We Alaskans see this type of sheer stupidity constantly. Cheechakos, aka as greenhorns, or Lower 48'rs have a romanticized idea about what life's like up here in the Alaskan bush. These witless people come up here, endangering themselves and rescue crews, when they put themselves in trouble doing dangerous things AK bush kids are too smart to ever expose themselves to.
This kid was within a walkable distance to help, yet he chose suicide. We Alaskans wonder why he didn't simply walk out & get help. This behavior indicates he planned to commit suicide, plus we Alaskans had to clean up the mess he left behind.
Adventure enthusiasts need to take a long, hard look at this movie which depicts exactly what NOT to do when entertaining the notion of leaving city lives behind for dream lives in the wilderness. Being "alone" several hundred miles from the nearest source of help isn't a decision lightly made. That kid paid for his choice..with his life. Needlessly throwing it away.
The abandoned bus contaminated the tundra and was egregiously complicated plus expensive for the State of AK to remove. We all know what happens when toxic vehicle lubricants leach into the ground. Valdez will never recover from what Exxon dumped, the only difference here is the scale of the damage the kid whom this movie is about, created.
Tourists coming up here need to realize you don't dump your trash in the bush on the roadside. You don't change your kids diaper and leave that nasty mess for someone else to dispose of. Ladies, you don't leave your used kotex and tampons in hiking paths everybody uses for someone else to throw away. EVERYTHING you brought in with ya, YOU PACK IT BACK OUT and dispose of properly! Portable bathrooms are not waste bins. Do not dump your beer and soda cans down the outhouse hole people!! Do you flush that stuff down your toilets back home? Then don't do that here in our backyards. That's not how things are done in Alaska ladies and gents. All we ask is that you be CAREFUL and CONSIDERATE when you visit our state. We're pretty sure your vacation plans don't include breaking your family's hearts, reservations in our hospitals or visits to our morgues.
If you're serious about bush Alaskan type of lifestyle, try camping somewhere close to your homes without power, running water, communication & transportation for a minimum of 30 days IN INCLEMENT WEATHER. Haul all your cooking and bathing water and firewood by hand, cook over the open fire pit: smoky, hot, difficult to regulate the heat. Go to the bathroom squatting in the woods while swatting mosquitoes. If you can do all that & ENJOY it, you MIGHT, I repeat, MIGHT make it through your 1st winter up here. MAYBE!
Remember, 40° below zero and 24/7 darkness changes everything. If "glamping" isn't your thing, visit Alaska during summer, take lots of photos then go back home to your cozy houses with all the luxuries you take for granted. Visit Alaska? YES! Don't TRASH Alaska, hurt your families by killing yourselves on vacation and create a disaster that's the only thing everybody remembers.
This kid was within a walkable distance to help, yet he chose suicide. We Alaskans wonder why he didn't simply walk out & get help. This behavior indicates he planned to commit suicide, plus we Alaskans had to clean up the mess he left behind.
Adventure enthusiasts need to take a long, hard look at this movie which depicts exactly what NOT to do when entertaining the notion of leaving city lives behind for dream lives in the wilderness. Being "alone" several hundred miles from the nearest source of help isn't a decision lightly made. That kid paid for his choice..with his life. Needlessly throwing it away.
The abandoned bus contaminated the tundra and was egregiously complicated plus expensive for the State of AK to remove. We all know what happens when toxic vehicle lubricants leach into the ground. Valdez will never recover from what Exxon dumped, the only difference here is the scale of the damage the kid whom this movie is about, created.
Tourists coming up here need to realize you don't dump your trash in the bush on the roadside. You don't change your kids diaper and leave that nasty mess for someone else to dispose of. Ladies, you don't leave your used kotex and tampons in hiking paths everybody uses for someone else to throw away. EVERYTHING you brought in with ya, YOU PACK IT BACK OUT and dispose of properly! Portable bathrooms are not waste bins. Do not dump your beer and soda cans down the outhouse hole people!! Do you flush that stuff down your toilets back home? Then don't do that here in our backyards. That's not how things are done in Alaska ladies and gents. All we ask is that you be CAREFUL and CONSIDERATE when you visit our state. We're pretty sure your vacation plans don't include breaking your family's hearts, reservations in our hospitals or visits to our morgues.
If you're serious about bush Alaskan type of lifestyle, try camping somewhere close to your homes without power, running water, communication & transportation for a minimum of 30 days IN INCLEMENT WEATHER. Haul all your cooking and bathing water and firewood by hand, cook over the open fire pit: smoky, hot, difficult to regulate the heat. Go to the bathroom squatting in the woods while swatting mosquitoes. If you can do all that & ENJOY it, you MIGHT, I repeat, MIGHT make it through your 1st winter up here. MAYBE!
Remember, 40° below zero and 24/7 darkness changes everything. If "glamping" isn't your thing, visit Alaska during summer, take lots of photos then go back home to your cozy houses with all the luxuries you take for granted. Visit Alaska? YES! Don't TRASH Alaska, hurt your families by killing yourselves on vacation and create a disaster that's the only thing everybody remembers.
