Subsistence hunting, fishing, and gathering are crucial for many Alaska Natives, as they are part of a culture and lifestyle that has existed for thousands of years. These activities are essential for maintaining family, fitness, identity, community, memory, and spirit. Living a true subsistence lifestyle is not easy and requires dedicated time, skill, and financial investment.
In remote areas of Alaska, where store-bought foods are scarce, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act recognizes the importance of the subsistence way of life and allows continued opportunities for rural Alaskans to hunt, trap, fish, and gather from federal lands. The practice of hunting and fishing for direct personal use, known as subsistence harvesting, is an essential part of Alaskan life.
Subsistence in Alaska’s national parks, monuments, and preserves is a way of life that has existed for thousands of years. This way of life continues today in rural Alaska where people rely on fish and wildlife. Living a true subsistence lifestyle creates unity in family dynamics, brings people closer together, builds trust and confidence, and is important for the economies and cultures of many families and communities in Alaska.
In Northwest Alaska, subsistence living is how people survive. Learn about the Inupiaq traditions of hunting, gathering, fishing, and crafts in the arctic. Living off the grid in Alaska allows individuals to hunt, trap, fish, sew clothes from skins, and receive their $1000/year income.
📹 Arctic Homestead: 10 years living off the Alaskan wilderness
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 …
Can I move to Alaska without a job?
The state Division of Employment Security advises having a job in place before moving to Alaska or having enough money for travel. Year-round jobs are available for those interested in staying. Travel through Canada requires cash or credit cards that work in Canada and a valid U. S. passport. If you’re ready for adventure, start working with Alaska for a summer and see if you enjoy living there year-round.
What are the subsistence foods in Alaska?
Alaska’s native population relies on various game animals, including muskox, caribou, and moose, for hardy meat and hides. The sea also provides sustenance through marine animals like beluga whales, seals, walruses, saltwater fish, crabs, and other crustaceans. Fowling, egg, picking greens, and berries are essential for life on the tundra. Salmon, found in freshwater streams, is a crucial food source in the summer months. Common animals used for native subsistence include muskox, caribou, and moose.
However, the 1900 gold rush strained local hunting and fishing resources, leading to the destruction of wildlife and extinction of many species. As Alaska became a new state in 1958, the federal government passed responsibility for managing fishing and wildlife to the state government. The Native population organized councils and rallied the government to protect these resources and subsistence way of life.
Is it possible to live off grid in Alaska?
A significant number of individuals engage in contemplation regarding the potential benefits of a lifestyle that is characterized by a complete detachment from the trappings of urban existence, and an embrace of the untamed natural environment. Alaska provides an optimal setting for those seeking to explore this concept, offering unspoiled frontiers and an opportunity to disconnect from the “real world.”
What is the subsistence way of life?
Subsistence is the ability to survive in harsh climates with what is available around you. Alaska’s indigenous people have been engaged in subsistence lifeways for thousands of years, relying on hunting, fishing, and gathering activities. Today, Alaska Natives and local rural users live off the land, relying on fish, wildlife, and other wild resources. Alaska’s abundance of natural resources forms the backbone of life and economy for many residents.
In Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, local users are busy all year round, providing sustenance for families in the surrounding areas. Subsistence users have a unique connection to the land fostered by tradition and lifelong experience. As the population grew, new and conflicting demands were placed on Alaska’s natural and cultural resources. Developments such as marine and inland mammals harvesting, commercial fisheries, mining operations, agriculture, military bases, and the establishment of cities and towns impacted local resources and subsistence activities. By the time Alaska gained statehood in 1959, subsistence patterns in some of Alaska’s more populated areas were greatly diminished.
Can you live on public land in Alaska?
Despite being legal for 88 years prior to October 21, 1986, homesteading in Alaska was rendered illegal by Congress. The original homestead law, passed in 1862, was designed to provide small farms to individuals over 21, family members, or immigrants.
Can you just live in the woods in Alaska?
Alaskans often live in modern homes, drive cars, watch television, and shop in modern stores, despite some choosing an isolated life in backwoods homesteads. Larger communities have fast food restaurants, theaters, recreation facilities, modern healthcare facilities, art galleries, museums, concerts, and live theater, as well as a statewide university system. Satellites beam telephone service and television into even the most isolated villages, and most classrooms throughout the state are similar to schools anywhere in the U. S. equipped with computers and other modern learning tools.
What are the subsistence activities in Alaska?
Alaska Natives’ traditions of subsistence hunting, fishing, and gathering are referred to as “our way of life”. Protecting these activities helps preserve indigenous cultures, share ecological knowledge, and connect Tribal elders and youth. Wild subsistence foods are healthier and more economical than processed store-bought foods, which must be shipped into rural communities. Additionally, protecting subsistence activities supports the economies of Alaska Native communities, as they operate alongside the cash economy.
A healthy balance between these two economies is critical for the resilience of Alaska Native communities. The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Alaska Regional Office Subsistence Branch manages subsistence and advocates for Alaska Native subsistence rights through the Federal Subsistence Board.
How to subsistence live in Alaska?
Subsistence is the traditional use of wild, renewable resources by rural Alaskan residents for personal or family consumption, including food, shelter, fuel, clothing, tools, and transportation. In Alaska, with only 13 state roads connecting urban centers and thousands of acres of uninhabited lands without roads, subsistence harvesting is crucial. The Federal Subsistence Management Program reports that the current rural subsistence harvest is about 295 pounds of food per person per year, which is more than the U. S. average consumption of 255 pounds of domestic meat, fish, and poultry per year. The average American uses 1, 371 pounds of all foods a year.
