Okay, I don't get it! I need some help here.

So here's a story about a 30 year old guy up in AK living off the grid (presumably) about 70 miles NW of Anchorage. As the story goes, his remote cabin burns down in late December and he 'survives more than 3 weeks' until an Alaska State Patrol helo spots an "SOS" distress sign he has stomped into the snow.

Okay, at first I'm thinking about how lucky this guy is as I'm reading the tale of his ordeal. Must have been a pretty harrowing 3 weeks. In the article he talks about how he had to build this makeshift shelter to live in, basically a 'tent' of sorts built around his only remaining item, a wood stove. Lost all his clothes, snow shoes burned up and he had no way out. Sounds pretty rough. The story (linked below) goes on. By the time I get to the end of the story my forehead is scrunched up and I've got a bunch of questions.

First of all, if you look at the pictures from the air (particularly the 2nd one), you can see this guy's makeshift shelter adjacent to his 'SOS' sign. However, if you look just to the left of it there's a small structure (outhouse maybe?). But then, if you look to the lower right of the picture there's what looks like this large building. WTH?? Why did you have to make a tent structure when there were two structures nearby you could have used??

Then, if you look along the bottom of this same picture you will see this sizable mechanical structure (purpose unknown). Even if the large building to the right is not what it looks like, why not use the mechanical structure as part of your makeshift shelter, why start all over again?

The story also says he didn't have a snowmobile, but if you look at the pictures there's this large circular track which sure looks like it was made by a snow machine. So, was someone else there?

I don't know, the story just doesn't make sense to me. I don't get it. Seems like there's a lot of missing information. Also, notice how the State Patrol officer is standing there talking to him. It's almost like he's asking him what the heck is going on, not rescuing some stranded refugee. I think there's more to this story, so let me know what you think.

Here's the story...

Man survives weeks in remote Alaska wilderness after cabin burns down.

ETA - Oh, and watch the embedded video near the end of the article, it's the raw footage from the helo. You will see all sorts of structures around his little camp, which just reinforces the questions I had. WTH??? There's definitely more to this story!

Link directly to video from State Patrol

I'm guessing he needed that wood stove to stay warm and couldn't move it to the shelter seen. So he built a structure around it to stay warm.

The tracks just look like freshly snow-covered tracks of his walking around.

The mechanical structure, no idea - but probably not possible for him to move that to a very important stove.

a reply to: Admitted

Well, maybe. But if his stove was so heavy, how did he get it there to begin with??? I mean, it couldn't really be that heavy because the article says the area is only accessible by air charter. You can't carry majorly heavy items in a bush plane.

Plus, look at the large structure in the video. You can see inside of it. There is an already constructed shelter. And if this guy is so awesome to have built this monstrous structure, part of which looks to be serving as a large storage barn, then wouldn't he have had some tools and supplies stored there rather than everything he owned in his cabin (which burned down)???

If he had the wherewithal to build that giant semi-circular building, then he damn sure had the wherewithal to move a puny little stove!

ETA - Looks to me more like he jumped somebody's (existing) mining claim, and may have been trying to lay claim to it himself.

ETA 2 - Plus, the article says he was there since September. No way did he build all of that stuff since September, not in that part of Alaska! He might have had a month, maybe a month and a half, before the snow set in.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

your sources do not impart enough information to render any opinion on any of your questions .

sorry

but i will say - his tail is a text book " how not to ................... " teaching aid

this should really be a new thread - but busy AF today - so in no particular order :

1 - comms schedule - ie 14:00 sunday - every sunday - if you dont respond - a rescue is initiated

2 - emergency cache - ie food // fuel // amunioton // firearm // comms // tools - stored in a secure location 5om away from your main building [ with a wire running to it - so you can find in dark with zero viz ]

3 - emergency comms - ie garmin inreach or some similar solution from other suppliers

4 - 2 bulidings - b accommodation , b - workshop // stores

5 - remote fuel storage - only have 1 days fuel in your accomodations

i stop now - i needs log out ATS

if someone does a spin off thread on this - PM me

4 -

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

My guess is that there were no photos or videos taken during the actual rescue. Either that, or they were not good enough to be used for a news story. After the story got to the press, someone decided it was worth publishing. They decided to "re-create" some of the scenes for visual impact. Some of those pictures just look too good not to be professionally done. Do you think you could "stomp out" an SOS in the snow that looked that good?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Most of the permanent woodstoves are brought in pieces and assembled on site due to weight limitation of the aircraft or snow machines used to haul equipment.

It takes alot of time, money and planning to have a permanent location/home in some parts.


It took over 2 months for my buddies primary woodstoves parts/pieces and fasteners, and stove pipe to reach his homesite.

They were using a super-cub to haul in supplies. It was quite the adventure.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

If you can't move the stove, you have a problem. In a cold in a cold environment liker that, cold is your first enemy and quickest killer.

Think "To Build a Fire" where the whole drama is about a man freezing to death in the Yukon, trying to light that all-important fire. He may have had literally everything else, even food, tucked away in those structures, but no heat source.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk


Ummm...I'm with you...not buying the story...

