Survival in Ketchikan

 

 

"I had heard the people in Alaska were tough, but until I met Butch, I had no idea how tough..."

One of the first stops we made while visiting Alaska, was Ketchikan. Ketchikan is somewhat unique in Alaska as it sits in a temperate rainforest. A rainforest? I thought all of those forests were in hot and muggy climates. Nope. Alaska has one also and it does rain quite a bit up there.  In fact the average amount of rainfall it gets is almost 155 inches a year. In 1917, records show it received a whopping 190 inches!

We had signed up to take a tour of the wildlife preserve just outside of town. To nobody's surprise, it was raining. It was amazing to say the least. I have never seen so many salmon. This was the final journey for many of them. Get up the streams to spawn, and then die and be consumed by bears and gulls. All part of the circle of life in Alaska.

Once we got to the outskirts of the preserve, we were met my Butch. He was to be our guide and keep us safe from bears (yes, where there are fish, there are plenty of brown and black bears). It was my first exchange with someone who was born and breed in this most rugged and unforgiving land.

Butch was about my age and missing a good many teeth. He lived on an island across the harbor with his wife of many years. Butch was a pure survivalist. I did not know that until the tour was almost over. I got the hint when he was talking about canning bear meat. He just finished another bunch and his stockpile now would last him over four years. If he needed more, he would just shoot another bear from his front porch. He canned his own berries, his own salmon and his own meats. He heated his house with wood only and due to the massive amount of rainfall, had plenty of water to drink.

I could not resist asking "the question". During a lull in the tour, I asked Butch was he was a survivalist. His answer, like his lifestyle was plain and simple. "Have you seen what is going on with this country? There is a s**t storm coming, and coming soon. All of us, we better be prepared." He went on to tell me about the ammo he had stockpiled and the numerous places on his land he had stashed provisions.

Butch also told me he had a hard time understanding the folks in the "lower 48". They had changed, just like the country had changed. Up in Alaska, things do not change. The final frontier has stayed pretty much the same since the time Secretary of State William Seward bought this wonderful land from the Russians in 1867.

Many people in Alaska who cater to tourists leave in October for more temperate climates. Not Butch and his wife. They live there summer and winter and love all the seasons. However to live in coastal Alaska, one must be built with strong fiber. To survive just off the land, one must also be clever and knowledgeable. As Butch said, "when the s**t storm comes, he will be ready." I know he will, but doubt many of us will be.