How do people in Alaska afford food?
Alaska Natives, including the Iñupiat and Athabascan people, historically lived off the land, a practice known as “subsistence”, eating berries, moose, fish, caribou, and Dall sheep. Many Alaska Native communities still rely on subsistence to supplement pantry stores and offset high food costs. However, an aging population and the prevalence of Amazon Prime have made traditional ways of getting food less common in Bettles. Today, when flights land in Bettles, packages with Amazon labels are thrown from the plane’s cargo shoot onto the pickup used as a mail truck.
The Fred Meyer grocery store’s Bush order boxes are carefully passed on to eager residents. Amazon likely loses money by shipping heavy food items to Bush Alaska, where it costs 79 cents per pound to fly it from Fairbanks to Bettles. The sole food shop in town, owned by one of the flight shuttle services, is only open in the summer and offers foods people crave after returning from backcountry or when they’re up late due to the midnight sun.
Does the government still pay you to move to Alaska?
Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend, an incentive program since 1976, offers up to $1, 600 for living in the state. In 2023, the amount was $1, 312. To qualify, citizens must remain in Alaska for a year and pay no state income tax. The grant is applicable to any city in Shawnee County, but Topeka, Kansas, could potentially receive a $15, 000 grant with the recipient’s name on it. Alaska has no state income tax.
How do people in Alaska get their food?
Alaskan farmers produce meats, vegetables, grains, and fibers, with crop diversity expected to increase in warmer and wetter climates. Farmed fish lead sales of meat products, followed by cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, and chickens. Climate literacy and training, climate solutions, climate vulnerabilities, environmental justice, partnering agencies, tribal nations, aquaculture, dairy, livestock, poultry, specialty animals, and wildlife are essential aspects of their livelihoods.
📹 Living Off The Grid In Alaska 🇺🇸
Most American big cities have become more difficult over the last few years due to an increase in crime and homelessness.
It is interesting to be living in a calustrophobic suburb and dreaming of this way of life. Humans lived the way this family is living much longer than how we currently live. I am grateful for the technologies that have enabled more of us to live healthier and more luxuriously but I also feel the technology has so far removed us from what our ancestors did that we are becoming a fractured species. We are ignorant of our base desires and needs. We need nature, we need accomplishment, and we need deep connection with loved ones. Thank you for the inspiration. I may be a bit too doughy for this rustic of a life but maybe people like you will encourage me to move to the outskirts of my current local and be just a bit more in-tune with what my heart is desperate.
I am 21 and was disabled from a pharmaceutical injury when I was 20. I never got to this place in life, even though I was working towards it, but this makes me happy hearing stories like this, but also sad as I never really got to live much of the life I wanted. Still I think it’s amazing to see some people out there living my idea of the dream ❤️
At the age of 20 I’ve envisioned that life, dreamed about that landscape, fauna and flora… odd for a Portuguese guy that grew in a Portuguese city. And now, at the age of 50 I realize I missed something so big that can’t be put to words. That said, all young people that feel the call, just go! Don’t overthink it! Go! Hope you guys all the best. Cheers from Portugal
I had the pleasure of visiting Alaska in 2021, before tourist season (April) and before the cruise ships/vacation industry restarted. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve been, and I’ve traveled to almost 40 countries on 5 continents. perusal this family makes me want to return again. I’d love to see the aurora’s borealis in the winter. I wish them well.
You definitely gave a beautiful portrayal of life off the grid. You and your husband are skilled, organized and well versed in off-grid survival. Can you do another article showing the other side of this life choice? It’s easy to romanticize this life while sitting in a warm home with electricity. My cousin and her husband and three kids are living in a similar fashion in northern British Columbia. It is beautiful but dangerous at the same time. They have been through hardships, especially dealing with Mother Nature.
I loved perusal this. It is a taste of how our pioneering great grandparents and grandparents lived. My Grandpa and his family emigrated to Canada in 1904, when he was 6 years old. They had to live pretty much the way these young people live. The homestead still is in the family, but most of the original buildings are gone now.
💖 I absolutely LOVE this website so much. I have not missed not having a TV for a number of years now and never knew that streaming YouTube would become the joyful experience that it is because of creators like this. This episode is so masterfully done — no fluff, no music distraction. It is pure, unadulterated gold. The only downside? It makes perusal other websites a bit more difficult after being so accustomed to this. Thank you, Kirsten, for sharing another wonderfully and respectfully presented life.
Very simple life, but also very hard life. Everything you do must be done to support and maintain your life. I grew up on a farm in Northern Michigan and we did everything ourselves to include using Belgium horses for logging and farming. You live to survive and survive to live. This is one of the reasons life spans for the pioneers were so short and families were so large. Modern advances and technology have greatly helped enhance and sustain our livelihood. I lived in Alaska for two years as a young man and loved every minute of it. I am 60 now and in good health but even I would be hesitant to return to such a challenging lifestyle without the many modern conveniences we enjoy. However with the way everything is going in our world today it’s a good thing to have the knowledge and experience to be able to live off the land with just the basics. We wish you a long and happy life.
I stayed with David and Jenna 2 years ago and it was an amazing experience. If anyone has the chance to go experience a few days with them I’d say go. Something that can’t be explained unless you experience it for your self. I made a drone footage of my little trip with them is in the description if anyone wants to check it out
I was born in Alaska in 1952 (Still just a territory) on our homestead in Hormer. Hunting, trapping and growing a garden was just another day. We lost everything in 1964 after the “Good Friday” earthquake and moved to Florida. Talk about a change in life! In later years I lived in western Montana, but it wasn’t Alaska. Thank you for your articles. Through you I relive a simpler time.