Those are definitely vehicle tracks in the lower right around that circular part you mentioned...not only that...even if cast stoves are heavy...they're not that difficult to move...I have one that I move around by simply lifting the thing and walking it to where I want it...and I've got 30 years on this 30 year old...We're talking cabin/camp stoves with cooking surfaces...not some huge monstrosity found in a castle...

A tarp or anything else suitable will easily sledge a camp stove the short distance to those already erected buildings...

Your right...doesn't pass the smell test...









YouSir

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

One thing we noted last night was he was so desperate as to eat canned pineapple and he is allergic to pineapple. Why would you have food that you are allergic to miles from nowhere?

Seems to me he wasn’t prepared at all for the Alaska wilderness and in desperation may have decided to burn down his cabin to get help as a smoke signal and still had to wait three weeks for rescue. Because three weeks ago would be roughly two months since September.

Yeah, there is more to the story and it isn’t heroic at all.

a reply to: YouSir

It's probably wrapped with hog fence panels that are filled with rocks.

Everyone I know out there does that to act as a thermal battery.
Stove heats the rocks, and gives off heat for 6-8 hours longer after a fire.

a reply to: Ahabstar

Insurance pay-out?

Could be. People can be pretty damn sneaky and lazy. And that's without drugs, once those come in to play, all bets are off.

a reply to: Notoneofyou

Not so much insurance as having the government save his bacon for free because he was ill prepared and could no longer hack it.

I’m not gonna lie, I can’t handle remote Alaskan wilderness. But I know better than to try it.

originally posted by: Notoneofyou
a reply to: YouSir

It's probably wrapped with hog fence panels that are filled with rocks.

Everyone I know out there does that to act as a thermal battery.
Stove heats the rocks, and gives off heat for 6-8 hours longer after a fire.

Ummm...so unwrap the panels and remove the rocks...then rewrap and refill after moving the stove...

I mean...unless they're using refractory cement to mortar the rocks...then some work...yes...but not something that a couple of hours couldn't accomplish.

I do like the idea of the rock heat sink...we used a gravel heat sink under a solar heated building once...piped the antifreeze from the roof mounted solar heating array to the under building heatsink...all run by convection currents...no pumping necessary...

Obviously a passive system...supplemented by four fireplaces...one for each room...(Inn)







YouSir

It appears someone had built that area up previously, maybe he just arrived there in September to stay. Maybe he goes there every year for all we know.

I am thinking he just utilized a small framework that was there to make his shelter, it appears to look similar in shape to the framework on the side, it probably just needed to be covered, or possibly already was covered for storage. The woodstove may already have been in that thing for all we know, maybe nothing had to be moved other than himself.

He needed to write the SOS because he lost his internet when the satelite dish and receiver got cookeed. He probably was chatting in chatrooms and all of a sudden, it was gone. Bummer, that was an emergency.

Those mechanical structures are quick fix green houses. There's a couple on the left of the video already covered. Could be a marijuana farm? But it's like that program about an Alaskan family, total BS.

a reply to: YouSir

I had thought about a system similar to what you described for my garden/greenhouse.

Sadly, we don't get enough southern exposure to justify trying to grow all year. I tried to purchase the adjacent lot to the south so I could log it and get some more sunlight, but, no dice.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I found another article that explains some stuff:

www.ktuu.com...

Steele had centered a makeshift "ice cave" around the same stove that burned down his cabin. He credits the structure for his survival, but plans to return and rebuild a proper structure on his homestead in the future.

scallywagandvagabond.com...
‘Once I got the second shelter built, I kept a fire in the wood-stove perpetually. And I basically use that to heat up my food,’ he recounted to police. ‘It’s not about keeping the shelter warm, because it basically just took that edge off.’

a reply to: JAGStorm

I'm sorry, I'm still not buyin' it.

There's definitely more to this story! Just look at the massive structure he's got built there. You don't build something like that without a whole lot of tools and supplies. So, why live in a snow cave??? Just doesn't add up. Sure, for a couple days maybe, while a storm blows over, but not for weeks on end.

a reply to: Notoneofyou


Ummm...the system works really well...all those yards of gravel soaks up a lot of heat...you can also redirect the flow with a diverter valve and pump the antifreeze through a heat exchanger...and cool the rocks for the summer months...

The strangest part of the whole build was...covering up all that standing seam copper roof with those solar heat panels...






YouSir

too many people hear - are making too many assumptions - based on thier own ideas of what things are " supposed " to be like

1 - there is no claim made - that he built the camp himself

2 - his stove is only described as " wood burning " - people are assuming its construction

now - one point no one else yet has addressed

his accomodation building - is cited in multiple sources as :

" a quonset hut "

now this is supposed to be a prefab building - that was supplied in kit form during WWII - 10s of thousands were produced

the salient point is that it SHOULD be - a steel frame with shaped steel roof sections [ a 1/2 cylinder - with verious specications of end walls

how do you burn a quonset hut down ?

IMHO - that takes some special " skill " - if it was a genuine quonset kit

but hey - YMMV