My girlfriend broke up with me. That was 9 years ago. I was 20. I didnt know what to do. I sold my car, tv, ect. Then I left bismarck. I made my way to Alaska with my pack, a .22, camping gear, and a tent. I bought a sack of rice and some bottled water. I called my folks to let them know I was ok. Then I just headed east. I was done. Life was just not what it was meant to be. Working all day at a job I actually liked. To earn some money so I could pay some rent and the cycle continued. After losing my girlfriend, it hit me. This was life, but it wasnt living. When I first set out, I was such a fool. I barely make it a week. My sack of rice and water were gone within the first week. My only pair of pants was ripped in half when I tripped down a valley. I was lucky it was summer. I ended up eating squirrel, rabbit, birds, and roots the first couple months. Should have bought a fishing rod. Boy the things you dont think about. I was smart enough to dry and salt the extra meat and store enough to get me through the first part of winter. Which was much longer than I had anticipated. Luckily I made my camp near a stream. The first winter was spent mainly gathering wood. You never have enough wood. My tent started tearing and had holes. I barricaded it with wood, brush, and bark. The things you dont think about. It was a half mile or so to the stream. I had to chop the ice, then melt it for water. I came back to my little shelter torn apart. Could have been a bear or wolves. Who knows. My food was gone that was all that mattered. I was such an idiot. Storing food inside my shelter. This was the most alive and devastated I had ever been. There arnt many animals to hunt in the mountains during a cold Alaskan winter. With my shelter in ruins and no food there was only one option. Move on. Find a food source. I went 3 days in search of food. Heading northeast. You dont cover much ground in the mountains. But something in my gut told me to keep going. My brain on the other hand, told me I was going to die. On the 4th day I came over a ridge to the greatest sight Id ever seen. A lake. I spent most of the day making my way down the mountain toward the lake. I was exhausted. At this point I couldnt feel my legs, maybe it was the cold, maybe the exhaustion. Either way I had to get there. The days are very short that far north, even shorted when there are mountains all around you. I finally reached the lake, I had just enough wood strapped to my pack with the rope I made from my old tent. That fire was the hardest to start. Also the most rewarding, because I knew I wasnt going to die that day. I fell asleep almost immediately. I woke up so weak the next day. But it was time to eat. It wasnt easy getting food. I had to smash through the ice hoping there was fish in this lake. I used my boot string and part of my old tent zipper for a fishing line and hook. A small piece of my old bright orange tent was the bait. hours later I still had no luck. Not even a bite. I mustered up my strength to go look around. I came across an old deer carcass. It wasnt picked clean but close enough. There is always something left if you know where to look. I took as much of the deer back to my little area. Boiled the bones in water with some pine sap. There was some frozen marrow inside the bones. I was lucky. It doesnt sound like much, but 5 days of nothing to eat made it the best meal I have ever had. That is just a snippet of my first 5 months in Alaska . I was in the Alaskan/Canadian wilds for about 7 years. I returned to Bismarck when I was 27. Im now 29. I really miss my days in the wild. That was the truest living I have ever had. I made a weeklong trip to a small town every summer to call my folks and pick up a few supplies. When I found out my mom was sick I knew I had to come back. She is still alive and doing much better, Im thankful for that. However, I feel like a drone again. It was nice to see everyone and sleep in a bed, I wont complain about the comforts of this life, but I miss the life I had out there.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 18:00:02 +0000
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