Im 65 years old and live off grid in montana, solar power and propane cook stove,coal for heat,and 50 miles to town,7 miles to my neighbor. It is verypeacefull and quiet but it can get real lonely sometimes especially in the winter,,only way out sometimes is by sled. Sometimes a day or two in town really helps with depression and lonlieness.
Extraordinary. What PRACTICAL people, I am impressed by their ingenuity. Its heartwarming to know there are people of this ilk still out there. Respect, new friends I have not met yet. (ps: some of the artifacts they use such as the gin pole and the beast of burden assistance thing carrying those buckets are flat out brilliant)
This was awesome to watch! Really amazing hard working people. I fell in love with the first lodge ( sun lodge) because it was similar to what I’d like to construct. The problem I’ve found with going bigger is that it always results in the consumption of finite materials resulting in the need for more capital. Knowing when to stop expanding is the key. Loved their birch bark bowls.
I’m so glad that there are people who have the instinct & ability to build sturdy structures in the Northern most remote parts of the country to make their lives. This is something to be proud of creating, years of planning & work. I’m sure that I have little understanding of what it costs them. But I pray that God will continue to prosper them.
Don’t you guys have to worry about the wild animals like wolves an bears,i noticed that you guys are not carrying any fire arms to protect yourselves,and what do you guys do if you get sick. I really enjoyed your great article. The peace you guys have and the freedom. I hope you guys make more,i really enjoyed perusal it.Thank you so much.
I think if I were young and had to do it all over again, I would choose to live in Alaska. I’m off grid in the Blue Ridge, however, more & more people are buying up land around me and I don’t like to hear the chain saws, watch roads being paved, see stores pop up selling junk etc. I’m too old to move, and I’m fortunate to have enough land to allow the forest to buffer me. But that smell of gasoline the noise is not what expected for my reimbursement. 🥴
Amazing. What a wonderful experience they are affording their beautiful child. They are an inspiration, they didn’t like the hustle and bustle of the world, so they changed things! The happiness just radiates from them, and I don’t mean through their smiles. I bet even on challenging days, the light still emulates from their bodies. Their aura is different to mine, they have a definite light, and I’m not being kooky.
I live a part of me vicariously through you! Thank you! Beautifully done and lived. If I may…proud of you gurl!🤧Both actually! 😃 Your my off grid “Alaskan gal”. Thank you both for sharing. I dreamed of this life, I felt it in my bones, like a yearning. Like a time gone by indeed. Dabbled here and there but life turned course and here I am. Old!!🤶 So glad technology allows us to meet.
You mentioned your Grandmother said you were going backwards. I would say not. Just going forward in a more fulfilling and sustainable way. Now, a run on that epic sled ride down your trail in the winter! That would be the icing on the cake! Thanks for sharing your families life with us! So awesome! 🙂
As a Swede, if I lived in America, I’d love to live in Alaska. Gorgeous houses and moose is yummy. My dad was a hunter and we got moose every year. Yum and we have so many log cabins like your house. They’re so beautiful and unique and gey make me think of skiing and going indoors and have hot chocolate and warm your feet.
I have watched several documentaries on life in the bush and this is by far one of the best I have seen. I just love the whole concept that you and your husband are living by. They say that there is nothing in this world that is perfect – I would have them watch this article and see what they say then???? Absolutely incredible life.
I envy you both, in a nice way of course. You have what most never ever find. A purpose, constant adventure, the work employed makes you healthy and strong. The “more natural food sources” you have around you may be difficult to get but well worth it. A beautiful very practical cabin indeed. I wish you both and the little one, much happiness. And may God bless you three and your home. A big hello from the outskirts of Madrid, Spain. Our house is surrounded by forest. But nothing compared to your wonderful area. Take care
Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this article… How amazing to see how your family life together has progressed. Seeing the builds, the environment in different seasons … I still struggle to get my head around how a place with so much snow on the ground for so long can also have such pretty and vibrant flowers. Living where the temperature fluctuations between four clear distinct seasons is not that vast (UK) my brain still explodes realising such amazing things in nature exist. (I’m 43). Embrace your life and live it how ever you see fit I always say. What suits one person might not suit another. Never think your way or their way is better than the other as you can learn from them and vice versa. I would have fingers and toes dropping off if I attempted this life or would be unable to do anything with the amount of socks and gloves I would be wearing. Today the temperature here is 14°c and been in the garden for 20mins and my fingers are cold still now I’m in. So no Alaskan off-grid living for me. I will however live vicariously through you. Thank you for sharing x
Where do you keep all of your dogs at the cabin and what do you feed them? You two….now three (lol) looks like you have both worked very very hard to hand build your beautiful cabins and they are totally awesome. Loved your local pantry/store your root cellar that was awesome for sure. A whole lot of work for sure but certainly worth ALL of the effort too. God’s blessings to you all and thank you for your awesome article’s.
I am disabled too but I plan to have a homestead and move to a warm climate area. But build and bring a solar panels, backup generators, water well, filter and water heater. My land will be reasonable in Ghana. Love your article. I just do not think African Americans can live anywhere or in the middle of anywhere in this country we actually love, without being concerned about violence. The political climate makes that reality unfortunate. All of my family is former military and we have been in the USA 12 generations.
