ARIZONA TO ALASKA

The Alaska Bush.

It is a term that refers to RURAL Alaska. Frankly, almost all of Alaska is rural. There are only a couple medium-sized cities, and a handful of smaller towns. Then you get to the nuts and bolts of this huge state... many very small towns and villages. Many with populations under 100. They are still on the map, mainly because they are still the biggest town around.

Most of these towns are reachable only by air, or by water, or snowmachine. Most were settled by Native Americans, and subsistence living remains the main way of life. These villages give our state the character which most people think of when someone mentions ALASKA.

Unfortunately, they are disappearing. Drying up. Many of the homes in these villages are primitive, or less. Yet when you go inside there you find the TV and a computer. The rest of the world is at their fingertips. The people see what life is like elsewhere, they see the opportunities. Especially the young folk. Many of the village elders could not be dragged from their village. They will die and be buried there, probably with a smile on their face. But the young people are leaving.

At first it may be to go to a better school, maybe even college. Then they do not return. They want to use that education and make some money. That degree is just a piece of paper back in the village, pretty much useless. The bigger cities like Anchorage and Fairbanks are seeing many Native Americans enrolling in their schools. The young people realize that they do not have to live through brutal winters of -50 just because their parents and grandparents did.

It really is kind of sad. A whole way of life is changing.

One year ago I got to experience living in the Bush. I was working in Anaktuvuk Pass, 1000 miles NE of Dutch Harbor. There are many similarities between Dutch Harbor and Anaktuvuk Pass, and some huge differences.

Both towns are remote. Dutch Harbor may be more remote technically, but Anaktuvuk Pass FELT more remote. Most people come to town via air in both cases. However, we have the ocean where many vessels come and go, while Anaktuvuk’s next best option is 65 miles over land via snowmachine.. The airplane is king in Anaktuvuk, where almost EVERYTHING arrives by air. Including the most expensive gas in the USA. Here, the bulk of our freight arrives by water.

Both towns offer stark, awesome scenery. Dutch has The Bering Sea, Anaktuvuk had The Brooks Range. Lets call it a draw.

Anaktuvuk had a population of about 325, decent sized for a Bush town. Dutch has about 4500, but it still feels like a small town. Both towns have nice schools, but no college. Here a kid can grow up, go somewhere to college, and return to find a decent job here in town. That was not true in Anaktuvuk, where there were very few job opportunities. I was hired as General Manager for the Native American corporation there. They ran a number of commercial operations in town. I was hired from outside the village because the corporation felt there were no qualified candidates in town. I had a college degree and management experience.

Here in Dutch I can take a ride and go for about an hour (in the summer) before I return to where I started. In Anaktuvuk, there is no loop. It is one way for about 6 minutes, then turn around.

Right now it is 36 degrees here and probably will stay there all night. At present it is -2 up north, and will probably go down at least ten more degrees. I got used to seeing -10 as I headed to work up there, here it has gotten into the 20's only a few times. It gets windy in both spots.

In Anaktuvuk, you could be a mile away from town, get in trouble of some sort, and die. It can be dangerous here too, but I do not feel the severity of the elements like I did up there...YET.

In Anaktuvuk, there was one grocery store, where the shelves were mostly empty (but the stockroom was packed). You bought what they had. Here, there are several stores, and you can SHOP. There are no movie theaters or bowling alleys in either town. But bingo is big in both.

Internet is terrible in both towns, and TV service spotty.

Both towns are very expensive to live in.

The long term forecast for Anaktuvuk Pass is uncertain. My guess is that it will continue to lose population until a major change happens. Like maybe promoting tourism in a beautiful area where people can see the Northern Lights.

Dutch Harbor will be around for a long time. As long as there is fishing, the town will do well. But next year will see a big drop in pollock quotas, which will affect the entire town, including me.

I was there for only a few months. But I consider the time there a great experience that few others ever have a chance to see. Take advantage while you can.