Hitch-hiking From NYC to Alaska

[ukgimp]

So I am not far from starting my trip across the USA and part of Canada, I think the website is sorted. Just got to get some shares and get the word out there.

Take a look and see if you are happy to share about halfway down the page. I don't mind whichever bits you wish to share, tweet etc. I do need some followers on twitter. :-)

myforeverhome.co.uk

I could probably do with getting a few shares, likes etc to the FB page too

facebook.com/TheWellyAdventures

Anything appreciated, nothing expected.

Cheers

Rich

[dogboy]

Epic!

[dogboy]

Wait a second, you are leaving now for Fairbanks? Beginning of October they are usually already on snow.  You realize you could get caught in a early winter storm that could possibly bury you?  I left in the Spring, after the Fairbank's 'break up', but got got caught in a storm near Banff, the likes of which I've only seen once in my life.

You sure you got this?

October   Next Month   
Sun


Mon
  1
OBSERVED

Hi     43°F
Lo     22°F
Precip (in)
-
Tue
  2
OBSERVED

Hi     45°F
Lo     27°F
Precip (in)
-
Wed
  Today

Hi     52°F
Lo     39°F
Precip
10 %
Thu
  4

Hi     58°F
Lo     37°F
Precip
10 %
Fri
  5

Hi     53°F
Lo     38°F
Precip
10 %
Sat
  6

Hi     46°F
Lo     34°F
Precip
50 %
  7

Hi     48°F
Lo     39°F
Precip
30 %
  8   

Hi     45°F
Lo     35°F
Precip
60 %
  9

Hi     40°F
Lo     30°F
Precip
40 %
  10

Hi     40°F
Lo     25°F
Precip
0 %
  11

Hi     37°F
Lo     25°F
Precip
20 %
  12

Hi     37°F
Lo     26°F
Precip
20 %
  13
AVERAGES
Hi     36°F
Lo     19°F
RECORDS
Hi     65°F
Lo     2°F
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AVERAGES
Hi     35°F
Lo     19°F
RECORDS
Hi     65°F
Lo     -6°F
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AVERAGES
Hi     34°F
Lo     18°F
RECORDS
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Lo     -8°F
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AVERAGES
Hi     33°F
Lo     17°F
RECORDS
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Lo     -12°F
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Hi     32°F
Lo     16°F
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Hi     55°F
Lo     -6°F
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Hi     31°F
Lo     15°F
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Lo     -8°F
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Hi     30°F
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Hi     28°F
Lo     12°F
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Lo     -12°F
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Hi     27°F
Lo     11°F
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Lo     -16°F
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Hi     26°F
Lo     11°F
RECORDS
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Lo     -21°F
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Lo     10°F
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Lo     -27°F
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Lo     9°F
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Lo     -29°F
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AVERAGES
Hi     23°F
Lo     8°F
RECORDS
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Lo     -28°F
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AVERAGES
Hi     23°F
Lo     7°F
RECORDS
Hi     45°F
Lo     -15°F
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AVERAGES
Hi     22°F
Lo     7°F
RECORDS
Hi     50°F
Lo     -28°F
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AVERAGES
Hi     21°F
Lo     6°F
RECORDS
Hi     45°F
Lo     -22°F
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AVERAGES
Hi     20°F
Lo     5°F
RECORDS
Hi     52°F
Lo     -34°F

[dogboy]

Hey, seriously, I don't mean to spoil any adventure, but this one can kill you, if you aren't ready for extreme winter camping.   Remember they are losing lots of daylight up there right now (like 7 minutes a day I imagine.)

Also you are going through wicked bear country.  And they are going into hibernation with year old cubs. This is a dangerous time to be unarmed in the backcountry.  Last time I went of theeir I drove on over 500 miles a dirt road with gas cans strapped to my car because some little 'gas station towns' close.  Don't expect houses or seeing anything for miles.

If you already know this, my apologies, but reading it over makes me think this is being done really spur of the moment.  And this is not something that should be done in this manner.  Go to the Bahamas.  Go anywhere other than going into the Far North in winter.  Take my word for it.  I know that country. I've driven those roads.  there are only a few ways to get there, none of them easy.  I don't know how to say it in such a way that you appreciate what sub freezing temperatures can be like.  And remember, those number above... they don't include windchill.   