This was so beautiful. I wish I had been able to do something like this when I was young enough. For now I content myself with a cabin in the woods with no running water and an outhouse (I do have electric power) only a hour’s drive from a town, growing some of my own food. Life feels so much more real.
It makes your heart yearn. I’m currently 33, camping every other weekend, and stashing away money to buy livable land. We’ve over complicated our lives so much that despite having more in it we end up having less substance. I was born to be a mountain man but for the time being I shall slave away in a concrete cell.
My roommate and i are Army veterans with PTSD. In two years we are lvg the heat 2 get some acreage and bldg our own TINY HOME! Off grid. Cannot wait…happiness is Phx in my rearview mirror! Gng 2 the land of GOD, freedom, mountains etc…want 2 c pretty rocks, fish, ski and throw snow! Too much idiosy in our world. I want a slow pace and 2 cut my own firewood. Start gardening. God bless those that have led the way.
You are definitely NOT going backwards. The amount of perseverence, patience, problem solving, and engenuity that living off grid requires, creates self sufficient humans that can survive pretty much anything that comes their way. Kudos to you and your family. Your little one seems so happy enjoying boat rides and nibbling on berries. Thank you for taking us on this journey. P.S. Be careful with sharp tools around your child. The pointy instrument next to him while he was playing with the home made basket brought back memories of Loius Braille’s biography. In a second…it just takes one second. Be well.
What you have done, and will continue to do, is so cool to watch unfold over YouTube! But more than that, there are so many vital lessons I think so many could learn! Ones that, disaster doesn’t need to strike, nor do you need to be working toward ‘ “off grid” life for this article to be important info and informative to watch! Thank you for sharing your home and property. Also thank you for sharing your amazing experiences and lessons you have learned along the way! So much love and warm hugs from me here in Montana! 💙
This is incredible. Knowing all of this was done in the middle of nowhere with no real modern machinery besides a chain saw and a few other things is amazing. It’s Crazy enough to build a house with everything readily available but to do it in the woods with all hand made tools like a crane is mind blowing.
I remember my years in the wilderness. They are memorable but they were hard. You’ve done a great job showing it. It’s hard to explain it unless you’ve lived it. You’ve also done a great job documenting your life. And you’ve built an amazing place. I wish I would have had some modern cameras back in my day. I can honestly say that I’m too old now to ever want to go back, and sometimes it’s hard to watch you all at it. But it’s a life of experience that can’t be duplicated. Thanks for sharing. Best of everything to you all.
Living in a isolated place has made you sooo resourceful..everything from building your home to growing food that lasts till next summer..the fish are abundant..it has taken so much hard work that has rewarded you well…inviting others to share this amazing place must take their breath away..thankyou for sharing your life..go well..❤
Kirsten, I just wanted to let you know how much these articles mean to me. When I was a kid I experienced depression. Thinking that there was only one or two potential futures for me: the typical white picket fence life with a family, or living on my own in an apartment, it was crushing to my desire for something different that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Seeing how people live in unconventional ways has opened my eyes to all that people are capable of when they have a dream in mind. Thank you for giving me hope, and showing the world that we can make our dreams happen.
Hi guys. I’m from Australia & wow what an amazing life you all lead. Bit jealous actually. To bring up a child like this is just fantastic. Away from mind numbing electronic games etc…See how life really works. Ahh this made my heart sing. Good luck with all your endeavours. Have a fabulous life! Thinking the mead would definitely help 😝🥃👍💛
I’ve seen articles of people who live in Siberia, they use moss in between the logs to stop the draft. I think you do it too, that’s so smart, the moss freezes and becomes the perfect insulation tool. I moved from a one season state to a very defined four season state and I became happy again! I love the fall, the winter and the spring but I can’t take the summers! I’m weird that way, give me the clouds and snow!❤❤❤
A nice and practical addition to the house would be an airlock as in a small additional “room/ hallway” build against the front door so you can kick of your boots and hang your jacket to go into the house without getting a cold draft/ mud or snow. But especially leaving out the cold from having to open up the front door bringing the cold outside straight into your house.
The only activities I’d be doing is cutting trees down notching splitting firewood stacking cleaning up messes awesome you got the best husband in the world God bless you and the little baby I hand it to the old man he does it God bless all respect a lot of hard work you all did still to do Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas coming awesome awesome article again God bless you all I’ll put you all down for my prayer list
Y’all are going to have to get to town and live there in the lower 48 when you get in your 70s …cuz you’ll be way done with all this prepper stuff by then… You’ll be made to retire one day just from the physics of it… so enjoy this lifestyle while you can… Chances are you won’t be thinking of caribou in your 70s… THAT’S WHEN YOU REALLY GET TO SIMPLIFY AND ENJOY DOING SO! 👍 SEE YOU IN A FEW…🌟
Hey guys, I am from Argentina, live now in Germany and I find your website because I am planning long tome living off the grid. I have a website for other things, travel and more and in 4 languages and planning work off the gridd too. Blessings to you, you have such a nice project development. You have a very hard but, we can see, happy live. I dont need to encourage you, because have enough for yourselfes. A big hugh and I hope to meet you some day, sliding with you in a trineo and going down the mountain there.
Cómo adultos pueden y tienen el derecho de tomar cualquier decisión respecto a sus vidas PERO IMPONER UNA VIDA SIN SOCIALIZAR A UN NIÑO NO ES LO CORRECTO; La naturaleza humana implica también compartir nuestras vidas con “otros” humanos y no sólo nuestro pequeño círculo familiar. Forma parte de nuestro desarrollo mental. Greeting from USA.
