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Old 06-11-2016, 11:38 PM   #11
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Yeah, quite a change but a great one. I'll be running the marine operations in support of the construction of a hydro electric power plant at a remote wilderness site. The resulting power will be fed to a grid supplying the entire island. The current plan is to move the boat to Ketchikan and then hopefully to the work site (depending on the availability of water and electricity). To begin with, I'll be living ashore but hope to find a suitable site for the boat so I can sleep in my own bed. Since the boat is our home in Juneau, Mrs AT will be leaving her job and coming along in the beginning to give it a try, but the job is too good to pass up with great money, outstanding benifits and a new adventure in Alaska. It's been a long time since I've worked more than 6 months at a time, but I expect to be fully retired in a couple years so it's a pretty short time frame.

As far as things to bring, I'm stocking up on a ton of books and movies. A dirt bike is high on the list too, but I'm also considering a mountain bike with an electric assist that would be good enough to get me somewhere I could call for help. I've already got a VHF / UHF ham radio to hit any repeaters available, and I think an HF would get out pretty well, even in some of the valleys if I can point the signal upwards. i'll look into the Yaesu FT-857, thanks for the recomendation. The Inreach is a great alternative, but requires an expensive subscription I'd rather avoid.
I have no doubt this is going to be a great adventure, so I hope to be posting some exciting trip reports in the months to come.
Okay then, that actually sound pretty damn cool. Especially if you can retire in a couple of years. You're definitely not getting any younger Glad to hear about the yacht and Mrs. AT. And you won't have to look at cruise ships all Summer anymore. Good on ya - wish you the best man!

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Old 06-12-2016, 06:08 AM   #12
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Good call on the bear spray. Every member of your group should have their own canister on their hip at all times when exploring, or even around camp. Plan B: a Mossberg 590 or Glock 20 can also be a good thing to have on hand.

I strongly recommend that you resist the urge to drive out on tidal flats! Many people where I used to live in Skagway, AK would go out and drive their jeeps on the tidal flats and get stuck in soft sand. Then the tide would turn, and before they could extract the vehicle (which got sunk worse by the minute as the sand saturation increased), the entire thing would be under water. Saw many Jeep roof-tops sticking up 1/2 mile out from the waters edge
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Old 06-12-2016, 09:29 AM   #13
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Good call on the bear spray. Every member of your group should have their own canister on their hip at all times when exploring, or even around camp. Plan B: a Mossberg 590 or Glock 20 can also be a good thing to have on hand. I strongly recommend that you resist the urge to drive out on tidal flats!
I couldn't agree more on the bear spray, it's far safer and easier to deploy rapidly and more accurately than a firearm. Plenty of studys have proven this, although I do have a marinized Mossberg 12ga loaded with slugs as a back up, along with a few other things that go bang. As for driving on the beach, again, I couldn't agree more. I once saw a new Land Rover stuck on the beach at low tide. By the next morning it was totaled with all the glass broken, all tires flat and the interior filled with sand. I've been stuck in the sand enough to know better than to venture out alone. Fortunately, when it happened to me it was above the tide line and friends pulled me out (after the appropriate amount of harrasment that is) Thanks again, all good advice
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Old 06-12-2016, 10:36 AM   #14
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We spent some time looking around POW Island in 2008. Neat island and yes, lots of remote areas. Unfortunately, heavily logged in areas. The sitka deer were cool and a lot of them. I remember we got rained on quite a bit too.

This was a favorite spot of mine that we hung out at a good part of a day. Youngest son always seem to find his way into photos. He's with the 173rd Airborne now!

Should be a fantastic new adventure. Enjoy!
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Old 06-12-2016, 10:44 AM   #15
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. I remember we got rained on quite a bit too.
This was a favorite spot of mine that we hung out at a good part of a day. . Enjoy!
It can't rain much more than Juneau or Ketchikan, and I already have web's between my toes, so no problems there. Where was your favorite spot? Nice photos by the way

Helen Keller: "Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure… or nothing."
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Old 06-12-2016, 11:47 AM   #16
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Btw re InReach, a monthly subscription can be $11 a month. Not fun having an ongoing monthly expense but maybe worth the piece of mind. We keep ours in the van.


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Old 06-12-2016, 11:51 AM   #17
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I would strongly recommend a Personal Locator Beacon as part of your communications kit. While two-way communication is handy if you need a buddy to bring you a spare part or winch you out, the PLB is unmatched if you are critically sick or injured and cannot rig up an antenna or make it to higher ground.

Watching "Coast Guard Alaska" on the Weather Channel, many of their rescue calls are initiated from PLB's and it seems to be the fastest way to guarantee a response to your exact location.
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Old 06-12-2016, 12:00 PM   #18
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Just to clarify about the Delorme InReach, it allows two way texting but also is a full fledged PLB; flip the switch and the SOS goes out.
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Old 06-12-2016, 12:29 PM   #19
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The end result may be the same (hopefully), but the InReach is still transmitting the SOS over the Iridium network. Dedicated PLB's broadcast on the global standard 406 MHz frequency, and then have a homing frequency as rescuers get close.

My understanding is the PLB's also broadcast at 5 watts when activated, while Delmore or SPOT products are limited to 1-2 watts. So a PLB is your best bet if you are stranded in a particularly deep valley or heavy tree cover.

Are Satellite Messengers a Good Alternative for PLBs?
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Old 06-12-2016, 12:35 PM   #20
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Good to know.
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