[ukgimp]

Cheers Rob :-)

I do have no intention of staggering around in the wilderness pissing bears off. No camping either.

I am after wealthy people to help out. Private jets and stuff if possible.

:-)

[dogboy]

  Then enjoy yourself!

You had me scared you were just going to go for a walk on the side of the highway with your thumb out! Ha! I could just see you somewhere on the Alcan with 50 mile an hour cross winds, with temperatures around -40C, and you realizing you got more than you bargained for. 

Cold is bad. Being cold for days and sleeping outside is worse. Wind is worse still and when you are losing 45mins of light a week, the darkness begins to make things really grim, and totally dangerous. Then you realize you have company

[ukgimp]

hehe, hitching with safety and warmth in mind :-)

[buckworks]

50 mile an hour cross winds, with temperatures around -40C  

If you were caught out in conditions like that, exposed skin would start to freeze in less than a minute. You would need good equipment and serious knowhow to avoid turning into a human popsicle. The seriousness of the situation would be compounded by the fact that if your body temperature starts to drop, your IQ will drop right along with it.

I don't live as far north as that, but even around here (about 52 degrees north) I have met more than one fellow who lost fingers or toes to frostbite.

My husband and I drove up the Alaska Highway as far as Whitehorse, about six weeks ago.

As Dogboy says, it is very empty country and many of the gas (petrol) stops are closed and we had to plan carefully for our food and fuel. In some stretches one could drive for hours without seeing any sign of civilization other than the highway itself.

At one restaurant, we overheard a couple of prospectors conversing over their dinner, and one commented that it had been several months since he'd needed to shoot a bear.

Even though you intend to travel in "safety and warmth", DO follow Dogboy's advice and make sure you're well equipped to cope if something goes wrong. In the cold months, the wrong sort of mishap could be a matter of life and limb, or life and death, not just discomfort or inconvenience.

Instructive reading: To Build a Fire, by Jack London. There's a statue of him in downtown Whitehorse!

http://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.html

[littleman]

You may want to check out couchsurfing.org, I've read good things about it.

[dogboy]

Yeah, I guess if you got it worked out with private jets(?) cool, but I have to admit I'm still a little concerned... you said things like "staggering around in the wilderness pissing bears off" and I'm not sure if you understand once you get into the interior, there is no need to even get off the road; you're there.  You really can't get more in the middle of the wilderness.  You will see bears on the road.  You will find them in your camp. That's because they will find you.  I'm not kidding their caloric intake is enormous right now.  I know you guys kid me about being armed, but this is a place where you need to be heavily armed, preferably with a shotgun and a dog that will wake you up.

In all seriousness, just traveling with your own car is dangerous this time of year. This is a transitional month up there, a surprise snowstorm can send you in a ditch, cover your tracks, and kill you before morning if you didn't think to have emergency supplies with you.  Personally, I wouldn't ever do this right now, and if I did I would use gear you aren't likely to have unless you are familiar with winter camping, or you are a mountaineer or something. Right now it could be freezing rain for 2 weeks then get cold.

And these 'towns' you see on the maps are more like you have been driving for hours, see a few house and be like 'we must be getting close' only to realize that was 'it', after you passed it.  It's not like you are going to find hotels up there.  Most will be closed up for winter. The ones left may be booked.

Look, again, I don't mean to be talking down to you, maybe you really got this covered.  But if you don't, this country is unforgiving.

[Adam C]

Good luck with the trip.  Sounds like an adventure.  With a bit of planning, I'm sure you'll find a suitable route. 

Two friends of mine are currently about 12,000 miles into a cycling trip from London to Sydney, somewhere near Perth.  On the way they're blogging, with the Telegraph re-publishing all their posts...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/9548546/The-Saddle-Saga-one-year-down-one-continent-to-go.html

I prefer the un-edited versions though...

http://www.thecyclediaries.com/places/into-the-mix/

On the way, they've cycled through several mountain ranges and deserts, been deported from Uzbekistan, welcomed into Iran, done their fair share of couchsurfing.org, slept in caves, under roads, all sorts.

They've also picked up a fair social following

http://www.facebook.com/thecyclediaries

Its not all gone smoothly but sounds like its been an adventure.