I’m happy they found what they want from life and it seems to be working so well with them. The place is stunningly beautiful and their house and daily/seasonal routine so well-organized. But what will happen when the little girl gets older? No school, no friends, no boyfriend? Or will she have to leave them and go live in a city on her own? And what about when they grow older and won’t have the physical stamina to do all this stuff. With no family or neighbours nearby for a moment of sickness or danger.
This may sound like a dumb question but I was always taught the only dumb question is the one you don’t ask.. you were showing all your canned goods and stuff .. you were talking about your jar herbs, how are you sealing the jars or canning the dryer stuff.. can they just be hot bath or will they just stay good in the jars.. curious what you do preserve them
SIMPLY BEAUTIFULL, EXTREAMLY hard work specially with a baby, but good on the whole family for being able to do this and live in the most beautifully quiet and stunning scenery in the world, I’m totally jealous of you all, 😊 hehehaha kidding, IDE love to live like this. How lucky that all are to be able to do this xxxx much love to the family, peace out Danielle ✌🏻✌🏻❤️❤️❤️✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻
Nope. Not for me. I freeze my buttocks off here South of Houston on the Texas coast in winter time. lol I’m on a small 90 acre track down here with wild hogs, deer, coyotes, bobcats, fish because I’m a creek front property & the Gulf of Mexico but I would actually love remote living out in the wild. I kinda get the best of both Worlds here but love the beauty of Alaska. I hear there’s no longer Homesteading Property up there. This true? I always see or hear about people moving up there & claiming property then building on it. 🤟 Beautiful home also.. I hear Log Cabins are extremely hard to maintain also.
Do you know “Brooke from “Girl In The Wood’s”? And her husband Dave Whipple From “Be Radical”! Great folk’s!!! They have some property in Alaska. They lived there With 2 children. You would Not be sorry to look them up! 🤗 Oh! I should add Dave and Brooke have built Several home’s! Brooke recently built A gypsy wagon! Look on her chanel I gave you! 🤗
Don’t know how often you check this but I wanted to say that you could also run a trapline for extra income, you could very easily get a subsistence license to hunt for extra food. I’ve a friend who does this with her father. She gets a caribou every winter. Not to mention you can always do a little gold mining. Lots of that stuff up around Squarebanks (little joke, that’s what we used to call Fairbanks back in the day) that’s for sure. You both have a good life there, l’m happy for you both, it’s good to see young people who are living a good clean life. Unfortunately Alaska is one of the only, maybe the last, places where this can be done. I hope spend your lives there happy and healthy. It’s a good place to raise a family too. May Alaska bless you always.
Jesus Christ is the son of God who died and rose three days later and loves all of you. He died for everyone and wants you with Him, to know Him and live for His glory. Come be saved eternally and spend time with Him to know Him. Be saved, free, forgiven, healed, delivered, baptized, whole and let Him show you how He is everything you need. 🕊️💕Live righteous and Holy because He said to and paid for our way to live like Him. Ask anything in His name and the Father will do it amen hallelujah praise God thank you Jesus . 🙏 I lift up everyone’s prayers, wants and needs to You Jesus, please pour out blessings. May Your favor, grace and mercy be upon the world. In Jesus name come help us all. You know our needs and everything else about each of us. In Jesus name amen thank you Jesus praise God 🙏 Jesus, Help people to be rooted and grounded in Your love and to obey Your truth. That they are living in the truth being taught by You. That they know Your voice and word. Knowing truth from errors, discernment. 💕 We are ambassadors of Christ. We represent God, when we are seen Jesus should be seen, His ways not ours. We should be living for and showing God, living for His glory. We are to be an example of Jesus for the world to see Him and want to know Him and know Him more. 🙏 🔥 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, if My people humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways I will hear them from heaven and heal their land.
I wish I could convince my partner to live in Canada’s Yukon BUT he loathes cold weather! I love it and want to experience what you folks are. I would love to be away from “shopping malls, etc” yet I love the Urban Experience! But life needs change in my mind- to understand oneself and the ‘others’ what better way than a new, unique environment. I am not an early childhood educator but I feel from what I have read, kids learn differently skills and in a unique way and I think they are more “centered”- email me if I am wrong. I won’t get political and get into all the issues Canada’s Indigenous, Inuit Peoples have- I agree with their viewpoint- but here I just want to applaud you folks for doing what SO many just talk about… Namaste from South Canada! I lucked out for Xmas and got a blizzard- finally- damned climate change!
These people have super great survival skills and the way they grow their own food and crops and killing animals to eat these things are amazing healthy foods they eat and teaching children how to survive wow Ithink they have a super great life just like Amish people getting back to the basics of life 👍😇🇺🇸❤️💰👏🙏✨✝️👼
Bravo. Living off grid is not for everyone. It takes a special person to do it. In 1980 I moved back to a small village in Southern Italy where power was not on 27/7. In he summer the water shut off at 1000 and tuned back on at 1600. After growing up in a city of 2million people it was a big adjustment. We stayed five years and then in the towel. Not because we did not like it, but my girls would have to go away to boarding school for high school. So we retuned to Canada to keep the family together.
Wonderful presentation!!! My hat’s off to you both (all three of you). How can i find out more about your stay, bed & breakfast. Type of excursion? Can you tell me the best way to further communicate for details? Regardless of whether you choose to respond, I wish you all nothing but success and the best that life has to offer. Thank you, hopefully I hear back. I have Facebook messenger if it works for you.
