby Carseats, and most recently Breastfeeding 101. I'd have felt bad not attending the others, but Breastfeeding 101? Not something I really ever plan to be good at.

But I'm glad I went. I learned that breastfeeding makes so much sense: breastmilk coats the newborn's stomach, changes with temperature, is healthier, offers complete nutrition, gives baby immunities, and is convenient and cheap. But it also has benefits for Dad: most women don't get pregnant while breastfeeding!

Given all those benefits, wouldn't you agree that breastfeeding rates among a state's population are a pretty good indicator of just how informed and educated that state is? Thus I am proud to report that Alaska is the #1 breastfeeding state in the country--88% of mothers initiate breastfeeding.

To the person who correctly guesses which states are number 2 and 3 respectively, I will send you a 20-pound box of used child books (if Yael lets me). And for anyone else who might have ideas why Alaska ’s rates are so high, please post them.

Our First Pregnancy Portrait!

Last night, we were running late to the Fire & Ice Ball, a black tie benefit. (Yes, people do wear tuxes in Alaska.) On our way, we stopped by our friend Clark Mishler’s house. Turns out Clark was in the kitchen getting ready for a dinner party. Nonetheless, we dragged him into his home studio, and in less than 10 minutes, he made this image. He took only 8 pictures!

Most people know Alaska has 6 times more pilots per capita than the rest of the country. Most people don’t realize (but it makes sense if you think about it) that we also have far more than our share of talented photographers. Personally, I think Clark is one of the top shooters in the country, and we’re lucky to have him here in Anchorage (even luckier to have him as our friend!)

Clark and I may produce a DVD on how to make great Alaska vacation photos. Let me know if it interests you--and if so, what you'd like to see on it.