Not for one minute suggesting not to heed dogboy's advice.  I know nothing of the area you're heading to, and sounds very much as though he does all too well.  Just saying, with a little bit of planning, and understanding of the challenges that you'll face, you might be able to plan and experience a trip of a lifetime.

[edo]

Can I add you to my Dead Pool, Rich?

I can see you now wandering helplessly through an icefield in the Rockies with a huge bear about to pounce and eat you. Suddenly Dogboy appears on his Harley, T2 style, and takes the grizzly out in slo mo bullet time.

Ed

PS Liked your Fbook page. It will make a nice memorial.

[werty]

If you have Netflix (or access to someone elses) look up "Thumbs Up". It is basically a couple of guys who hitchhike around the US and document it. They do get a private plane (like a tiny prop plane) up to alaska. They meet some real weirdos and some other amazing folks along the way.

If you come through Chicago let me know. I should have heated floors by then

It can be brutal here in the winter and I do not even want to imagine what it would be like in Alaska at that same time of year. I would avoid it.

Also it seems like you are planning to travel through Canada (maybe) and bring a dog? Make sure to check into all the requirements and what not of traveling with an animal into Canada from the US. The borders are way more strict than they were years ago. I know you will need documentation of vaccinations and the like.

Anyhow be safe and enjoy your adventure!

[dogboy]

I keep looking at this thread and biting my lip....

I would wait until mid-summer. You are going to a wild and unpredictable place where any small mistake can turn tragic, and you are relying on others for your own safety. It's a fundamentally flawed plan.  If it was summer, I'd say it wasn't a great idea, but doable for a tough, determined, resourceful person.  But going into October it's not safe for anyone.  Things change violently up there.  You don't even drive something like that without having a solid car (or truck) and you have emergency supplies and winter camping essentials and people who know your route.  Some things in life you can just wing, but others you can't.  If you want to do a spur of the moment trip, go someplace that more friendly to humans.

Again, I normally encourage people to do 'crazy' things, because that's where you see the biggest gains, but that's also assuming you know the risks.  If you want to climb Everest, and you are a seasoned mountaineer, and you know 1 in 10 never make if off the mountain and you worked out every last tiny detail, I would wish you the best of luck.  But this trip is much more dangerous than you realize.... which makes it even MORE dangerous.  

And while not as important - I'm just going to say it - I think this trip is going to suck.  I don't think you realize how dark it's getting up there right now and how fast you are losing light every day.  By the end of the trip, you will have more dark than light.  I think you will/could have extended periods of freezing rain, capable of freezing you and your dog to death in one night. So basically, dark, cold, and shitty.

 I also think having a dog with you hitchhiking radically reduces your chances of getting picked up by anyone, especially if you and your dog are dirty and wet.  And lastly, I'm not sure how drivers will view you walking up there this time of year.  Most people are friendly, and will be concerned that you are in the middle of nowhere, and if you are lucky you will have lots of people drive you long distances telling you how stupid you are for being out this time of year and stories about people they knew that died of exposure.  It's also very likely, people will slow down, look you over to see if you are ok and keep driving.  That's because what you will be doing is odd, and they will feel something is badly out of place, that it might be a set up and you might be a highway robber that will kill them and drag them 20 yards into the woods and they'll never be seen again - and they will drive by, because up there, you don't take unnecessary risks, and you consider every little thing you do because that country demands your attention and your life depends on you paying attention. And you aren't worth the risk or the curiosity and it's too cold for your dirty wet dog to just sit in the bed of the truck for 400 miles, and they wont want him inside with them... and they will forget you existed after you are out of their rearview.

ok, that's enough.  I hope you postpone your trip.  If you don't, I wish you the very best weather and Godspeed. Whatever you do, if you decide to move forward, don't do it because you feel like you already told everyone your plans, yada yada.  The year  I lived in Alaska we were sledding on snow in Sept and I can't remember the temp in october, but I remember it was -45 on thanksgiving day, a month later.

[rcjordan]

I've stayed out of this thread, Rich, but I've got to tell you that DB and others are giving you great counsel on this.  Those who've ridden with me on Redneck Tours^tm know that I can put some miles behind me when behind the wheel but I've got to say that even the eastern-ish parts of the Trans-Canadian Highway had stretches that were uncomfortably long. .And that was driving. In command of my own vehicle and itinerary. In the summer.