Admirable talent, commitment, and resilience. To live like this is ultimately NOT sustainable for one tiny family unit permanently. Eventually, as others have found, unless they are blest to have 100% of their physical faculties remain the same as in their 30s, they will have to leave. The harshness & length of the winters makes living here more sustainable if there are at least a few other families. In a way, this is anything but simple living — as can be seen by all the labor they put in, this life requires a very tight schedule. This article is a great “ad brochure” for their authentic Alaskan living which they offer as a kind of eco-tourism. Visitors get to see up close & personal the “sexy-nature-loving-eco-conscious-artists” that this couple is, live in what they have created, and fall in love with nature. Another very interesting episode fr this wonderful website. Thank you.
You didn’t get sick of each because it is the one true love! ❤️💙💃🕺🏡 you never run out of things to say 👄 and when its silent your always thinking of each other and enjoying the peaceful sounds. GB 🙏 love ur home 🏡 its awesome cute and so cozy. Now you can use it to rent out to couples. 💃🕺❤️ such a wonderful life you have living off the land utilizing a lot of mother nature is the way to go and you and husband enjoy the same things and you work together not slacking on either side ur a great mom & dad and husband & wife. Wish your life full of unconditional love and family. GB 🙏👩🦰🧔👶
I find fascinating how people can love a basic life and totally by choice. This is beyond minimalist. I live in the Canadian suburbs, which is very quiet already and it’s not rare to see snow bench higher than my suv roof in winter. What southern does realize is the sunset time is around 4h00pm here in winter and probably earlier in Alaska. The lack of natural light is a problem. If we have decent temperatures, like above -15 degree celsius, we go skiing during the weekend to get some fresh air and sun light. People a lot of time inside coz after work, it’s already dark outside. So it’s not only remote, isolated but also very long night and that cause a lot of depression. It’s definitely not for me!
So cool to see “neighbors” on your website… we also live on the Tanana River, about 100 river miles or so away from the Jonas’. Alaskan wilderness living is interesting and unique… but as your article stated toward the end, this was normal life for most people all over the world up to about 100 years ago. The loss of these skills and experiences due to their lack of use is exactly why too much technology, convenience, and comfort are not good for us. Just look at how many comments ask something along the lines of, “how did you learn to live like that?” Our culture has grown over-dependent on manufactured goods and now folks like the Jonas are the exception rather than the general rule. So… would you rather have skills like these that can provide a great life, or a shopping mall down the street and a 9-5 you hate so you can go spend time and money at the mall? It’s an over-simplified question, but I believe it’s at the core of everything that’s wrong with our world today. The Jonas’ and others living like them are doing it right. Is it a tough life and difficult at times? You betcha it is. Is it worth it? Absolutely! I love Alaska, and I’ll never leave. Alaskan living is real living.
This is basic subsistence living. This is too primitive for me. In climates whereby you get temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees fahrenheit, I think it is healthier and safer to have indoor plumbing. These days with the advances made in Portable Solar Generators and wind, it’s easy to have a continuous 3Kw of electricity available for cooking, baking, backup heating, power tools, and a fridge on a daily basis. I like how the cabin is built into the side of the bluff. This makes it more Bear proof. 👍 Having sled dogs is expensive and dogs have to be fed daily, and that’s a lot of extra bother. I’d opt for a good snowmobile instead. With babies and small children there are other safety concerns. The second two storey big log cabin is obviously amazing. 👌The second cabin is makes much more sense.
one of my dreams that I could not fulfill, but I feel very gratified by the way of life they have. I am very happy that they have achieved their goals. excellent article please do not stop communicating with us. If you don’t understand it well, it’s because I’m from Spain and I don’t speak English. Use a translator. good luck and congratulations.
I was perusal a article of a nice young couple looking to buy a house in Alaska. They could buy a house as is, or for I think $25,000 or $50,000 more (I forget) get the house set up with indoor plumbing. They were thinking about it. The house was very nice and modern looking. I was thinking when it is in the middle of a blizzard and -30 below zero, you are going to either wish you had installed a nice indoor toilet that flushes, when you run to the outhouse, or be so glad you shelled out the extra money for indoor plumbing. Really. Somethings are just worth the money. Like not freezing your ass and other parts off in the middle of the night.
Wow, you guys have really figured out how to do it. The home you built is incredible, the birch wood beautiful. What a great way to raise your daughter, and your food looked so healthy and delicious. I love the scene of your daughter picking berries and eating them straight off the bush. How cool is that!
