reply to post by mikerussellus
Dude!
I was in "O" Company, Arctic Rangers, 75th Infantry based just outside of Anchorage, and I've always longed to get back.
It's been a while since I've been there, but once you get the lowdown on the COL and wages, which are and must be higher than in the Lower 48, the
rest is all good.
Anchorage and the surrounding country is beautiful. The temperature is more moderated in Anchorage than say Fairbanks, since Fairbanks is much more
inland, and Anchorage is on the water.
It's a hunter/fisherman's paradise. The people are good people, independent, and friendly.
In the Ranger Company, we were always out and about the state, from Point Barrow, to Little Diomedes, to Bethel, Nome, Sitka, and Kiska.
You will love it.
Folks don't seem to get as sick in Alaska, especially in the cooler regions, whether from proximity to the Arctic Circle or at higher altitudes.
If you'll be traveling, you'll likely be able to work up some trade with the Inuit. I traded rifles, pistols, and ammunition for furs, ivory, and
jade. A ton of jade just north of Nome.
It works better in some of the more remote areas that are more difficult to get to. You get a good network going, and you can double your income
without much effort.
Nothing like putting on a parka late at night when it's really snowing, and taking a walk. There is a complete absence of sound.
It's big, and it can be lonely a bit for a woman left behind a lot, but the country is quite a companion in of itself.
If you climb one of the mountains just outside Anchorage, on a clear day, you can see Mt. McKinley in the distance.
Glacier-fed streams, with water so cold that you'll never need a cooler while camping.
Chip out some ice from the nearby glaciers, and you're using ice from snowfall that fell tens of thousands of years ago.
If you go up there to do well and enjoy the country, you'll really enjoy it.
If you go up there and you like staying indoors playing scrabble, you won't like Alaska.
Go.
See the country. Enjoy it.
Make friends.
[edit on 25-9-2009 by dooper]