Comment by solardev | Hacker News Reader

Comment by solardev | Hacker News Reader

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Are there any successful tales of Alaskan homesteading? It seems like we fetishize those foolhardy lone wolves like this couple or Alex McCandless from Into the Wild, but where are all those people who moved out there and actually managed to live happy, simple lives?

One of my favorite book series is Woodswoman, about a lady who set out into Vermont to build herself a lakeside cabin from scratch and made a living off maple farming. The several books detail her trials and tribulations, but also her joyful swims and happy encounters with the neighbors.

I would love to hear about more encounters like that in Alaska, not just the people who trek out there but never make it.

Dick Proenneke is one of the more well-known ones. He built his cabin all on his own, filming the whole process, as well as his life there. He lived in his cabin for thirty years.

https://www.nps.gov/lacl/learn/historyculture/proennekes-cab...

The film, “Alone In the Wilderness” is terrific.

https://vimeo.com/767376634

Plenty. But here's the rub, most that do do not want to be seen, heard, and care very little for the internet. The life also is not simple.

Yeah a friend of mine married a lady who grew up in the Alaskan wilderness. The family was desperately poor yet still had an airplane, interestingly. They were the kind of people who don’t use the internet at all.

There were ~3500 successful homestead claims in Alaska. My ex-wife's dad grew up on one of them, near Soldotna; she and I went out to visit once. It was not seen as an unusual experience in that area.

I don't imagine those folks spend much time writing about their lives on the internet.

These college friends did it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3NWdFll2X8

Not super long term, but interesting!

Two examples I can think of off-hand:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke

and

https://www.jeanaspen.com/about-us

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