I watch alot of MrBallen the storyteller on youtube. & theres several books made called 411 misssing in North America, of people which vanishes in the major forests, sightings of white walkers skin walkers werewolfs & sasquatchs. Tell me now you live in Alaska of the grid have you ever noticed weird beings or experiences ?? Besides from that i love your house, not how i would have done it yet i still love it. & should i live off the grid i would most likely build in armored concrete & then decorate it with wood. 😀
Physical work from morning to midnight. Is it a problem when they reach age 60-65-70 years of age ? Also, how many hours is it to the nearest reliable hospital in the winter ? What happens if someone falls and fractures a femur, or has a pregnancy in a fallopian tube or has an acute appendicitis or cholecystitis ? Courageous people !! RS. Canada
You can extend your cabbage season by cutting a cabbage head as soon as it is big enough for a meal. Cut the head off and leave the plant in the ground. It will produce four more heads. Thin out three of the heads when they are radish size. The fourth head will then grow to almost full size. Gophers taught me how to store potatoes. They used a corner of my root cellar as a dump site for dirt from their tunnel making. In the process of doing this, they covered a small pile of spuds. I discovered this a year after storing my potatoes. When I removed the moist soil (not wet) off of the spuds I was blown away. They were just like newly dug potatoes. No sprouts nor turning mushy. Usually potatoes in my cellar (zone 5) last 6 months when they start to sprout and get mushy. Plant spinach in the fall and let the young plants over winter under the snow. Come spring they will grow rapidly and give you some delicious sweet spinach very early. For Alaska try different varieties to find one that works well doing this. A rocket mass heater or stove uses 75% less wood. After it gets hot, it gives off water vapor and CO2, no smoke. Don’t use a drum or barrel like some people do as they don’t last. The thin metal wears out and they eventually become dangerous. Use at least 1/4″ wall pipe or metal. The key to the design of a RMH or stove is to maintain the same volume of air space throughout the system from the inlet to the stove to the exhaust pipe. This will allow it to burn properly and have draft.
Grew up in high school for eight years in Fairbanks. The best friends are like family in that region. I love the natives. Got married what A trooper of A family wow; I’m A Peter pan. l am going to finally be able to get married at 56, lol. Best wishes l hope you perfect your desires. Trash for me is fuel where the wood is very wet and hard to start in Coos Bay, Oregon.
Love it! You are living the dream! We’re dabbling in off grind living but you’re doing it! Love the freedom. Love the synchronization with nature; grow when growing is good, pick when picking is good, forage when nature calls! Always work to be done but so rewarding ! Thanks for sharing your journey! Best of luck!
Great story! I remember reading the book ‘Reading the river’ back in the 1980s and fantasizing about doing what you folks are doing. I never did of course, I lacked the courage, skills, ingenuity, commitment and vision that you have. Congratulations. Richard Proenneke would be proud and smiling at what you have accomplished.
What a truly lovely inspiration to see these young folks being so aware and responsible for every aspect of their lives. Now if we could bottle that and give it out like vaccines..”what a wonderful world”..thanks so much for sharing it all. It is a life many dream of and unfortunately will never obtain because we get caught up in the never ending wheel that keeps us going round and round…thus feeling trapped. These folk took the leap and jumped off the wheel. How very brave…and inspiring.
I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT THE WAY THINGS ARE NOW IN THIS 2022 AND THE FUTURE OF AMERICA. THAT perusal THIS article WILL HELP OTHER’S TO LEARN HOW TO SURVIVE IN TIMES LIKE THESE. THE ADVERTISEMENT’S ARE CONSTANTLY SHOWING AND TELLING THE PUBLIC THAT WE WILL EVENTUALLY NEED TO START BUYING FOOD IN ADVANCE TO KEEP US AMERICAN’S FROM STARVING. BECAUSE THE 2020 PANDEMIC SCARED MOST EVERY ONE. AND THEIR WERE PLACES WHERE THE PUBLIC EXPERIENCED NO FOOD ON THE SHELVES. SO THIS IS A GOOD WAY OF ILLUSTRATION TO SHOW HOW TO SURVIVE. THIS IS A REALLY GREAT IDEA YOU BOTH HAD. CONGRATULATIONS. STAY SAFE GOD BLESS YOU ALL IN JESUS CHRIST NAME 📛📛📛📛📛📛📛📛📛📛📛📛
OK why does this article show almost every detail of life except toileting and bathing? While bathing can be left go indefinitely, relieving oneself cannot. Even this website’s vids on van life show bathroom/bathing info. I admire this couple’s work ethic and skills however I could not live in such small environments and could not spend my life working from dawn to dusk most days, in order to eat or have shelter or clean clothes. I enjoy this website’s articles and seeing how others live.
Tony is cool, laid-back, very family-orientated, hard worker… his mother is super loving, caring, & loyal u can tell.. & his wife is cool af, intelligent, tattoo artist, & the fam is against all bullshit… i like that family! God bless them and all the people of Alaska, and the entire globe of course… and especially YOU reading this!
I want to say thank you! I enjoy perusal your content.. I like the way you interact with real people in whatever environment your in. You show us “real”!! It’s hard to put into words, but I admire the work you do.. seems like everything goes with a flow and your real comfortable.. I came across your articles with the Hasidic Jews and I was surprised that not only was it interesting it was informative.. I’ve been a fan of your work and watch all your articles… Keep up the good work!! God bless you!
Peter, I think it would be amazing if you would think about sharing the indigenous people of Hawaii (my people) and their plight. I watched your Crow segment and the cultural similarities are next level. Thank you for sharing these beautiful stories and life experiences of the people/places you visit❤️
My sister is an Alaskan native . My mom lived in Homer for YEARS. She’d always mail me fur jackets amd moccasins and all my friends didn’t understand that. They’d laugh and call me an Indian girl 🙁 I had a really pretty rabbit fur too 🙂 I loved it. I love this article thisnis exactly how they lived . My mom always made jam too and mailed me homemade jam 3) my step dad was a carpenter amd fisherman . They lived pretty good. I enjoyed this article sooooooooo MUCH . I loved this
I could relate to that family. I just left the University of Pennsylvania hospital. My daughter has had open heart surgery due to her drug addiction. I know about Kensington only too well unfortunately as a mother of addicted adult children. Many times I just want to run away. It’s just so much to bear as a mother. God bless them and God bless you for your articles. They’re awesome.❤
I was with them until I found out that they bail out and go to Turkey in the winter. They’re just summer people, dabbling in the Alaska experience. I’ve lived in Maine year round for 35 years, and we have real winter here. Not as intense as parts of Alaska, but plenty tough. We call these people snowbirds. I have neighbors like them. San Francisco in the winter, Maine in the summer. Nice enough people, but city folk at heart. Until it drops to 20 below, and the wind howls, and the snow banks up against your cabin, and the power (if you are on the grid) goes out for days, and the car won’t start, you do not know what winter is like. Alaska in the winter can be considerably harder than that. 40 or 50 below outside Fairbanks, but plenty of people do it. These are bright, interesting, intelligent people, but they have no idea what they are in for, if they intend to live year round in Alaska. It’ll be an education.
