Arctic Homestead: 10 years living off the Alaskan wilderness

Essential Survival Items You Should Have When Visiting Alaska When visiting Alaska, there are several essential survival items you should always have with you. This is especially true if you plan to spend time out in the wilderness, away from civilization. While it's a beautiful and relatively safe place to visit, Alaska can still be a dangerous place if you're not properly prepared. The first item on the list of essential survival items should be clothing that is suitable for the cold weather in Alaska. You'll want to pack plenty of layers, such as long johns, sweaters, jackets, and hats. It's also important to have waterproof outerwear in case of rain or snow. Lightweight hiking boots are also essential for traversing the rugged terrain of Alaska's backcountry trails. The next item on the list is a good first aid kit. This should include bandages, antiseptic wipes and ointment, pain relievers, and any other medications you might need while traveling in this remote region. Make sure your first aid kit is easily accessible at all times while outdoors so that it can be used quickly in an emergency situation. A high-quality camping stove should also be included on your packing list for an Alaskan adventure. Bring enough fuel for your stove along with pots and pans for cooking meals outdoors if needed during your stay in the wilds of Alaska. Also make sure to bring along some water purification tablets or filter systems so that you can drink from rivers or streams without getting sick from bacteria or parasites found in untreated water sources. Another must-have item when visiting Alaska is a knife or multi-tool with a variety of blades suitable for cutting rope, slicing food and carving wood into useful items like firewood or shelters if needed during your stay in this remote region. A compass and map are also essential so that you don't get lost while exploring this vast landscape full of hidden surprises around every corner! Lastly, it’s always wise to pack some form of communication device such as a satellite phone to call for help if an emergency arises while out in the wilderness away from civilization — just make sure it’s fully charged before leaving! Overall, these are just some of the many essential survival items one should consider when visiting Alaska - take care when packing so that you’re well-prepared before setting off on your adventure! Jenna and David Jonas have spent most of their lives living off the land. At 17, David built a cabin in the woods of Vermont without power tools and lived there for two years, learning to track animals, identify trees, plants and birds, and to navigate. He’d paddled thousands of miles in hand-built birch bark canoes and lived for months off wild foods alone when he met his neighbor Jenna (she lived across the creek from his cabin in a “treehouse” dwelling), who’d been exploring the interior of Alaska for few years by boat, ski, dogsled, bike, and foot. In 2012, they found an ad on Craigslist for private land surrounded by state forest on a bluff above the Tanana River. They saw the potential for year-round food sources and bought the raw land, first living in a wall-tent. After two years on the land, they spent 3 weeks building a more permanent earthlodge: digging deep into the hill to take advantage of the relative warmth of the earth, using plentiful spruce trunks to line the home, covering it in sod for insulation and facing it due south for passive solar gain. Two years later, they began building a traditional log cabin using hand tools (such as a gin pole for a crane). It took them 3 years to complete (building only before freeze-up), but was ready in time for the arrival of their daughter. The couple hunt, forage or grow most all of their food. They built a smokehouse to cure the meat and fish, and an underground root cellar to preserve their produce and potatoes throughout the year. In 2014, they began to share their experience with others, using their experience as wilderness guides, they offer stays in their original earthlodge (the Sun Lodge) or in traditional handmade canvas wall tents for days of dog sledding, aurora viewing, winter camping, ice fishing, snowshoeing, skiing and crafting (making your own wooden spoons). Their goal is to offer guests at their hand-built wilderness homestead “a deeper, more authentic experience of Alaska, one that is not centered solely on sublime landscapes and plastic accouterments, but rather the real products, people, and lifeways that make our lives in the north rich and meaningful.” Alaska Homestead Adventures https://alaskahomesteadadventures.com/ Drone footage: Jeff Sousa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AILPDBnie4c On *faircompanies: https://faircompanies.com/videos/hand-built-homestead-to-live-off-the-land-at-arctic-temps/