Peter I found your website a day ago and I’m so happy that I did! You’re so respectful towards everyone whom you come I contact with and it’s refreshing to see that. I’m so elated to see the different places and people who are just living their best life because they have chosen to do so. We enjoy your articles and we wish you the very best and safe travels. God bless you.
We left the city and spent 12 years off-grid in the rainforest. This is all very familiar. Interesting neighbors (from scientists to tweakers), fresh food (our kids used to eat directly from our plants; not even picking with their hands), no decent grocery store for miles, free thinkers who can agree to disagree, thriftin’ at the dump, weird crime (someone down the road from us had their HOUSE stolen); all of it. 😂 We’re in a town now, for various reasons, but I definitely miss a lot about this way of life, and we still talk about eventually going back to off-grid living.
I loved these people,& how they have carved out a piece of heaven, in such a harsh environment. They appear to be very happy, productive, healthy,& skilled. I couldn’t do it myself, but totally admire their ability to do so. I really enjoyed this segment of the Alaska series Peter. Looking forward to the next adventure.💯❤️👍🏾😀🙋🏽♀️✝️🙏🏾🇺🇸
I can kinda relate to this. I live in sweden and the landscape looks pretty much the same with bears, wolfs, mooses etc. I don’t live in a hut though but in a real house but it’s way out there. I like the calm of the thick coniferous forest. Btw he’s right, mosses do kill people and dogs by stomping them to death. It’s very uncommon but it happens, they are especially agressive if they have a calf near by. Oh and i’m a heavy metal guitarist myself. Rock on 🙂🤘
I love your website, Pete. I have a real deep interest in the human story and what makes us tick, what separates us, what brings us together and mostly how people went from where they were to where they are. This article really hits on that last point and going from one extreme, Kensington to the complete other – off-grid, wilderness living in Alaska. Keep up the good work, Pete!
Being 25 mins from Kensington this hits. We moved just barely outside of Philly to get away from the bulk of it. Still not far enough. There are zombies at every Philly intersection. At the on/off ramps to the bridges. It’s like driving through a set on the Walking Dead. Happy for these guys. Always wanted to do something like this
Watching from the UK and absolutely chuffed to bits to have discovered your website Peter. Loved this episode as Alaska is on my bucket list. I’m marvelling at the fortitude some people will endure to be surrounded by stunning nature and living off grid – I couldn’t do it but enjoying the armchair travelling all the same. Thank you for this 👏🏻😊🇬🇧
Man, I couldn’t agree more with this couple. I grew up in the punk/metal group. Literally 98% of my friends, ex-band mates are completely lost in everything they’ve been fed. These were some of the most interesting and intelligent people I knew. These days they seem so lost and incapable of independent thinking. Love these articles bud. I really appreciate them.
lol my brother built that house. I believe Bluesky helped as well. Suspected that was his old place when I saw the outside. I’ve visited a couple times in summer and the mosquitos would eat you alive, but it was a relatively peaceful location that’s close enough to a small town. Wouldn’t want to live there in winter though, Alaskan winters and darkness are enough to deal with in a place with actual maintained roads and civilization. My brother still does construction work in the summer in AK, but both he and Bluesky headed for a warmer climate to live in long term.
I’m from Delaware and used to take the train to Kensington when I was in my addiction. And he or anybody can’t describe in words how insane it is up there. It’s literally like a war zone and a third world country it’s insane! I am so excited for you and your family that you got out of there and get to look at such beautiful scenery everyday and be with each other everyday that’s a far life from Kensington life and so proud and happy for you and yours! Congratulations and I wish and pray for nothing but wonderful things for you all!!!!
Peter, spending a large chunk of my adult life in East New York, Brooklyn blocks from Pink Houses where you visited. Being first generation immigrant, been an activist and mentor for over a decade. I’ve seen and experienced many different types of people, enclaves, cultures, countries, religions, etc. and for some reason this Alaska series is in my top 3 places you’ve traveled. I’ve always been intrigued by Alaska and the people but the variation in the way of lifestyle in Alaska is such a dream of mine to experience. What brought everyone there, the communal feeling Alaska has that many other states lack is all so enjoyable to watch and hopefully 1 day I’ll get to experience.
Although Alaska has an average tempature of abour 30 degrees and montana has an average of 43 degree Montana holds the national record for cold with a 70-degrees-below-zero reading near Helena. And if you research the recorded low for most Montana towns on any given day from early November through March, you will see they range from minus 10 to minus 50 or colder. Still rough living. Grizzly, bear moose, wolves, bison and coyotes in Montana. I am tired of people trying to compete, and compare and make another place and people seem tougher. Their are difficulties in all states. There are a lot of tough strong people in this here United States